What Is Mambo Sauce?
Last updated on Aug 26, 2024Kevin SinghelMambo sauce is a popular trending condiment that has gained a cult following in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and has spread around the country. This sweet and tangy sauce is often used as a dip, marinade, or glaze for various dishes, particularly fried chicken, wings, and seafood. Due to its growing popularity, mambo sauce has transcended its regional roots and is now enjoyed in restaurants and homes across the country. Whether you're looking to add a touch of sweetness and tanginess to your dishes or want to experience a taste of D.C. culinary culture, mambo sauce is a must-try condiment.
Shop All Mambo SaucesWhat Does Mambo Sauce Taste Like?
The base of mambo sauce typically consists of a combination of ingredients such as tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, and various spices. These ingredients work together to create a harmonious blend of flavors that is both savory and sweet. The tanginess from the vinegar balances the sweetness from the sugar, while the spices add depth and complexity to the sauce.
Is Mambo Sauce Spicy?
Mambo sauce is not traditionally spicy. It is known for its mild heat level, making it a versatile condiment that can be enjoyed by a wide range of palates. The primary flavors in mambo sauce come from ingredients like vinegar, sugar, and tomato paste, which contribute to its sweet and tangy taste without overwhelming spiciness.
While some variations of mambo sauce may include a hint of heat from ingredients like hot sauce or cayenne pepper, the overall heat level is typically very mild and does not overpower the other flavors in the sauce. This makes mambo sauce a great option for those who enjoy a touch of heat without the intense spiciness found in other hot sauces.
Best Foods with Mambo Sauce
Mambo sauce is a versatile condiment that adds a sweet and tangy flavor to a wide variety of dishes. From appetizers to main courses, incorporating mambo sauce can elevate the taste of your menu items. Below, we've listed some of the most common foods paired with mambo sauce:
- Chicken Wings - Mambo sauce is a popular wing sauce choice for coating both bone-in and boneless chicken wings. The combination of the savory chicken and the sweet and tangy sauce creates a mouthwatering flavor profile that is sure to please customers.
- French Fries - Drizzle mambo sauce over a basket of golden-brown french fries for a delicious twist on a classic side dish. The sauce adds a unique flavor that complements the saltiness of the fries.
- Fried Rice - Add a splash of mambo sauce to fried rice for a burst of flavor. The sauce's sweet and tangy notes can enhance the overall taste of the dish and provide a refreshing change from traditional soy sauce.
- Grilled Meats - Use mambo sauce as a marinade or glaze for grilled meats such as chicken, pork, or beef. The sauce caramelizes beautifully on the grill, adding a flavorful crust to the meat.
- Egg Rolls - Serve egg rolls with a side of mambo sauce for dipping. The sauce's bold flavor pairs well with the crispy exterior of the egg rolls, creating a satisfying appetizer or snack.
- Sandwiches - Spread mambo sauce on sandwiches or use it as a dipping sauce for sliders. The sauce adds a zesty kick to sandwiches, making them stand out on your menu.
Mambo Sauce Ingredients
Understanding the key ingredients that contribute to the unique flavor profile of mambo sauce is essential for those looking to incorporate this popular condiment into their commercial kitchen offerings. Below we explore the essential ingredients that make up the iconic sauce and give it its distinct flavors:
- Tomato Paste - A base ingredient in mambo sauce, tomato paste provides a rich and savory flavor to the sauce. It also contributes to the sauce's thick and smooth consistency.
- Vinegar - Vinegar adds a tangy acidity to mambo sauce, balancing out the sweetness of the other ingredients. It also acts as a natural preservative, extending the shelf life of the sauce.
- Sugar - Sugar is a crucial component of mambo sauce, giving it its signature sweet taste. The amount of sugar can be adjusted to suit individual preferences, but it is essential for achieving the characteristic flavor of the sauce.
- Soy Sauce - Soy sauce adds depth and umami flavor to mambo sauce. It also contributes to the sauce's savory notes and helps enhance the overall taste profile.
- Hot Sauce - To add a kick of heat to mambo sauce, hot sauce is often included in the recipe. The level of spiciness can be adjusted based on personal preference, making it a versatile ingredient in the sauce.
Mambo Sauce Origin
There is some debate about the exact origins of mambo sauce. Some say it was created by Chinese restaurant owners in D.C. who blended various Asian and American flavors to cater to the tastes of their African-American customers. Others suggest that it was inspired by similar sauces used in the Midwest, such as Chicago's "mumbo sauce", which is a registered trademark for a different, yet somewhat similar sauce used in the Midwest. Regardless of its true origin, over the decades mambo sauce has become a staple of D.C. cuisine and a symbol of local pride.
Mambo Sauce vs. Mumbo Sauce
The terms "mambo sauce" and "mumbo sauce" are often used interchangeably, but in actuality, there are differences between the two types of sauces. Mambo sauce is most commonly associated with Washington D.C. and has a sweet, tangy, and mildly spicy flavor. Mumbo sauce on the other hand is a sauced trademarked in Chicago during the 1950's. This sauce has a similar sweet and tangy profile but with a more pronounced barbecue influence.
Whether you prefer it as a dipping sauce or marinade, mambo sauce offers a unique twist to traditional recipes. With its increasing availability in restaurants and grocery stores, this flavorful sauce is becoming a staple in commercial kitchens looking to add a touch of excitement to their menu offerings. Its sweet and tangy taste, combined with its ability to complement a wide range of foods, makes it a valuable addition to any commercial kitchen.
