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Kansas City BBQ Sauce

Ketchup, molasses, cider vinegar, and restrained smoke simmer into a glossy sauce with a finish you can tune to taste.

Glossy tomato barbecue sauce fills a small ceramic bowl beside a spoon.

This Kansas City style sauce starts with a familiar ketchup base and deepens it with molasses, brown sugar, and Worcestershire.

A gentle simmer thickens the mixture while keeping the sugars from scorching, and a final taste lets you steer it sweeter or tangier.

Build a rounded tomato base

Ketchup gives the sauce its tomato body, while molasses and brown sugar bring a dark sweetness. Cider vinegar and Worcestershire keep that richness in check with brightness and savor.

Let low heat do the work

Stirring over medium-low heat brings the sauce to small bubbles without shocking the sugars. Once it simmers, frequent scraping prevents the molasses and sugar from sticking to the pan bottom.

A spoon stirs gently bubbling tomato barbecue sauce in a saucepan. — The ketchup, vinegar, spices, molasses, and sugar are whisked together before the gentle simmer.

Tune the sweet and tangy finish

Taste a cooled spoonful so heat does not hide the balance. The reserved cider vinegar sharpens the finish, while reserved brown sugar rounds it out; add either gradually.

Brush or bring to the table

A slightly thinner texture spreads easily over grilled foods, while a brief extra simmer makes a thicker sauce for the table. Brush it on near the end of cooking, when the sugars can glaze without prolonged direct heat.

Thick reddish-brown barbecue sauce coats the back of a spoon with a glossy sheen. — A spoonful shows the finished sauce's glossy surface and thick, pourable texture.

Kansas City BBQ Sauce

2 cups

45 minutes total

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, divided
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp yellow mustard powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup water, plus more as needed

Method

Measure the ingredients
Measure the ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire, spices, and water before heating; reserve 1 tbsp each of the brown sugar and cider vinegar for adjusting the finish.
Look for: The brown sugar and cider vinegar each have a small reserved portion for the final taste adjustment.
Whisk the sauce base
In a medium heavy saucepan, whisk the ketchup, remaining 3 tbsp cider vinegar, Worcestershire, water, mustard powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne until smooth.
Look for: No dry spice pockets remain and the mixture looks evenly red.
Dissolve the sugars
Whisk in the molasses and all but the reserved 1 tbsp brown sugar until the molasses is fully blended and the sugar no longer feels gritty on the whisk.
Look for: The sauce is uniformly glossy with no dark molasses streaks.
Bring it to a gentle simmer
Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir continuously until small bubbles appear at the edges; keep the sauce below a full boil so the sugars warm without scorching.
Look for: Small bubbles gather around the edge while the center stays mostly still.
Simmer and thicken
Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom every 2 to 3 minutes; lower the heat if the sauce spits or sticks.
Look for: The sauce coats a spoon in a glossy layer and leaves a brief trail when stirred.
Adjust the finish
Take the pan off the heat and taste a cooled spoonful; stir in the reserved cider vinegar for more tang or the reserved brown sugar for more sweetness, adding each gradually to suit the balance.
Look for: Sweetness, acidity, and smoke taste balanced without a raw vinegar edge.
Set the texture
For a thinner brushing sauce, whisk in water 1 tsp at a time; for a thicker table sauce, return it to low heat and simmer briefly, stirring constantly.
Look for: The sauce falls from the spoon in a steady ribbon at the chosen thickness.
Cool and store
Cool the sauce for 10 minutes, then spoon it into a clean jar; brush a portion onto grilled foods near the end of cooking or serve it at the table.
Look for: The sauce is warm rather than steaming and holds a glossy coat on a spoon.