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Types of BBQ Sauce
- Last Updated: February 2, 2025
Types of BBQ Sauce
We’ve compiled them all into one easy-to-read blog for you to learn.
Understanding the different types of BBQ sauce can feel like staring into a thick, saucy vortex.
By our count, there are at least 14 different types of BBQ sauce, and those are only the mainstream sauces.
We are starting to see different types of BBQ sauce pop up in all corners of the world.
In this blog, we’ll do our best to review some of the top options.
It’s important to remember that each region has its variation of BBQ sauce.
After that, each region then has its way of cooking the meat!
In this blog, we are focusing on the sauce aspect, not the cooking style.
This is to say that there are countless ways to cook and serve barbecued meats, but everyone has their favorite.
Kansas City
With the heaviest tomato base, Kansas City-style BBQ sauce is thick, sweet, and typically slathered onto ribs. Kansas City Style BBQ sauce was my first introduction to BBQ as a youngster and became something that I put on almost every meal, even boiled eggs, much to the dismay of family members.
For the added sweetness that is less common for other BBQ sauce types, Kansas City BBQ sauce leverages molasses to get that sticky sweetness that caramelizes when applied to meats that are still cooking. This BBQ sauce style is at the top of the list because it is the most common.
When you look through recipes, even if they say “Memphis style” or “Texas style,” many recipe creators don’t know the BBQ sin they have committed, but thankfully, there are comment sections for that. The sweetness of Kansas City-style BBQ sauce is what sets it apart, along with the thickness and the lack of vinegar. Less focus on the meats here and more on the sauce has made it a staple in many households nationwide.
North Carolina
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For a different style of sauce, let us head off to the Carolinas. You’d think only being a state away from each other would not create two distinct types of BBQ sauce, but hey, maybe that’s why there’s now a North and South Carolina. We’re not historians, so we’re curious. North Carolina BBQ sauce is known for its thinner, vinegary style, perfect for squirting onto smoked and pulled meats. Not only is it squirted on after the cooking process happens, but it tends to be integral in the original cooking of the meat itself.
The distinct flavor profile you’re looking for here is high acidity mixed with some additional spices and a spritz of sugar for some sweetness, and some would consider the consistency to be near that of water. Carolina is not about the thick boys, just the runniest BBQ sauce you can think of. Even within North Carolina, two warring factions of BBQ sauce types are split into Eastern and Western.
Eastern North Carolina BBQ sauce is a thinner consistency and helps consumers of meats focus on the meat itself. Conversely, Western North Carolina thickens it up a bit by using ketchup. Another distinction is the parts of the pig used. The East uses all parts of a pig, while the West focuses on pork shoulder. The East is tangy with a slight sweetness, while the West goes deeper into the sweetness and the heat level. Now, let us travel a few miles to the South into a whole different territory for different types of BBQ sauce.
South Carolina
Again, we’re blown away that two areas that are so close together can have such different takes on types of BBQ sauce. South Carolina says, “You know what? We don’t want your sweetness. Give us….MUSTARD!” That’s right. The big differentiator here is the prevalence of mustard in the BBQ sauce. Thicknesses are all over the map here, with some South Carolina BBQ sauces looking as thick as mayo while others are a thinner consistency.
Also known as Carolina Gold, the mustardy sauce is typically a bright-to-deep yellow and can add some sweetness with brown sugar. In most cases, South Carolina-style BBQ sauce avoids spicy ingredients, leaning more on the mustard base to make your nose tingle.
Memphis
Over to the west of the Carolinas sits Tennessee, another major hub for BBQ with a few distinct styles, the first of which is the Memphis-style BBQ sauce. Some of the magic here is that typically, the initial cook of the pork uses a dry rub instead of basting the sauce on the meat that is being cooked. Many compare Memphis-style BBQ sauce to the Kansas City BBQ style, but overall, it leverages more vinegar and tends to be thinner without nearly as much sweetness.
While it’s not as thin as North Carolina-style BBQ sauce, Memphis-style BBQ sauce should still be easy to squirt onto your meats of choice. Like the Carolinas, though, Memphis focuses more on the meats than the BBQ sauce. With a tomato-vinegar base and varying spice ranges, Memphis-style BBQ sauce is a major feature in the yearly Memphis in May competition.
Texas
Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the lengths they go to to make their BBQ sauces. With a tomato vinegar base that is thicker than the Carolinas but thinner than Kansas City, many versions of Texas BBQ sauce require the drippings of the meat you are cooking, giving it a fattier base but tying in perfectly with whatever you put it on.
