Sauce King NYC - Not Your Average Sauce Competition

Food Karma NYC Presents: Sauce King NYC™

An International Sauce Competition

After 10 years hosting food festivals and barbecue events like Brisket King NYC, Rib King NYC, Bowl of ‘Zole, and Pig Island NYC, Food Karma is excited to launch Sauce King NYC™.

In 2020 we are seeing the resurgence of backyard grilling and the rise of at-home smokers. More people are cooking for themselves than ever and that brings us back to the basics. The best sauces may just be the most important ingredients in your pantry.

About Sauce King NYC™

Sauce King NYC™ will determine the best barbecue sauces, hot sauces, marinades and more. A panel of expert judges from the NYC food, chef, and media community will taste each sauce, and select exclusive winners in each category who stand out for their bold flavors, excellent ingredients, and delicious taste.

This is not your average sauce competition. It’s not about finding the hottest sauce that will blow your head off. Sauce King™ is about showcasing the wide range of top quality, all natural, barbecue sauces, hot sauces, and beyond that are perfect for backyard barbecue, grilling, and home cooking. We will be accepting a wide range of submissions – with the opportunity for people to submit their own categories.

Sauce King NYC Awards

October 2020

Sauce King NYC surveyed over 100 sauces submitted from all five boroughs of New York City, to Houston TX, Salem NC, Bowling Green KY, Seattle WA and even London, UK and Toronto, CA. The competition was not about finding the hottest sauce that will blow your head off. Instead it’s all about showcasing the wide range of top quality, all natural barbecue sauces, hot sauces, and beyond that are perfect for backyard barbecue, grilling, and home cooking.

Ultimately one Sauce King champion was chosen along with 12 category winners and many more honorable mentions.

Judging the sauces was a subjective process. Our 9 judges gathered for mini in-person and virtual tastings to have open conversations about the sauces that stood out. In many cases they embraced broad categories like “best flavor enhancer” or “best wing sauce,” but the judges also sought to recognize sauces for their niche appeal, creating sub-categories and honorable mentions for chili oils, condiments or sauces that pair with seafood. Each sauce was scored on these criteria: taste, appearance (including packaging), color, aroma, texture, and aftertaste.

Read about the first annual Sauce King awards in The Smoke Sheet, NYC BBQ, and Total Food Service (p 56)

The Winners Are:

The Sauce King NYC Champion:

Grand Prize: Memphis Mop BBQ Sauce, BBQ Buddha, NJ

Barbecue Sauces:

Awards:

Best Flavor Enhancer: Belizean Season-All, Marie Sharp’s, NC

Most Inventive BBQ Sauce: Somethin’ Somethin’ Sauce, B.T. Leigh’s Sauces and Rubs, KY

The Holy Trinity (Sweet, Spicy and Savory): Touch O Heat, Rufus Teague, KS

Honorable Mentions:

Fruit Based Barbecue Sauce: Mi Gente, Mi Tierra Spicy Guayaba Barbecue Sauce, Father & Son’s Kitchen, Bronx NY

Promising Amatuer Sauce: Honey Whole Grain Mustard BBQ Sauce, LondonOak, UK

International Barbecue Sauce: Sweet and Savory Korean BBQ Sauce, Firefly BBQ, UK

Barbecue Sauces for a Cause:

KUREious Monkey Spicy Chipotle Sauce, Children’s Cord Blood Bank, Staten Island NY

Fubar Elite BBQ Sauce, WarPig BBQ, TX. The Cause: giving back to our veterans by teaming up with 3 different veterans charities: The Folds of Honor, The Lone Survivor Foundation and the PTSD Foundation of America.

Noteworthy:

Honey Sweet, Rufus Teague, KS

Can-O-Que Boulevard Wheat, Rufus Teague, KS

Steak Sauce, Rufus Teague, KS

Orange Chili, Five Monkeys BBQ Sauce, CA

The Clevelander, B.T. Leigh’s Sauces and Rubs, KY

Hot Sauce

Awards:

Best Hot Sauce: Serrano & Chipotle Pepper Smoky Hot, Silly Chilly Hotsauce, NJ

Best Wing Sauce: Mild Wing Sauce, Rippin Red Sauce Company, MD

Best Verde Sauce: Bayou Gotham — Juju Guru Tropic Jalapeño, Scotty Peppers Hot Sauce Co., Manhattan, NY

When You Want Hot: Dead Red, Rocket Fuel Foods, Manhattan, NY

Honorable Mentions:

Habanero Hot Sauce: Forbidden Angel Habanero Sauce, Rippin Red Sauce Company, MD

Seafood Hot Sauce: Bayou Gotham — Bayou Bourré Louisiana Boil, Scotty Peppers Hot Sauce Co., Manhattan NY

Calamari Style Sauce: Signature Pepper Sauce, 5 Island Blend, Bronx NY

Runner Up, Verde Sauce: Vermont Maple Sriracha, Sugar Bob’s Finest Kind, VT

Noteworthy “Everyday Hot Sauces:”

Trailer Park Boys Deeecent Hot Sauce, Coney Island Saucery, Brooklyn NY

Original Hot Sauce, 5 Island Blend, Bronx NY

Louisiana Classic Red Hot Sauce, Rocket Fuel Foods, Manhattan NY

Other: Marinades and Condiments

Awards:

Most Versatile Sauce: The Original Smoked Maple Syrup, Sugar Bob’s Finest Kind, VT

Best Barbecue Marinade: Japanese Miso BBQ, Just Add Beer Sauce & Marinade Mix, Queens NY

Best Hot Ketchup: Granny Smith Apple Ketchup, Rocket Fuel Foods, Manhattan NY

Honorable Mention:

Chili Oil: Sichuan Chili Oil, Blank Slate Kitchen, VT

Runner Up, Hot Ketchup: Hot Ketchup Rocket Fuel Foods, Manhattan, NY

Noteworthy:

Sweet Habanero Sauce, Marie Sharp’s, NC

Mexican Tres Chiles, Just Add Beer Sauce & Marinade Mix, Queens NY

Chipotle Marinade, Mustard and Co., WA

Metro NYC StartUp Category

This category includes sauces submitted by NYC restaurants that are not yet available for distribution.

Awards:

Gold: Pique Rojo, Que Chevere, Manhattan NY

Silver: Pique Verde, Que Chevere, Manhattan NY

Honorable Mentions:

Promising Amateur: Weekend Warrior, Sauce Man Ash, Queens NY

Condiment in Metro NYC StartUp: Cassato’s Giardiniera, Salvatore Cassato, Brooklyn NY

Noteworthy:

Silva Bullet Hot Sauce, Christian Silva, NY

About Metro NYC StartUp

In addition to accepting submissions from sauce companies around the world, Sauce King NYC welcomed New York City restaurants to submit their homemade sauces to the tasting as part of the Metro StartUp Category. While these sauces are not yet available for distribution, Sauce King is helping these chefs and restaurants take the next step towards launching a sauce product.

Winners received a consultation with Christine Rico, Co-Chair of Slow Money NYC and the founder of CFO on Speed Dial as well as one-on-one sessions about getting their sauce ready for market with Rebecca Scott, founder of Sustainable Snacks. Winners have also been offered shelf space at The Bronx Beer Hall and the opportunity to sell their product online via Taste of the Bronx.

Food Karma is proud to create valuable connections within the hospitality industry and offer support restaurants when they need it most.

Shoutout To the Sauce King NYC Judges

Ori Zohar, Burlap and Barrel

Will Price, Gear Patrol

Jaymee Sire, Food + Travel Blogger

Alyssa Levine, Totally Forked

Matt Bruck, Eaters Drinkers

Anthony Ramirez, Taste of The Bronx

Martin Johnson, Westside Market Pantry and Beer Buyer

Leiti Hsu, Journy

Nick Bandourveris, Film Producer and Epicurean

Duane Joseph, Friend of Food Karma Projects

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Our grand prize is sponsored by Big Green Egg.

Category prizes are sponsored by Porter Road, Prime 6, and Kikuichi Cutlery.

Plus a big thank you to Taste of The Bronx, Burlap & Barrel and Slow Money NYC.

Submitting Your Sauce: 2020

Submit your sauce, marinade or condiment between now and August 30, 2020. The awards aim to promote top sauces in a wide range of categories. Category winners and awards will be announced by October – date to come

ENTER YOUR SAUCE

Sign-up to the Food Karma Projects Newsletter:

We welcome submissions from a wide range of categories in the world of sauce – the sky is the limit!

Categories

Best Overall BBQ Sauce (Submissions may include: Kansas City BBQ Sauce, Carolina BBQ Sauce, Whiskey or Bourbon BBQ Sauce, Red Chili BBQ Sauce, Spicy BBQ Sauce, White BBQ Sauce or others)

Best Innovative BBQ Sauce (Submissions may include fruit based BBQ sauces, or other non-traditional categories)

Best Everything Sauce (Sauces that can be eaten with a wide range of food)

Best Hot Sauce (Submission may include traditional hot sauce, sriracha, and more)

Best International Sauce

Best Marinade

Best Grill Sauce

Best Condiment

You can also suggest your own category upon submission!

How to Submit Your Sauce to Win

Go to our “Enter a Sauce” page between now and August 30, 2020
Register based on the number of products you are submitting
Ship your sauce(s) to be judged by Sauce King NYC’s™ panel of expert judges

Media

NYC BBQ: Introducing Sauce King NYC, New York’s First Virtual Sauce Competition

“With food events canceled in New York City this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now’s a perfect time for virtual events to step up and provide some entertainment until things get back to normal.Enter Sauce King NYC… Sauce King will encourage sauce makers who specialize in BBQ sauce, hot sauce, marinades, condiments, and more to enter their sauces to be judged and given awards by top food media personalities.

From Food Karma: Sauce King NYC Judge Ori Zohar on Spicing Up Your Spice Cabinet

Food Karma’s Communications Director, talked with Sauce King NYC judge Ori Zohar. Ori is the co-founder of Burlap & Barrel, a single origin spice company working to build new international food supply chains that are equitable, transparent and traceable. Dylan asked Ori about what this mission looks like in practice, how home cooks can better utilize their spice cabinet, and what he’ll be tasting for as a Sauce King NYC judge. Read more.