Related Resources
How to Make Sweet and Spicy Wing Sauce
Wings are beloved and relatively inexpensive cuts of chicken, making them perfect for restaurants. They’re a staple happy hour special, bar bite, or appetizer. An easy way to make your wings stand out from your competition is to make your own house-made wings sauces. Our sweet and spicy wing sauce combines pineapple puree with Asian sauces to deliver tropical heat with an Asian fusion twist. Sweet and Spicy Wing Sauce Recipe If you’re looking for a unique sauce to make your wings stand out, play into the swicy trend and coat your wings in our sweet and spicy wing sauce. Whether you prefer boneless or bone-in wings, this sweet and spicy wing sauce recipe will enhance any wing preparation method. Yield: 16 ounces Total Time: 5 minutes Ingredients 3 Tablespoons gochujang 2 Tablespoons Monin pineapple puree 2 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 Tablespoons rice vinegar 2 teaspoons minced ginger 1 teaspoon minced garlic 4 Tablespoons butter Directions Combine all ingredients except butter in saucepan. Set over medium heat. Bring pot to simmer and remove from heat. Add butter and mix until incorporated. Serve immediately or store in sealed container in fridge. The fresh, juicy flavor of pineapple paired with tangy gochujang cuts the fatty and rich chicken wing meat and skin, creating a delicious and flavor-balanced menu item. Whether you’re writing a menu for football game days or dreaming up year-round staples, our sweet and spicy wing sauce is sure to be a hit.
How to Bottle and Sell Your Own Sauce
You can elevate any dish from derivative to decadent with a premium sauce. The consumer trends towards healthy ingredients, global flavors, and sustainable practices created niche markets that sauce makers can tap into. Whether you own a BBQ restaurant and want to sell your house-made barbecue sauce in stores, or you have a killer pepper sauce recipe and want to learn how to bottle and sell your hot sauce, there are business strategies and legal requirements you need to uphold. To help you start your sauce business, we walk you through the steps of how to bottle and sell sauce. Shop All Sauce Packaging Use the following links to learn more about each step of starting a sauce business. Create a Sauce Recipe Write a Business Plan Bottle Your Sauce Labeling Requirements Choose a Sales Forum Produce Your Sauce Price Your Sauce Advertise Your Sauce Sauce Bottling FAQs How to Start a Sauce Business With e-commerce, social media shopping, and small markets, it’s easier than ever to start a sauce business. However, you can’t pour your sauce into a jar and start peddling it on a website. You need to follow food safety guidelines and institute solid business strategies. Transform your sauce recipe into a business with these simple steps. 1. Create a Scalable Recipe If you want to start a sauce business, you probably already have a delicious recipe your friends and family rave about. The question is, can you scale your recipe? In other words, can you produce your sauce in bulk year-round with affordable ingredients while maintaining a consistent flavor? Ask yourself the following questions to determine if your sauce recipe is fit for retail. How long does it take to make a single sauce recipe? If creating a small batch of your sauce is time-consuming, then it isn’t the best recipe for mass production. Are the sauce ingredients expensive? You need to sell your products at prices customers will pay, but you also need to turn a profit. Expensive ingredients make this challenging. Are the ingredients available year-round? You may have a delicious seasonal sauce, but if its ingredients aren’t available year-round, it can’t serve as the backbone of your business. Use our recipe converter to figure out how to make your sauce in bulk. 2. Write a Business Plan Once you have a solid sauce recipe (or several recipes you want to sell under one brand), it’s time to write a business plan for your sauce company. No matter the size of your operation, a business plan allows you to outline goals, projections, and strategies for your sauce company. You can use your business plan to secure financial assistance from banks and investors, and promote your product to local retailers. An effective sauce company business plan includes: Executive Summary - Briefly outline your company’s purpose, products, and goals. Company Description - Provide an in-depth look at your company’s mission, growth projections, and strategies. Concept and Menu - Detail your products and what makes your brand unique. Management and Ownership Structure - Build your sauce business on a firm foundation by creating a well-thought-out ownership structure and management system. Employees and Staffing Needs - Assess how many employees you’ll need to bottle your sauce. Even if you’re the sole employee at the start, consider what your staffing needs will be as your business grows. Marketing and Competitor Analysis - You need to identify who your core customer base is and analyze the competitors in your sphere. Advertising and Marketing Campaigns - Research marketing and advertising strategies and come up with a plan to reach your target demographic. Financials - Determine your initial and ongoing expenses. Create a realistic projection of when you can expect to see a return on your initial investment. Ready to dive in and write a hot sauce business plan? Check out our in-depth business plan guide to get started. 3. Choose Sauce Bottles Knowing your brand, target audience, and baseline finances, you can choose a package that meets your needs. The first thing you’ll need to do is choose sauce bottles. While bottles with interesting angles add visual appeal, we suggest using round-walled bottles. Round-walled bottles provide fewer areas for your sauce to clump up and dry out. You’ll also need to decide between plastic and glass bottles. We explain the benefits of each below, and why glass is preferable for sauce bottling. Plastic vs Glass Sauce Bottles Plastic bottles are cheaper than glass bottles and are usually cold filled, meaning the manufacturer dispenses the sauce into the bottle once it’s cooled. Cold filling saves money on chilling equipment, and it also protects you and your staff from burns. However, unless the manufacturer uses a blast chiller, cold filling exposes your sauce to bacteria. You may have to add flavor-altering chemicals and preservatives to your plastic bottled sauces. If you’re starting a hot sauce business, glass bottles are your only viable option, since peppers are acidic and can dissolve plastic bottles into your hot sauce. Glass bottles are perfect for the hot fill technique, which dispenses sauce at a high temperature. Hot filling prevents bacteria development so you can forgo unhealthful and flavor-altering preservatives. Acidic ingredients won’t break down glass bottles. While they may be more expensive to purchase, fill, and ship, if you’re creating a niche and premium sauce brand, glass bottles suit your product and your target audiences’ expectations. 