Many recipes you’ll find online have the addition of beef bouillon, which triggers the same effect. However, it is not at all comparable to a fully smoked brisket. There are even different styles within Texas (we’ve seen at least four), but they largely deal with how the meat itself is cooked.
Kentucky
Dipping your meats into a sauce may seem caveman-esque, but that’s largely true for most Kentucky-style BBQ sauces. Served with a smokey Worcestershire base, this sauce isn’t intended to be applied while cooking but used once the meat is prepped and ready for consumption. Vinegar is another primary ingredient, but Worcestershire is definitely the focus on Kentucky-style BBQ sauces.
Alabama
This is a more unique BBQ sauce type with a mayonnaise base. Some of you are already skipping this style, but hear us out! While may seem a bit gross, the mayo base is no different than slapping some mayo on a bun and using other sauces. This sauce is most commonly used on pulled chicken and tends to be thinner because of the mix of mayo and vinegar. If you’ve not had it, give Alabama-style BBQ sauce a try. It is pretty tasty.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma-style BBQ Sauce combines a bit of Texas, Kansas City, and Memphis into one bottle of tastiness. It uses a tomato base and is generally sweeter and spicier than other types of BBQ sauce. There aren’t a whole lot of commercial sauces with this style, so it’s a good candidate to try making yourself. Take a look at this recipe here for inspiration.
Korean
If you’ve ever been to a Korean BBQ, it’s likely that you’ve encountered some form of Korean-style BBQ sauce. Korean BBQ has an incredible flavor profile with sweetness, tang, and a garlicky hit followed by something spicy. Using soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, and usually onions, Korean-style BBQ sauce tends to be more complex. If you haven’t been to this style of restaurant, find one in your area, and the food will be prepared on a grill right at your table.
Nashville
Sweeter than its Tennessee counterpart, Nashville-style BBQ sauce also leverages some smokiness, giving it a nice tang. It is not to be confused with Nashville Hot Chicken, as that is totally separate. You’ll find this made with brown sugar and molasses in most recipes. Check out my favorite Grillmaster Steven Raichlen’s version here.
Florida
This type of BBQ sauce is much less common than the others on this list, and some say it’s not even a real style, but we feel it’s different enough that it deserves a spot. Overall, what makes a Florida-style BBQ sauce stand out is its addition of oranges (not surprisingly… it’s Florida!). Like a tangy, vinegary East North Carolina BBQ sauce, the Florida sauce leverages the acidity of orange juice to give the sauce more sweetness and a bright, citrusy taste. You could crank up the Cuban-inspired BBQ sauce with scotch bonnet peppers or habaneros.
Baltimore
When you think of Baltimore and Maryland, your brain likely doesn’t go straight to types of BBQ sauce. We think of crab cakes, the Ravens, and the “The Wire” so don’t worry, it didn’t for us either. Like the Alabama White Sauce, Baltimore BBQ Sauce is horseradish and mayo-based. The nose-punch of the horseradish is an addictive sensation similar to the capsaicin sting of hot sauce, leading to folks returning repeatedly. Most of what makes Baltimore BBQ stand out is that it’s about the meat. This meat is known as Baltimore Pit Beef. Think cheesesteaks, but cut more like roast beef after being slow-cooked on a charcoal pit for a while. It is lesser known but still delicious!
BBQ Sauces We Love
You’ve learned about the different types of BBQ sauce, and now you want to try some. Here are some of our favorites we have for sale. If you have more in-depth questions, you can always send us a message on our Contact page. We love talking to our customers and will gladly help answer any questions you may have.
Hoff & Pepper Original BBQ Sauce
Original price was: $9.99.$7.00Current price is: $7.00.BBQ Sauce Types: A Conclusion
Whew, still with us?
That is an overwhelming amount of different types of BBQ sauce.
More so, sauces are on the market for each region we talked about.
It can be daunting to pick and choose, so we’ve included some rankings for different BBQ sauce attributes to help you make a decision.
Please note that these are up for debate as there are differences between individual BBQ sauces within a category.
However, go ahead and feel free to let us know in the comments below if you think we’ve horribly misplaced a particular BBQ sauce.
I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this. Look at the different BBQ sauce types that are available!
“Types of BBQ Sauce Rankings” infographic designed by Zach Thielen.
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Chris Whitehair
Chris Whitehair is the owner of Flower City Flavor Company and Death By Chili Sauce. A lover of hot sauce, olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and all things flavor!
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