This photo of my KC style sauce on some brisket in SPUWYC prompted Mr. Bones to ask what sauce it was and also prompted a DM from Joetee asking for the recipe when I replied that it was our family's Kansas City style sauce, so here we are.
My inlaws, who lived in the greater Kansas City area, probably started working on this in the 1960's, playing with ingredients and ratios. Since my wife and I got married in 1979, we've been working from their base recipe but fiddling with it along the way. Many of the changes came as I've gotten her to like spicier foods and we've gradually raised the spice and heat level. The base amounts I'll give here have tripled the chili powder from her parents' version, but when I'm making it only for us, that amount goes up again another 50-100%. Also, we've gone from a "dash" of Tobasco to a good shake, along with some cayenne to taste. Finally, the original had a dash of lemon juice. I've upped that quite a bit and lately switching to lime juice plus zest has taken it over the top.
My father-in-law also would cut this with an equal amount of water to use as a baste, but I never baste.
McElwee-White Family Kansas City Style Sauce
Ingredients
2 cups ketchup (we always use Heinz)
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins for best taste)
3 teaspoons chili powder (I prefer Badia these days)
1 teaspoon table salt
1-2 good shakes Tobasco sauce
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
1/8 teaspoon (or more to taste) cayenne
1/2 cup hard packed brown sugar (dark brown is even better)
Juice and zest from half a lime
Method
Mix all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. A hand mixer can be used to make sure brown sugar dissolves fully, but I usually just stir with a spatula.
Store refrigerated. Will keep for a month or two.
Historical Note
Here's a picture of the original recipe card that my mother-in-law typed up for us to go into the recipe box she gave us when we got married. It clearly has gotten a bit of use over the years. Note that she wrote it up primarily as the basting sauce and that what we make these days is our version of her "cold meat sauce" with the values on the left.
My inlaws, who lived in the greater Kansas City area, probably started working on this in the 1960's, playing with ingredients and ratios. Since my wife and I got married in 1979, we've been working from their base recipe but fiddling with it along the way. Many of the changes came as I've gotten her to like spicier foods and we've gradually raised the spice and heat level. The base amounts I'll give here have tripled the chili powder from her parents' version, but when I'm making it only for us, that amount goes up again another 50-100%. Also, we've gone from a "dash" of Tobasco to a good shake, along with some cayenne to taste. Finally, the original had a dash of lemon juice. I've upped that quite a bit and lately switching to lime juice plus zest has taken it over the top.
My father-in-law also would cut this with an equal amount of water to use as a baste, but I never baste.
McElwee-White Family Kansas City Style Sauce
Ingredients
2 cups ketchup (we always use Heinz)
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins for best taste)
3 teaspoons chili powder (I prefer Badia these days)
1 teaspoon table salt
1-2 good shakes Tobasco sauce
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
1/8 teaspoon (or more to taste) cayenne
1/2 cup hard packed brown sugar (dark brown is even better)
Juice and zest from half a lime
Method
Mix all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. A hand mixer can be used to make sure brown sugar dissolves fully, but I usually just stir with a spatula.
Store refrigerated. Will keep for a month or two.
Historical Note
Here's a picture of the original recipe card that my mother-in-law typed up for us to go into the recipe box she gave us when we got married. It clearly has gotten a bit of use over the years. Note that she wrote it up primarily as the basting sauce and that what we make these days is our version of her "cold meat sauce" with the values on the left.
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