4. Adhere to FDA Label Requirements Labels serve the dual functions of creating a recognizable brand and providing FDA-required ingredients and nutritional information. Most sauce companies use two separate labels, placing one on the front and the other on the back of their sauce bottles. The official name for the front label is “Principal Display Panel” (PDP). The FDA has specific size and elemental requirements for a product’s PDP. You’ll want to create an attractive logo for your PDP and use it across your products to raise brand loyalty and awareness. The label on the back reveals the ingredients and nutritional information. The law dictates that most packaged foods disclose their ingredients and their nutritional value. You may have to break your sauce down into serving sizes and provide the correlating calories per portion. If your product contains possible allergens such as nuts, gluten, or soy, you will need to identify these ingredients on your label. A freelance food scientist can perform a nutritional analysis and help you meet food labeling requirements. Food certifications and labels can also set your product apart as having increased quality and help you attract your ideal customer base. For example, if you sell Italian goods and you produce, process, and package them in a fixed geographic area following regional methods, you can apply for a DOP label to signify your product’s authenticity. Products that meet the requirements of alternative diet plans such as vegan, gluten-free, and keto can attract people following those diets through their labels. If your product is halal or kosher certified, appropriate labels catch the attention of shoppers looking for kosher or halal goods. What Information Must Be Stated on the Principal Display Panel? The Principal Display Panel (PDP) is the front label on a food product. We explain the FDA’s requirements for PDPs below. Principal Display Panel Size Requirements The size requirements of a PDP vary by its shape. Rectangular Packages PDP Size: Must encompass the entire front of the package. Cylindrical Package PDP Size: Must encompass 40% of the package’s total side area. To arrive at this, multiply your package’s circumference by its height. Miscellaneous Package PDP Size: Must encompass 40% of the package’s surface area. Required Elements on a Principal Display Panel The FDA requires the following elements to appear on the PDP: The common name of the food item The net quantity the package contains FDA Labeling Requirements Review our summary of the standard FDA labeling requirements below: Labels Must Have a Nutrition Facts Chart - The FDA-required Nutrition Facts Chart provides the serving size and the number of calories per serving. The FDA has a specific format for the Nutrition Facts Chart you must follow. Familiarize yourself with the font sizes, order of contents, and placement of the Nutrition Facts Chart. Labels Must Share Every Ingredient the Product Contains - List every ingredient in descending order by weight percentage. Unlisted allergens are the primary reason the FDA requests product recalls. No matter how small the amount, be sure to list the most common allergens, such as peanuts, eggs, wheat, fish, shellfish, milk, tree nuts, and soybeans. If you make your sauce in a facility exposed to common allergens, you need to disclose this as well, even if your product doesn’t contain the allergens. Nutrition and Health Claims Must be FDA Approved - Before including health claims on your label, submit claims to the FDA and verify that scientific evidence supports your claim. Labels cannot make unbacked promises that the product will affect the normal structure or function in humans. Required Label Information - The FDA requires the following information: total calories, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, dietary fiber, sugars, vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron. Base nutrient percentages on recommended dietary allowances. Write Nutrition Facts in English - While other languages can appear on labels, the FDA requires manufacturers to print their Nutrition Facts panel in English. Back to Top 5. Decide How You’re Going to Sell Your Sauce If you’re just starting your sauce business, you may assume you can produce your sauce in your home kitchen. While this may be the best strategy while you test your product and grow your brand, it limits where you can sell your sauce. Cottage food laws regulate whether entrepreneurs can produce low-risk foods for sale from their homes. Cottage food laws vary from state to state. They apply to micro businesses with low revenues. Below, we outline the typical ways cottage food businesses can and cannot sell their products. Check with your state and local guidelines to adhere to the cottage food laws in your area. How Do I Sell My Cottage Food Products? From your residence to the consumer Farmer’s markets Flea markets Roadside Stands Where Can't I Sell My Cottage Food Products? Restaurants Stores E-commerce If there are no cottage food laws in your area or you find them too restrictive, use a commissary kitchen to prepare your sauce. Commissary kitchens are rentable commercial kitchens. They allow small businesses to prepare their goods in an FDA-approved kitchen without investing in an expensive facility. If you prepare your sauces in a commissary kitchen, you can sell them in every forum. 