Thank you to everyone who entered our second annual Sauce King NYC competition in 2021. Congratulations to all of the winners – pick up a bottle of some of our favorites and support these great brands.
Sauce King NYC Champion
Grand Champion: Juke Food Dressing and Dipping Sauce, Low Country Sauce Company, Houston, TX
A savory and versatile sauce that goes with everything
Barbecue Sauces
Judges’ Awards:
Top Barbecue Sauce: Memphis Mop BBQ Sauce, BBQ Buddha, Asbury, NJ
The 2020 grand champion is still a judges’ favorite
Top Vinegar Based Barbecue Sauce: Jalapeño Business, B.T. Leighs, Bowling Green, KY
Great as a sauce or marinade
Honorable Mention:
Mustard Based Sauce: The Clevelander, B.T. Leighs, Bowling Green, KY
Sauce for a Cause: Veterans Q Gold Barbecue Sauce, Veterans Q, Huntley, IL
Great Grilling Sauces and Marinades:
Habanero Mango Flavor, Linda’s Barbecue Sauce, Bronx, NY
Fatcho Sauce, Kimchi Smoke, Westwood, NJ
Better Than BBQ Sauce, Lawd Have Mercy, New Orleans, LA
Noteworthy:
Smokehouse Original, Cedar Creek Sauce Company, NC
Southern Twang, Cedar Creek Sauce Company, NC
Jamaican Jerk, Elda’s Kitchen, NY
Promising Amateurs:
Black Label Sauce, K C Finest BBQ, Orlando, FL
Maiden Voyage, MAST BBQ Sauce, NV
Rubs and Seasonings
Maple Seasoning, Dutch Hill Maple, Tully, NY
Rooster Rub, Poor Devil Pepper Company x Viking & Daughters, Canaan, NY
Hot Sauces
Best Hot Sauce: Green Bastard Hot Sauce, Coney Island Saucery, Brooklyn, NY
We love using this sauce to spike guacamole
Most Versatile: Hot Chili Maple Syrup, Viking & Company, Canaan NY
Try this on everything from chicken and waffles to grilled vegetables and more
Best Everyday Hot Sauces:
Deecent Hot Sauce, Coney Island Saucery, Brooklyn, NY
Mantra Hot Sauce, BBQ Buddha, Asbury, NJ
Spicy Pepper Sauce, 5 Island Blend, Bronx, NY
Best Seafood Sauce: Ragin’ Cajun Sauce, Sandra Rose Kitchen, Little Rock, AR
Best of Brooklyn – Noteworthy Sauces: Fyah, BK Mamba and Herbal Green, BKLNWORX, Brooklyn, NY
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 commercial distribution, Sauce King is helping these chefs and restaurants take the next step towards launching a sauce product.
Winners will receive coaching sessions on expanding production from Taste of the Bronx and on ecommerce from Ori Zohar of Burlap and Barrel.
Awards:
Gold: Hot Harissa, Elfassy Foods, New York City, NY
This sauce was so beloved that if it wasn’t an amateur entry it might have won the whole competition
Silver: Spicy Cucumber Mango Sauce, Spice Shanty, Queens, NY
Bronze: Mango Jerk Barbecue Sauce, Vons Famous Jerk, Middletown, NY
Honorable Mentions:
Passionfruit BBQ Sauce, Jase’s BBQ, Arverne, NY
Pineapple Jerk Barbecue Sauce, Vons Famous Jerk, Middletown, NY
Thanks to our judges!
Ori Zohar, Burlap and Barrel
Matt Bruck, Eaters Drinkers
Anthony Ramirez II, Paul Ramirez and Rebecca Scott, Taste of The Bronx
Claire Matern, Hiller and Moon
Leiti Hsu, Journy
Jeanne Muchnick, Westchester Food Blogger
Nick Bandourveris, Film Producer and Epicurean
Duane Joseph, Friend of Food Karma Projects