Barbecue Sauces Reflect Regional Differences

Sometimes food stories have rather unusual origins. This one began when a plane from Los Angeles to New York was diverted to Kansas City because of weather. Stranded in an unfamiliar city and being a food writer, I did the only logical thing--looked into the local cuisine specialties.

Searching my memory, only one thing came to mind--Kansas City barbecue. Despite arriving at the hotel at 9 p.m. and leaving again at daylight, two bottles of locally made barbecue sauce were in hand when I boarded the bus back to the airport.

On arrival back at the Los Angeles Times Food Department, those bottles prompted a discussion of how barbecue sauces vary around the country, which led to collecting bottled sauces from different regions. Food experts in the local areas were consulted for background information and their recommendations of products.

Unfortunately, some of the most famous sauces--Arthur Bryant’s in Kansas City, Mo., Fincher’s of Macon, Ga., Lexington from North Carolina--weren’t available by mail-order. Still, those that were acquired provided excellent insight into regional differences.

From the Southeast came mustard-vinegar style products that most of our panel thought looked and tasted more like a basting sauce. (None of the panel members were from that area of the country.) The recipes undoubtedly originated in Europe and were brought to this country by early colonists. Since tomatoes were considered poisonous until the 19th Century, it makes sense that they weren’t used in these early recipes. Between tradition and people simply being used to and liking the flavor, the sauces never changed.

Begin moving west, even just from eastern to western North Carolina, and sauces change in color from mustard yellow to orange and red. They also become sweeter with the addition of brown sugar. By the time one gets to Memphis and Kansas City, tomato flavor becomes the norm and molasses or honey may replace the brown sugar.

Available ingredients for making the sauces and a shift in meat supplies from pork to beef necessitated many of these changes. So did the fuel used for cooking--from hickory wood in the East to the mesquite of Texas. Southwestern chiles took the place of eastern spices, color darkened to red-brown.

West Coast sauces seem to combine both Midwest and Southwest traits. Naturally, there’s always an exception to the general rule, and we found variety in the sauces collected from each area. Living in a mobile society, this is only to be expected.

Here’s a description of the sauces tasted. They were tasted alone, and with cubes of bread, beef brisket and chicken breast. The object was not to judge--it would be impossible to compare one to another because many were so different--but simply to detect regional differences. All sauces listed were found to be acceptable by a majority of the panel members.

REGIONAL BARBECUE SAUCES Southeast

Maurice Bessinger’s Piggie Park Barbecue Sauce

Piggie Park Enterprises

Box 6847

West Columbia, S.C. 29171

(800) 628-7423

Regular, spicy hot and hickory flavors were tasted. These were the most yellowish in color of the entire collection and all three had a relatively thin consistency. Subtle differences were detected in the three flavors. Tasters felt they were more of a basting sauce and suggested uses included with ham and stirred into deviled eggs. Sauces are available from the above address at $6 for one (16-ounce) bottle, $12 for three, $18 for six, or $28 for a case of 12. Flavors may be mixed within orders.

Johnny Harris’ Famous Bar-B-Cue Sauce

Johnny Harris Bar-B-Cue Sauce Co.

2801 Wicklow St.

Savannah, Ga. 31404

(912) 354-8828

Regular and hickory flavors were tasted. Catsup gives a red-orange color to this sauce with a dominant mustard taste and relatively thin consistency. Not much difference was detected between the two varieties. One taster commented on a Worcestershire sauce flavor. The manufacturer suggests heating the sauce to increase flavor and brushing it onto meats and poultry only during the final minutes of grilling. A minimum order of six (12-ounce) bottles is available from the above address for $16, when shipped west of the Mississippi River. Flavors may be mixed within the order.

Midwest

Gates’ and Sons Bar-B-Q Sauce

Best of Kansas City

6233 Brookside Plaza

Kansas City, Mo. 64113

(816) 333-7900

Red in color with medium consistency. Tasters found it very spicy, with the flavors of cumin, chili powder and vinegar. A gift pack of two (18-ounce) bottles is available from the above address for $14 plus shipping. The company will mix one bottle of Gates’ and one of Hayward’s, if requested.

Hayward’s Pit Bar-B-Q

Best of Kansas City

6233 Brookside Plaza

Kansas City, Mo. 64113

(816) 333-7900

Lighter red in color than others in the regional group, with a relatively thin consistency. Tasters commented on the honey flavor. A gift pack of two (18-ounce) bottles is available from the above address for $14 plus shipping. The company will mix 1 bottle of Hayward’s and 1 of Gates’, if requested.