6. Production Strategy The ideal production strategy for your sauce business depends on the size and scale of your operation. If you’re creating small batches of your sauce to sell at local markets, you can produce it on your own or with the help of a few employees. If you’re selling to a wide audience on your e-commerce site or grocery stores, consider outsourcing your sauce production to a co-packer. What Is a Co-Packer? A co-packer is an established food manufacturing company that businesses pay to produce their products. Also known as co-manufacturing, co-packers own heavy-duty equipment that streamlines food production. Co-packers either manufacture your product line for you, or they can package your finished product. Most co-packers offer various service packages, so their customers decide how many logistical details they want to handle themselves. For example, one client may pay a co-packer to bottle and package their BBQ sauce. Another customer may only want to pay for bottling and will handle the packaging and shipping themselves. A third customer may have the co-packer handle everything from making their hot sauce to shipping it to their clients. Working with a co-manufacturer is a cost-effective way to bring your product to market without having to build your own manufacturing facility. It also saves labor costs such as wages, benefits, and training. According to a Contract Packaging survey, 85% of respondents believed co-packing effectively cut costs and brought their margins up, and 68% reported increased business flexibility. When Is Your Sauce Company Ready to Partner with a Co-Packer? Given the benefits of co-packing, you may be interested in working with a co-manufacturer from the start. However, co-manufacturing only makes sense for larger operations. Unless you’re selling your sauce in bulk to grocery outlets or selling thousands of units on your e-commerce site, you’re not ready to work with a co-manufacturer. Most co-packers will not work with entrepreneurs. A trial process validates mass-producing a product, and small food businesses typically lack the funds to conduct multiple test runs. Since running experimental production runs and line times can cost thousands of dollars, co-manufacturers work with established food companies that can back the investment. Co-manufacturers don’t advertise their facilities. They use brokers to connect viable clientele to their services. Working with a broker benefits you as well. Brokers make sure the co-packer produces your sauce to your specifications, and they help you establish legal protection in case the co-manufacturer cannot uphold their end of the deal. 7. Determine The Best Price for Your Sauce With the first five steps of starting a sauce business in place, you can generate a profitable price point. To price your sauce, you need to find out what your competitors are charging. If you’re planning to sell a specialty salsa, go into gourmet and natural food stores in your area and look at the prices of competing salsa brands. If you’re interested in mass-producing a product, your co-packer will give you a manufacturing price. With that number in mind, go into retail stores and see if the stated manufacturing price allows you to charge a competitive amount and still earn a profit. If not, you may need to adjust your recipe and use less expensive ingredients. After you browse the aisles, research your competitors’ sales figures to make sure people are paying their asking price. 3 Point Gross Cost Calculation System To figure out how much you should sell your product for, you need to calculate the total cost of producing it. Add together the following three things to calculate your gross production cost: Cost of the materials - packaging, ingredients, shipping materials Labor costs - salaries, benefits, training materials Overhead costs - taxes, rent, insurance, marketing, transportation, and any other fees incurred Pricing Formula Once you know the gross cost of producing your product, you’re ready to plug that number into the pricing formula. To determine the ideal wholesale price for your sauce, multiply your gross cost by 1.5. This will yield the base price for your product if you’re selling it to a store. The store will then multiply that number by 1.5 to generate your product’s retail price. If you’re selling your product directly to your customers, multiply your gross cost by 3 to find its retail price. Average Prices of Common Sauces While a sauce’s sales price varies by its customer base and where it’s sold (ex: e-commerce vs farmer’s market vs supermarket vs gourmet grocery store), we’ve rounded up the average prices for various jarred items to help you get a sense of how much you can charge for your sauce. Average Specialty Hot Sauce Price - The average 8.78 oz. jar of specialty hot sauce costs $5. While some specialty brands cost more than $5, they usually remain under $10 a bottle. Average Specialty BBQ Sauce Price - Most specialty BBQ sauce brands charge .57 cents per oz. Average Chutney Price - On average, chutneys sell for $1.31 an oz. Average Pasta Sauce Price - When you average the prices of specialty and generic pasta sauces, the average pasta sauce costs .66 per oz. Average Specialty Salsa Price - Many specialty salsa brands price their products at .71 cents an oz. 8. Advertise Your Sauce You can have a fantastic recipe, attractive packaging, and competitive prices, but none of that will matter if no one knows about your sauce company. We recommend taking advantage of as many advertising avenues as possible. Discover some of the best ways to advertise your sauce brand below. Social Media Advertising No matter where you’re planning to sell your product, creating a strong social media presence can boost brand loyalty. If you’re planning to sell your wares at local farmer’s markets and festivals, use your social media account to share your location and encourage your followers to find your booth. Having a large social media following makes you a more attractive vendor applicant because event coordinators prefer vendors with large social media followings because they draw crowds. Giveaway Free Samples In the specialty sauce sector, samples are one of the best ways to convert potential customers to paying customers. At events, free samples draw attendees to your booth. Contact local grocery and gourmet markets and ask if you can set up a booth/sample station inside their store. In-store demos are critical for smaller brands that aren’t on shoppers’ grocery lists. Having an on-ground representative allows you to engage prospective clients and explain why your small sauce brand is worth more