When most Americans plan to barbecue, they buy a bottle of sauce from the grocery store. It might be sweet, spicy or smoky, but it will typically be a thick sauce with a tomato base. Yet there’s much more to southern barbecue than slathering chicken with sauce and tossing it on the grill. In the south, barbecue styles vary from one region to another with spices and sauces based on tomato, vinegar, mustard, chili peppers, or even mayonnaise. Here’s a guide from DCH Montclair Acura.
Sweet sauce
Ordering barbecue in Kansas City, Missouri, you’re likely to find a wide choice of meats including pulled pork, ribs, beef brisket, smoked chicken, and smoked mutton. And it all comes with a thick, spicy-sweet sauce which is the style of barbecue sauce most often found in American grocery stores. Kansas City’s signature barbecue sauce is tomato-based and uses molasses or brown sugar to even out its vinegar taste.
Dry spice rub
In Memphis, Tennessee, classic barbecue most often means ribs and pulled pork, slow cooked with a dry spice rub. This southern blend of dry spices is typically paprika-based and uses a mix of other ingredients like garlic, onion, salt, black pepper, chili powder, and oregano. The blend of spices are rubbed onto the meat before it is smoked or slow-roasted to perfection. A tomato-vinegar sauce (like Kansas City sweet sauce) can also be served on the side.
Mustard sauce
Though most Americans think of barbecue sauce as having a base of tomato and vinegar, a large region in South Carolina (known to barbecue lovers as the Mustard Belt) is based on yellow mustard. The sauce gets its tangy kick from a blend of mustard, vinegar, sugar, and spices. Mustard sauce is often used for pork dishes like ribs or pulled pork sandwiches.
White sauce
The next time you’re in the mood for smoked chicken, try it with an Alabama-style white sauce. This southern flavor is particular to Alabama barbecue and typically only used for chicken. Instead of having a tomato or mustard base, white sauce gets its start with a blend of mayonnaise and vinegar. Added spices and the smoked flavor from cooking over an open pit gives the sauce its unique taste.
Hot sauce
Head south to Louisiana and barbecue is likely to be more hot and spicy than thick and sweet. You’ll also find that this style of southern barbecue adds more options to the grill, like fish, shrimp, and crawfish. The spicy sauces often rely on Tabasco Sauce (made in Louisiana) or a mix of hot chili peppers, but can get more complexity from a mix of various spices like black pepper, white pepper, mustard, or even wasabi. A tomato base evens out the heat from the chilies and spices.