K.C. Masterpiece

The Kingsford Products Co.

Oakland, Calif.

Original flavor was tasted. Dark red in color from the tomato concentrate and molasses, with a rather thick consistency. One taster noted a smoky flavor. Two commented on a taste of fruit. The sauce also comes in four other flavors--mesquite, hickory, spicy and original with no salt added--which were not tasted by our panel. The company originated in Kansas City, but was sold to the Kingsford Products Co. in 1985. The sauces are available in 19-ounce bottles for about $1.80 at most major supermarkets in Southern California.

Lloyd’s Rich & Natural Barbecue Sauce

Lloyd’s Food Products Inc.

St. Paul, Minn. 55120

Dark red-brown in color with a very thick consistency. Tasters commented on the sweet, smoky flavor. This was the only refrigerated sauce included in the tasting and is found in supermarket meat departments. Available in 20-ounce bottles for about $1.70 at Ralphs Grocery Co. and Von’s Grocery Co. stores.

Zarda Bar-B-Q

World Headquarters

214 North 7 Highway

Blue Springs, Mo. 64015

(816) 229-9999

Original and mild flavors were tasted. Both were red in color with a medium consistency. Little difference was noted between the two flavors. Both were found to be spicy and sweet with a smoky aroma and catsup flavor. The sauces are available from the above address in a gift pack of two (19-ounce) bottles for $3.65 plus shipping, or cases of 12 bottles for $24.95. Flavors may be mixed within the order.

Southwest Bulls’s Eye Original Barbecue Sauce

Ridg’s Finer Foods Inc.

Garland, Tex. 75040

(214) 272-0623

Darkest red-brown in color of Southwestern group and thickest in consistency. Smoky, sweet flavor. The sauce also comes in a spicy hot variety, which was not tasted by our panel. Available in 18-ounce bottles for about $1.80 at most major supermarkets in Southern California.

D. L. Jardine’s Chuck Wagon Recipe Barbecue Sauce

D. L. Jardine’s Texas Foods

Box 18868

Austin, Tex. 78760

(512) 444-5001

Original flavor was tasted. Red-orange in color with a relatively thin consistency. Tasters found the sauce spicy, with a Mexican chile and cumin flavor. The company also produces hot and mesquite varieties, which were not tasted by the panel. A minimum order of four (13-ounce) bottles is available from the above address for $15.80.

Texas Barbeque Sauce

Cattlebaron Foods Inc.

P.O. Drawer 800037

Dallas, Tex. 75380

(214) 271-5681

Regular and mesquite flavors were tasted. Dark red-brown in color and relatively thick in consistency. The regular flavor was described by a majority of tasters as very sweet; one taster noted a soy sauce flavor. The smoky flavor of the mesquite variety was commented on by two panelists. A new flavor--Jalapeno Hot--has just been introduced and was not tasted by the panel. The sauces are packed in home canning jars with a net weight of 17 ounces. The minimum order is one case, costing $23 plus shipping, billed collect.

West Coast

Everett and Jones Barbeque Sauce

Everett and Jones Barbeque

2676 Fruitvale Ave.

Oakland, Calif. 94601

(415) 533-0900

Dark red-brown in color with a very smoky aroma and flavor. Fruit-sweet taste. Minimum order of 12 (12-ounce) bottles is available from the above address for $37.88 plus shipping.

Firehouse No. 1 Bar-B-Que Sauce

501 Clement St.

San Francisco 94118

(415) 864-2693

The 1-Alarm flavor was tasted. It had the lightest red color in this regional group. Tasters found it spicy and less sweet. The sauce is also available in 2- and 3-alarm hotness, not tasted by the panel. Available in 18-ounce bottles for about $3 at Gelson’s Markets and selected Von’s Grocery Co. stores, Hughes Markets and Ralphs Grocery Co. stores.

La Mont’s Barbecue Sauce

La Mont’s Authentic Barbecue Restaurant

San Diego

Pale, almost salmon color with a relatively thick consistency. Tasters commented on the creamy texture and sweet, soy flavor. Available in 13.5-ounce bottles for about $1.90 at Von’s Grocery Co. stores and selected Alpha Beta Co., Ralphs Grocery Co. and Safeway Stores.