than a big box brand. You can detail your sauce’s ethical production strategy, local ingredients, and how your cultural heritage influences your sauces. While free samples have changed in the pandemic’s wake, they’re not off-limits. Lather your sauce on crackers, chips, or bread, then place individual portions in sealed condiment containers. Rather than leaving a tray of samples out in the open air, you can opt for a covered display dome, or you can serve guests individually upon request. Create a Website Web presence provides legitimacy. If you’re producing your sauce in a commissary kitchen, you can sell it on your website. You can also use your website to keep customers up to date about new flavor launches, build email lists, and provide coupons. If stores sell your sauces, offer a list of locations where customers can purchase them. If you’re not comfortable building a website, hire a web designer to make sure your website is easy-to-use and visually appealing. If people are searching for a killer hot sauce, you want to make sure they find yours. So, work with a search engine optimization strategist to make sure your website is appearing on the first page of Google search. Attract Media Attention Entering your sauce into a state fair, food competition, or magazine’s “best of” list can provide invaluable exposure for your brand. If you win, you can mention your achievement on your product’s label and use it in your advertising. Offering free samples to food reviewers and social media influencers is a fantastic way to spread awareness of your sauce brand. If they like your product and share it with their following, that will drive sales. Back to Top Bottling Your Own Sauce FAQs Now that you understand the basics of how to start a sauce business, you need the details of how to operate your unique sauce brand. From the nuances of starting a hot sauce business to the gritty details of bottling a sauce for retail, we break down the most frequently asked sauce bottling questions below. How to Start a Hot Sauce Business The largest brands in the hot sauce industry only make up one-third of the sector’s sales, so starting a hot sauce business can be a profitable venture for entrepreneurs. If you start a hot sauce business, your chief competitors will be other small producers rather than big brands like Tabasco. The best way to make yourself stand out in the hot sauce market is to create a niche product. When you make your hot sauce recipe, consider its heat level. While you can promote your product to the micro-market that loves the experience of lasting pain, most consumers won’t enjoy a scalding sauce. Experiment with different heat levels and have test groups provide feedback. You can use the Scoville scale as a guide and play with your pepper sauce’s heat level. If you’re working with extremely hot peppers, you’ll need to wear PPE. The capsaicin in peppers that creates a burning sensation in your mouth can damage your body. Ask yourself what type of heat sensation you want to create. Do you want your hot sauce to flash or linger on the palate? You’ll need to research how the body responds to different peppers. A habanero will immediately produce a burning sensation on the tongue and cling to the back of the mouth. Jalapenos send a heatwave to the tongue and the roof of the mouth before dissipating. How to Bottle and Sell Your Own BBQ Sauce Besides the general steps for how to start a sauce company, there are special considerations for how to bottle and sell your own BBQ sauce. Depending on the types of BBQ sauce you’re selling, you’ll need to choose between the hot and cold packing methods. Hot packing is ideal for acidic sauces, so if you’re selling a vinegar or tomato-based BBQ sauce, this is the packing method for you. If you specialize in Alabama white sauce or Carolina Gold sauce, consider the cold packing method. If you want to sell a tropical BBQ sauce, try our pineapple BBQ sauce recipe. BBQ sauce companies can market their products directly to barbecue restaurants. While a BBQ joint may have spectacular smoked meat, that doesn’t mean they have a premium sauce to serve it with. Contact local BBQ restaurants and pitch your sauce to them. Becoming the signature barbecue sauce of a local restaurant provides a steady stream of revenue because they will purchase your sauce in bulk. The restaurant may even allow you to sell bottles of your barbecue sauce in their store. How to Get Your Product in Stores To get your product in grocery stores, contact local sellers and ask if you can show your product in their store. Small markets are more receptive to emerging brands than chains. We suggest reaching out to local gourmet, specialty, and organic grocers. Offer the product manager a sampler packet of your sauces so they can decide if they meet their clienteles’ tastes. If they think your product is a good fit for their store, ask to set up a product demonstration booth and provide samples at your booth. In-person stores are not your only option. You can sell your sauce on an online wholesaler’s website. As the largest restaurant supply store, WebstaurantStore is always looking to partner with innovative brands. We can ship your products to 90% of the US in two days and expose millions of visitors to your products each month. You can also hire a specialty food broker. A food broker handles the placement and delivery of food products created and advertised by a small business. They are independent agents who work on commission. Get legal advice before contracting with a food broker. How to Bottle Sauce for Retail Most sauces bottled for retail sale use either the hot fill or cold fill canning process. We explain the differences between these two techniques below. Hot Fill Canning Process The hot fill canning process uses heat to sterilize the food product and the container it’s going into. Manufacturers begin the hot fill process by heating the food product to a temperature between 194- and 203-degrees Fahrenheit. They inject the hot liquid into its packing container and hold both the container and its contents at a high heat temperature for 15-20 seconds. This sterilizes any bacteria that may have clung to the packaging or contaminated the product. The packer leaves the containers to rest until they cool to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. They then seal the packages and