Barbecue sauce

History

Main article: Barbecue in the United States

Some place the origin of barbecue sauce at the formation of the first American colonies in the 17th century. References to the sauce start occurring in both English and French literature over the next two hundred years. South Carolina mustard sauce, a type of barbecue sauce, can be traced to German settlers in the 18th century.

Early homemade barbecue sauces were made with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Sugar, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce started to be used in the 1920s, but after World War II, the quantity of sugar and the number of ingredients increased dramatically.

The Georgia Barbecue Sauce Company of Atlanta advertised an early commercially produced barbecue sauce in 1909. Heinz was the first major company to sell bottled barbecue sauce in 1940. Soon afterward, General Foods introduced "Open Pit". Kraft Foods only entered the market in around 1960, but with heavy advertising, succeeded in becoming the market leader. Kraft also started making cooking oils with bags of spice attached, supplying another market entrance of barbecue sauce.

Variations

Different geographical regions have allegiances to their particular styles and variations of barbecue sauce.

East Carolina

Most American barbecue sauces can trace their roots to a sauce common in the eastern regions of North Carolina and South Carolina. The simplest and the earliest, it was popularized by enslaved Africans who also advanced the development of American barbecue, and originally was made with vinegar, ground black pepper, and hot chili pepper flakes. It is used as a "mopping" sauce to baste the meat while it is cooking and as a dipping sauce when it is served. "Thin, spicy, and vinegar based," it penetrates the meat and cuts the fats in the mouth, with a noticeably tarter flavor than most other barbecue sauces.

Western Carolina

In Lexington and the Piedmont areas of western North Carolina, the sauce is often called a dip. It is similar to the East Carolina sauce with the addition of tomato paste, tomato sauce, or ketchup.

South Carolina mustard sauce

Part of South Carolina is known for its yellow barbecue sauces made primarily of yellow mustard, vinegar, sugar, and spices. This sauce is most common in a belt from Columbia to Charleston.

Memphis

Similar to the Western Carolina style, but using molasses as a sweetener and with additional spices. It is usually served as a dipping sauce, as Memphis-style barbecue is typically a dry rub.

Kansas City

Thick, reddish-brown, tomato-based, and made with sugar, vinegar, and spices. It evolved from the Western Carolina– and Memphis-style sauces but is thicker and sweeter and does not penetrate the meat as much as it sits on the surface.

Typical commercial barbecue sauce is based on the Kansas City style.

Texas

In some of the older, more traditional restaurants, the sauces are heavily seasoned with cumin, chili peppers or chili powder, black pepper, and fresh onion, while using less tomato and sugar. They are medium thick and often resemble a thin tomato soup. They penetrate the meat easily rather than sit on top. Bottled barbecue sauces from Texas are often different from those used in the same restaurants because they do not contain meat drippings.

Alabama white sauce

North Alabama is known for its distinctive white sauce, a mayonnaise-based sauce that also includes apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper, which is used predominantly on chicken and pork.

Brands and types of barbecue sauce

• Ah-So
• Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce
• Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
• HP BBQ Sauce
• Hunt's
• KC Masterpiece
• Kraft
• Maull's barbecue sauce
• Reggae Reggae Sauce
• Sauer's Barbecue Sauce
• Shacha sauce
• Siu haau sauce
• Sweet Baby Ray's

Other sauces sometimes used for barbeque include mojo, mumbo sauce, and satay sauce.

References

References

1. (2005-03-01). "Category Analysis: Condiments".
2. (1996). "North Carolina Barbecue: Flavored by Time". John F. Blair.
3. (2019). "A Very Brief History of the Four Types of Barbeque Found In the USA". South Carolina Barbeque Association.
4. "Georgia Barbecue Sauce" (advertisement), ''[[Atlanta Constitution]]'', January 31, 1909, as reproduced in Moss, ''Barbecue''
5. (2010). "Barbecue: The History of an American Institution". University of Alabama Press.
6. (1996). "The Great Barbecue Companion: Mops, Sops, Sauces, and Rubs". Ten Speed Press.
7. Moss, Robert F.. (2010). "Barbecue: The History of an American Institution". University of Alabama Press.
8. (July 11, 2018). "Eastern NC barbecue is healthier than western". [[WRAL-TV]].
9. (15 March 2024). "South Carolina Mustard Sauce ranked No. 15 in latest BBQ poll".
10. (7 February 2024). "Sunny South Carolina sauce brightens barbecue with golden blaze of mustard".
11. James, Cleo. (September 6, 2013). "Kansas City BBQ vs. Memphis BBQ – What's the Difference?".
12. (2014). "All About the Sauce". Texas Monthly.
13. (2019). "Heinz Texas Style Bold & Spicy BBQ Sauce, 19.5 oz Bottle". Kraft-Heinz.
14. Cary, Josh & Jackson, Chef Tom. (Aug 10, 2018). ''[https://www.kmuw.org/post/cooking-fire-alabama-white-sauce Cooking With Fire: Alabama White Sauce]'', KMUW 89.1 Wichita Public Radio, Wichita, KS.