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+ servings
Kansas City style bbq sauce
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Kansas City-style Barbecue Sauce

It’s smoky, sweet, and just thick enough to coat delicacies like pork ribs and burnt ends perfectly.
Course Condiment / Sauce
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 221kcal
Author Breanna Stark

Ingredients

  • 1 can crushed tomatoes 14 oz
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • ½ cup molasses
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 2 tsp black pepper course grind
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt

Instructions

  • In a saucepan over medium heat, combine all the ingredients and bring the sauce to a soft boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pan.
  • Allow the sauce to simmer for 20 minutes, then remove from the heat and let cool at room temperature.
  • Serve immediately or transfer to a mason jar (or similar storage container) and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes

Brown sugar: You can use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, but I prefer to use light brown sugar because I don’t want to overpower the sauce with too much molasses flavor.
Molasses: For this recipe, I used full-flavor unsulfured molasses because I find that it provides the perfect balance of sweetness to brighten up the sauce.
Apple Cider Vinegar:  You can alternatively use distilled white vinegar or even rice vinegar, but I prefer the flavor of apple cider vinegar for this recipe.
Spices/Seasonings – you can play around with the various spices that you add to this sauce to give it the flavor that you prefer. I like to use a generous dose of smoked paprika for a bit of smokiness along with salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and ground mustard. If you want to add a little extra heat to your sauce, you can also add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 655mg | Potassium: 618mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 488IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 2mg