leave them to finish cooling. Which products are hot filled? - Acidic products require the hot fill canning process. Examples of hot filled products - vinegar-based sauces, hot sauces, juices, and sodas. Cold Fill Canning Process Wondering what cold packing means? In the past, cold packing meant putting raw food into a jar. When modern manufacturers cold pack food items, they use extreme cold to kill bacteria during its packaging process. They keep the food at low temperatures before they distribute it into the packaging, and they blast the packaging with icy air to sterilize it. Which products are cold filled? - milk or cream-based foods Examples of cold filled products - Alfredo sauce, Alabama white BBQ sauce, bechamel sauce, Bolognese sauce. How to Sell Homemade Sauce To sell homemade sauce out of your residential kitchen, you’ll need to check the cottage food laws in your area. Cottage food laws regulate the sale and production of low-risk foods (such as sauces) from an entrepreneur’s home. In most states, you can sell foods produced under cottage food laws from your residence to the consumer, at farmer’s markets, flea markets, and roadside stands. In most areas, you cannot sell cottage food items to restaurants, stores, or e-commerce applications. Are Nutrition Labels Required to Be on Food Products? The FDA requires a Nutrition Facts label on most food packages. To adhere to the law, labels should have a heading that reads “Nutrition Facts”. The “Nutrition Facts” heading must extend the width of the Nutrition Facts box and have the largest type size in the nutrition label (it must exceed 8-point font, but it doesn’t have to exceed 13-point font). Back to Top Whether you want to start a hot sauce business or bottle BBQ sauce, there is a lot of money to be made in the sauce sector. You can sell your sauces directly to consumers online or sell your sauces at festivals and specialty grocery stores. Since unique sauces are one of the fastest-growing food trends, now is the time to start a sauce company and tap into this expanding market. If you're still building your recipe portfolio, give our sweet and spicy wing sauce recipe a try. <aside class="pquote"> <blockquote> The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. Please refer to our Content Policy for more details. </blockquote> </aside>
Types of BBQ
American cuisine is a melting pot of global spices, cooking methods, and traditions from its diverse population. But American-style barbecue is a United States original. Tough cuts of meat are smoked till tender and served with sauces ranging from sweet and spicy to tart and tangy. Low and slow is the national anthem, but the flavor notes vary by region. We break down the different types of American barbecue so you can recreate each tradition at your restaurant. Shop All Smokehouse and Barbecue Supplies Use these links to learn more about the different types of American BBQ: BBQ Definition 4 Main Types of BBQ Lesser-Known Styles of BBQ Vegan Barbeque BBQ Sauce Styles History of BBQ in America What Is Barbeque? Barbeque is a style of indirect cooking that uses live fire and smoke to heat food. Most countries and regions have a distinct barbecue tradition. In North America, pitmasters BBQ foods by roasting or smoking them over wood or charcoal at low temperatures for several hours, transforming whole roasts and tough cuts into tender, succulent pieces of meat. Because the cooking process, equipment, and meals are so entwined, they’re all referred to as BBQ. You can accurately barbeque ribs, get the heat going on the barbeque, and enjoy a plate of barbequed chicken. Grammarians would tell you barbeque is a verb, noun, and adjective. American pitmasters know it’s a way of life. What Are the 4 Types of BBQ? In the American tradition, there are four prominent BBQ regions: Kansas City, Carolina, Memphis, and Texas. These four barbeque styles represent the most recognized regional renditions of smoked meat. You’ll find each style's techniques, rubs, and sauces copied across the U.S. From their cuts of choice to their sides, read on to learn what makes each of the four major American BBQ regions unique. 1. Kansas City Style BBQ Kansas City style BBQ offers a smorgasbord of slow-smoked meats rubbed down in a sweet seasoning and slathered in a thick, sugary sauce. Brown sugar is the base ingredient of Kansas City rub (traditional recipes call for a two-to-one ratio of brown sugar to paprika). Pitmasters keep their heat low to prevent the caramelizing sugar from charring and blackening their meats. While beef, pork, and poultry are all fair game, burnt ends are the hallmark of Kansas City style BBQ. Forget the thin strips of bacon served alongside flapjacks and dig into meaty Kansas City bacon. Butchers make this type of bacon by pressing and smoking pork shoulders. What Are Burnt Ends? Fatty and flavorful, burnt ends are pieces of meat cut from the point half (superficial pectoral) of a smoked brisket. Their texture softens when they’re cooked into rich, Kansas City style baked beans. Most Popular BBQ Sauce Kansas City barbecue sauce is the most popular barbeque sauce. Missouri is part of the South and the Midwest, making it easy for Kansas City’s signature sauce to capture a broad audience. Centrality aside, the condiment’s high sugar content drives its popularity. Kansas City barbecue sauce is ketchup-based and enriched with molasses. The average serving contains 14 grams of sugar. Characteristics of Kansas City BBQ Kansas City Style BBQ Meat - burnt ends, Kansas City bacon, ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken, sausage Kansas City Style Dry Rub - a two-to-one ratio of brown sugar to paprika + the chefs’ chosen spices (garlic powder, salt, black pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and onion powder are popular choices) Kansas City Style Wood - versatile hickory wood is the most popular choice for Kansas City style smoking Kansas City BBQ Sauce - thick sauce containing crushed tomatoes, ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, molasses, smoked paprika, black pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, ground mustard Kansas City Style Sides - mayonnaise-based coleslaw, Kansas City baked beans (sweet barbecue sauced navy beans loaded with burnt ends and bacon), green beans, macaroni and cheese, collards, fried okra, and other soul food staples. 