THE HISTORY OF BBQ SAUCE

Enjoy Texas-style barbecue at Dickey’s with a BBQ sauce recipe that took 3 years to perfect

Barbecue sauce is a staple to the barbecue genre. This sweet and smoky creation has been enhancing our slow-smoked meats for almost as long as we’ve been smoking them at the original Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. You can try our authentic sauces on the side when you order to go when you visit your local BBQ joint, or visit Dickeys.com. Enjoy the best BBQ sauce made by us in 3 sauce flavors; Original, Sweet, and Spicy.

When was barbecue invented?

The history of this succulent sauce is believed to go back as far as the 1800’s with the Native American tribes of the South and East. There’s also traces of similar sauces found across the Caribbean and Africa, so there are plenty of folks to thank for what we have today. Later in history, vinegar was introduced as an ingredient along with other spices like salt and mustard, creating one of the first modern versions of the sauce that we know today. Around the early to mid-1900’s, ketchup, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce became common ingredients for a more complex sauce with even bigger flavors.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit became a heavy player in the sauce game almost as soon as we opened our doors in 1941. After three years, two fist-fights, and one small kitchen fire, the perfect complement to Legit. Texas. Barbecue. was born. We’ve printed that same motto on our very own bottles of sauce, just to show that more goes into a good sauce than vinegar and molasses. Today every different region of the U.S. has a variation of the sauce, every bit as different as the places they call home.

Where is barbecue sauce from?

Kansas City Style: Widely considered the thickest of the sauces, it sits on top of meat without being absorbed. Usually made from a ketchup or tomato base, this sauce is has a sweet and tangy flavor profile. Carolina Gold Sauce: A mustard base gives this sauce its unique color and signature tangy flavor with just a hint of heat.
Texas Style: In Texas, beef is king, and the sauce is made to complement that hearty taste — typically served on the side. Texas Style Mop sauce is a thinner version that is brushed onto the meat while it cooks. It has a smokier flavor that may be ketchup or vinegar based and with Worcestershire sauce all melded together with slight hints of garlic.
St. Louis: Similar to Kansas City style, it’s made with the extra add on of cider vinegar, making the sauce slightly thinner. This ingredient adds a touch of tang along with some acidity and slightly sour flavor. This is perfect for those who like savory a little more than sweet.

To learn more about Dickey’s, follow Dickey’s Barbecue Pit on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Download the Dickey’s Barbecue Pit app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.