Fitness / September 18, 2024

Kansas City BBQ Sauce

Tangy and super tasty — a great gift recipe to make for friends and family.

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This is the sort of food that’s just better homemade. Yes, there are some terrific store-bought BBQ sauces, and you may have your personal favorite. But homemade really is the best! Summer is grilling and BBQ season, a great time to share with friends. Your friends will thank you for giving them a gift like this, one that they can actually use, and they don’t need to move it or dust around it!

I often think of foods as simply the vehicle for a great sauce like this. We once had BBQ mushrooms delivered to us. Not so outrageous, you say? It is, when you are vacationing in a mountaintop cabin! We watched the delivery vehicle make its way up the winding road for 10 minutes before it reached us. But it was oh-so-worth-it. We love mushrooms, but in this case, they became just the deliverer of a fantastic, rich sauce.

You’re going to love the fresh flavor and aroma, and the hearty feel to this sauce. Be sure to use quality ingredients, such as a rich organic ketchup, especially if you’re making this to give as gifts! Check the dates on your spices, too. They sort of lose their oomph when they’re past the date. This is a base that you can add to, to create some all-time epic dishes. One awesome dish to make with this is to mix it with shredded jackfruit. You can then serve it exactly the same way you would with pulled pork or pulled chicken.

And because I know you want to try BBQ mushrooms, start here with How To Cook Mushrooms! And simply let them simmer in the sauce for about 20 minutes on low.

Is Kansas City BBQ Sauce Healthy?

Homemade is usually a healthier option than store-bought, as you are skipping any ingredients added just for ‘shelf life’. You can start with the basic recipe and then tweak it until you have it exactly as you like it. As written, this recipe is vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free, but is a little high in sugar and sodium.

Is it ketchup or catsup?

What is the difference, if any, between ketchup and catsup? In Pittsburgh, we take our ketchup—and our pickles—seriously. It was historically always known as catsup, but then Heinz wanted to stand out, and realized it was called ketchup by many. So ketchup it became. There are, apparently, many barbecue sauces originally made from ketchup.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine

Mix wet ingredients with sugar.

Season

Add spices and stir.

Simmer

Cook on low heat to blend flavors.

Cool & Store

Let sauce cool, then refrigerate.

Devour!

FAQs & Tips

How to Make Ahead and Store

This BBQ sauce is designed to be made ahead. Make it the day before you want to gift it to others, giving it time to meld all the flavors well. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 weeks. The vinegar in it helps to preserve it.

What’s unique about Kansas City BBQ sauce?

Kansas City BBQ sauce is tomato-based and sweet. As in, very sweet! Hence the brown sugar, AND the molasses.

How to keep Kansas City BBQ sauce from burning?

The high sugar content in this sauce means it might get a little burnt if you’re not careful. If grilling, add this toward the very end of your grilling session. While preparing the sauce, keep the heat on medium or low, never high. You don’t want it to stick to the pan or have a burnt taste. And don’t worry, it’s actually easy and simple to keep it from burning, it just takes focus.

Serving Suggestions

Kansas City BBQ sauce goes well with chicken and burgers, of course. But it also sweetens the game for salmon, fish, shrimp, scrambled eggs, and of course mushrooms. Use it on and with anything that will be happy to transport the sweetness—like home fries. How do you think BBQ potato chips were invented?!

Here are a few options to try: Diced Potatoes in Air Fryer, Air Fryer Salmon, or Air Fryer Shrimp. You can even enjoy this sauce with these Scrambled Eggs in an Air Fryer.

Kansas City BBQ Sauce

Tangy and Tasty—A great gift recipe to make for friends and family.

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 101kcal

Author Dale Ann Edmiston

Ingredients

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine ketchup, water, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and molasses. Stir to blend the ingredients well.
Add smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper to the saucepan. Stir until all the spices are well incorporated.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the BBQ sauce to cool. Once cooled, it can be used immediately or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.