2. Memphis Style BBQ Beloved by smoked meat purists, Memphis, Tennessee developed one of the four dominant styles of regional BBQ in the U.S. While you’ll certainly find beef and chicken on menus, pork is the foundation of Memphis style BBQ, and pork ribs are its crowned jewel. Memphis style BBQ prepares ribs in two ways: wet and dry. Memphis-style pork shoulders are slow-smoked, pulled, and served with thin, tangy Memphis style BBQ sauce on the side. While it’s certainly sold on its own, pulled pork sandwiches are a staple of the Memphis BBQ style. Traditional Memphis style BBQ restaurants pile creamy coleslaw onto their pulled pork sandwiches. A true Memphis BBQ restaurant distinguishes itself from its imitators by serving Memphis barbeque spaghetti. Spaghetti noodles tossed in a half marinara, half barbecue sauce loaded with pulled pork, simmered peppers, and onions have been a Memphis regional staple since the 1970s. Wet vs Dry Ribs The preparation method, not texture, differentiates wet and dry ribs. Pitmasters brush wet ribs with sauce before, during, and after smoking them for a finger-licking good time. Memphis style “dry” ribs are equally succulent. They’re coated in a dry rub before they’re smoked and served without sauce, allowing their true flavor to shine. Characteristics of Memphis BBQ Memphis Style BBQ Meat - wet ribs, dry ribs, and pulled pork define the style, but other barbecued meats appear on menus Memphis Style Dry Rub - salt, brown sugar, white sugar, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, ginger powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, rosemary powder Memphis Style Wood - hickory is traditional; however, many modern Memphis pitmasters opt for fruitwoods such as pecan Memphis BBQ Sauce - thin sauce containing ketchup, white vinegar, brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt Memphis Style Sides - barbeque spaghetti, coleslaw, hush puppies, BBQ baked beans, southern green beans, corn on the cob, French fries 3. Carolina Style BBQ Carolina style centers on slow-roasted whole hog barbeque and is one of America’s oldest methods of cooking meat. Whole hog BBQ is the artful process of cooking an entire hog for 12 to 24 hours. A hog provides three primary sources of meat: stomach, neck, and shoulders. The stomach meat is tender, and the shoulders and neck are tough. Pitmasters must take extra care to soften the firm portions without charring the delicate stomach meat. While Carolinians dress their finished provisions in a variety of regional sauces, Carolina-style whole hog cooking requires a moistening mop sauce. Western North Carolina rejects whole hog cooking and smokes pork shoulders, earning them the distinct moniker of ‘Lexington style BBQ’. From neighborly squabbles to state legislative action, North Carolinians contest whether Eastern whole hog BBQ or Lexington style pork shoulder is the official BBQ of their state. What Is Mop Sauce? A mop sauce is a thin liquid sauce pitmasters mop or brush onto their meat while it cooks. Mop sauces are usually vinegar, apple cider, tomato juice, or beer based. In the Carolinas, vinegar-based mop sauce is king. Carolina BBQ: South vs Eastern North vs Lexington Sauces and cuts of meat differentiate South Carolina, Eastern North Carolina, and Lexington style BBQ. Nicknamed the "Mustard Belt", South Carolina is famous for its Carolina Gold, a tangy, mustard-based sauce. North Carolina BBQ has two styles. A clear, vinegar-based sauce cuts through the fatty whole hog BBQ of Eastern North Carolina. In the Western part of the state, Lexington style BBQ restaurants serve pulled pork shoulders dressed in a ketchup, vinegar, and pepper sauce. Western North Carolina’s signature sauce is called “Western style sauce”, “Lexington style sauce”, or “Piedmont sauce”. Characteristics of Carolina BBQ Carolina Style BBQ Meat - whole hog BBQ and pulled pork shoulders define the tradition, but you’ll find ribs, chicken, brisket, and turkey on menus Carolina Style Dry Rub - uses few seasonings; pitmasters slather the meat in a mop sauce during its long cooking process. Carolina Style Wood - hickory is prominent, but pitmasters occasionally sub oak Carolina BBQ Sauce - South Carolina = mustard-based Carolina Gold sauce. Eastern North Carolina = a tangy vinegar-based sauce. Western North Carolina = the ketchup and vinegar-based Lexington Style sauce (Piedmont Sauce) Carolina Style Sides - Carolina style red slaw (red vinegar-based coleslaw), collard greens, baked beans, blacked eye pea salad, hushpuppies, potato salad 4. Texas Style BBQ We know Texas style BBQ by its holy trinity of beef ribs, East Texas Hot Links, and melt-in-your-mouth brisket. As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas, and with a state spanning over 200,000 miles, it’s unsurprising that there are multiple regional practices within the greater Texas barbecue tradition. Pitmasters from central Texas smoke their brisket over oak, slice it, and serve it without sauce. It’s the South Texas way to Mesquite-smoke barbecue. Eastern Texans favor sausages and chopped beef sandwiches sopped in a spicy, vinegar-based sauce that soaks through buttery buns and sandwich wrappers (serve with pickles and sliced onions to do as the Eastern Texans do). What Is Brisket? Brisket comes from the well-exercised lower pectoral muscle of a cow. It contains a lot of connective tissue and is naturally tough, chewy, and leathery. Texas pitmasters smoke briskets for 18 hours until it looks like a lump of coal. Inside this crispy cavity is beef so tender it flakes like salmon. How to Cook East Texas Hot Links Salumists (high-end sausage makers) cook their East Texas hot links by smoking them over post oak. The German and Czech immigrant communities that helped settle Texas cultivated its sausage-making tradition. They called their sausages Texas Hot Guts because they made them by stuffing meat and spices into pork and/or lamb intestine sausage casings and served them piping hot. The longstanding Texas sausage-making tradition continues to this day, but most modern Texas BBQ restaurants ditch the original, unappetizing name and refer to their sausages as Texas hot links. The flavor of East Texas hot links varies widely because of the broad range of meats and spices used. Texas sausages often include rib and brisket trimmings in their beef or beef/pork blends. You’ll even find cabrito (goat meat) sausages. No matter their meat mixture, most East Texas hot links have generous amounts of black pepper in their spice blend. Characteristics of Texas BBQ Texas Style BBQ Meat - brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, and sausages are the foundation of Texas BBQ, but you’ll find pulled pork, turkey, and chicken on menus too Texas Style Dry Rub - dry mustard and chili powder-based rub, customized to each pitmaster’s liking Texas Style Wood - oak, mesquite, post oak, hickory, pecan, oak lump briquettes Texas BBQ Sauce - Texas pitmasters use a thin, flavorsome mop sauce to baste and/or marinate brisket. Texas style mop sauces often include meat drippings, cumin, Worcestershire, and hot sauce in their blends. Texas Style Sides - Texas Pinto Beans (spicy pinto beans loaded with chopped, smoked brisket), creamed corn, fried okra, mac n’ cheese, green beans, collard greens, Texas style potato salad (vinegar + mayo base, loaded with egg) Back to Top Styles of BBQ: From Sea to Shining Sea While Kansas City, Memphis, Carolina, and Texas are the 4 major styles of American BBQ, there are countless micro barbeque regions throughout the United States. We describe a few of the most influential styles of barbecue outside the core four below. Alabama Style BBQ - Smoked meat aficionados define Alabama style BBQ by its namesake white barbecue sauce. Alabama white sauce is mayonnaise-based and punctuated with apple cider vinegar, brown mustard, and horseradish. It’s served with barbecued poultry and is the secret ingredient in the scrumptious coleslaw and potato salad served at Alabama BBQ restaurants. St. Louis Style Barbecue - The St. Louis area is famous for its spare ribs, and most people are referring to this cut of meat when they mention St. Louis style barbecue. St. Louis ribs come from the stomach side of the rib cage above the breastbone and below the back ribs section. They’re cut by squaring off the tips. St. Louis style ribs are fattier and more tender than baby backs, but they also have higher bone-to-meat ratios. They're grilled rather than slow-smoked over indirect heat, separating them from traditional BBQ styles. Santa Maria Style Barbecue - Hailing from the Central Coast of California, Santa Maria style BBQ centers on wood-fired tri-tip steaks that are rubbed in salt, pepper, and garlic powder seasoning. Santa Maria style barbecue uses an open cast-iron grill loaded with coastal live oak coals. Since coastal oak (called red oak by locals) releases less smoke than other woods and the grill is open, California BBQ lacks the smokey flavor of Southern BBQ. Californians serve Santa Maria style tri-tip with salsa cruda and a side of Pinquito beans. Kentucky Style Barbecue - For hearty barbecue, serve Kentucky’s famous barbecued mutton (aka mature sheep). The pitmasters of Kentucky perfected the art of slow-smoking mutton and developed a signature, Worcestershire-based sauce to complement its rich, gamey flavor. Another Kentucky barbeque staple is Burgoo, a stew loaded with mutton and other roasted meats. Vegan BBQ While barbeque history is steeped in smoked meat, many modern patrons want plant-based food options. Expand your vegan menu by offering plant-based BBQ. There are many meat substitutes you can smoke, but vegetables often cannot withstand the long cook times of the barbequing method. Consider investing in a smoke flavor gun to infuse your vegetables with a smack of smoke and create venerable vegan barbeque. Load your smoke flavor gun with anything from apple and mesquite wood for classic barbeque flavors to tea and herbs for exotic essences. Whether you want to make hickory-smoked mushroom caps or rooibos smoked jackfruit, a handgun smoker creates delicious vegan barbeque even meat-eating customers will crave. Types of BBQ Sauce There are five types of BBQ sauce, and their base ingredients define them. On the foundation of these classics, you can create creative and fruity sauces to make your BBQ stand out like our pineapple BBQ sauce recipe. Tomato Based BBQ Sauce - Tomato based BBQ sauces are often sweet and complement meats cooked in a sugary rub. Ex: Kansas City BBQ Sauce, St. Louis BBQ Sauce, Texas Style BBQ Sauce, Memphis style BBQ sauce. Vinegar Based BBQ Sauce - Vinegar based sauces are astringent and strong. Ex: North Carolina Style BBQ Sauce, Piedmont/Lexington BBQ Sauce (contains some ketchup but is still vinegar based). Mustard Based BBQ Sauce - Mustard based barbecue sauce is tangy and peppery. Ex: Carolina Gold aka South Carolina style BBQ sauce. Mayonnaise Based BBQ Sauce - This sauce is creamy with a horseradish kick that compliments smoked poultry. Ex: Alabama white sauce. Worcestershire Based BBQ Sauce - Served with Kentucky style mutton, Worcestershire BBQ sauce is astringent, sweet, and bold. Ex: Kentucky BBQ sauce. History of BBQ The American BBQ tradition was inspired by Native Americans and created by early Western European settlers. When Western European colonists arrived in North America, they brought their homeland’s roast cooking methods with them. Observing Indigenous peoples’ ability to preserve meats by smoking them, settlers combined smoking and roasting, and the American barbecue tradition was born. As settlers spread out, barbecue traditions evolved in pocket communities, and regional barbecue styles took shape. By the 19th century, barbecue became a formalized social practice and was used to unite people during the Jacksonian electoral campaign era. Lyndon B. Johnson cemented barbeque as an Americana staple when he hosted the first official White House barbecue, a diplomatic event. The earliest commercial barbecue businesses were mobile stands, making barbecue the mother cuisine of both modern mobile kitchens and fast food. BBQ restaurants with permanent pits popped up during the roaring 20s, replacing roadside stands. It soon became the dominant American meal from the 1930s to the 1950s. Back to Top Low and slow is the national anthem of American BBQ, but a large choir carries the tune at different pitches. If savory Texas BBQ bellows the bass notes, sweet Kansas City style harmonizes the soprano, creating a perfect melody of authentic American cuisine from sea to shining sea. Use our guide to the types of American BBQ to create your restaurant’s menu and add your voice to the choir.
