Noel Bateman on the Jalapeño Jam story:
“Long story short, we have all seen how they make Tabasco at McIlhenny, and I saw them at Meatopia in London a few years ago with a taste comparison between un-aged and aged Tabasco chili mash. That got me thinking of doing something similar with another chili.

“So one old Rioja wine barrel, 150kg of green jalapeño, and 2 years later we drained the barrel into 25l jerry cans to make the smoked jalapeño jam, and the coriander & jalapeño.”

Metro NYC Startup “Duane Joseph” Award Winner
(TIE)

L & L Infused Sauces
New York City
Verde Sauces
Lisandra & Lisette (owners)
Instagram: @l.l_infused

Kam Rai Thai restaurant
Astoria, Queens
Zeed green hot sauce & Sam Rod dipping sauce
Chef Dhanapol “Oak” Marprasert
Instagram: @kamraithai

Note: Many of the Metro NYC Start Up category winners have used the Sauce King NYC competition to launch commercially. In our 2021 competition, Elfassy Foods and their Harissa sauce line first entered. In 2023, they entered again with an award winning commercial product.

MORE CATEGORY AWARDS & WINNERS

We tested a range of sauces from all over the world this year and our judging panel worked hard to select winners and standouts.

Homegrown Hero

Elfassy Foods, Harissa ( our 2021 Metro NYC Start Up winner has aced the next step up to a commercial product.) NYC

Category of their own

Dirty Bird’s Swett Sauce LLC, Dirty Bird’s Swett Sauce Original (sesame oil as “secret” ingredient), Lake Worth, Florida

Judges’ Award
FireFly Barbecue, Peruvian Recoto, UK

Barbecue Sauces
Top BBQ sauce: tie
*B.T. Leigh’s, The Magical Mop, Kentucky ( top award winner 2020, 21, 22!)
*Louisiana Creole Candy, Creole-ish BBQ Sauce, Louisiana

BBQ Sauces- Judges’ Awards
*Paragon Sauce & Spice LLC, Claremore Oklahoma . FIRE BRICK Barbecue Sauce, Kansas City Style HOT barbecue sauce.
*GWB Hot Sauce, BACON FIRE, Clarksburg, West Virginia
*Linda’s Barbecue Sauce. HONEY ( honey sauce), The Bronx, NYC

Runner ups- Metro NYC Start Up
*Sotto Voce restaurant, Brooklyn, NYC. Diablo sauce
*International Wings Factory, NYC. CRY hot sauce

Judges’ Awards- BBQ sauces, and more
*Joy’s Island Spice, Jerk BBQ Sauce. NY.
*Oyster sauce, Carolina Co. Packing.
*Black Pearl Spice, Salsa/seafood sauce. Maryland.

Best Traditional BBQ sauce
*Olchefskis Road just BBQ sauce.Cleveland Ohio.( 2022 and 23!)

The Classic , Everything Sauce
*B.T. Leigh’s, Something Something sauce. Kentucky.

“The Whole Hog” award
*Pork Mafia, Chicago, Favorite Dipping sauce
Cochon Dipping Sauce

Favorite Family of BBQ sauces
*B.T. Leigh’s, Kentucky, (with the record 4 top awards in 4 years)

Rib King NYC’s Grill Sauce
*Bear’s Smokehouse, Kansas City Sweet. Connecticut.
(Bears Smokehouse won 2023 Rib King NYC Chefs competition)

Most Applelicious BBQ Sauce
*Big Daddy’s Bar-B-Q , Applelicious HOT BBQ sauce.
Overland Park, Kansas

Condiments
*Rocket Fuel Foods, Top Ketchup “Stomach Soother”
all natural, granny smith apple ketchup.. Stomach soother

Judges’ Mention
*Rocket Fuel Foods, Yellow mustard

Rubs- Judges’ Mentions
*FireFly Barbecue, UK (international) SpicyTexas TexMex Rub
*B.T. Leigh’s, Something to Beef About rub, Kentucky
*Bayou Gotham, Creole Seasoning, Bayou Bourre. NYC x New Orleans.
*Pork Mafia. Buckshot Seasoning, with activated charcoal. Chicago.

Best international- Family of Sauces and Rubs
*FireFly Barbecue, UK.

Runner Up- Best International
Kam Rai Thai restaurant, Queens NYC ( Thai sauces made in NYC, a Start up).

Hot sauces- Top Hot Sauce of 2023
*Coney Island Saucery, Ricky’s Smokes. Lets Go! Hot sauce made with hemp hearts. NYC.

Runner up
*Craic Sauce Craft Sauce, 40 Shades of Green Chili, Lowell, Mass.

Most Delicious Heat award
*Rocket Fuel Foods, Raspberry Scotcher. Newark, NJ

Judges’ Awards
*718 Heat Factory, sweet heat ( 2022 Top Hot Sauce)
*Rocket Fuel Foods, FRESCA salsa verde, Newark, NJ
*Gotham Bayou, Bayou Bourre, NYC x New Orleans
*Rocket Fuel Foods, Louisiana Classic Red, Newark, NJ

Top Families of Hot Sauces
*Craic Sauce, Lowell, Mass.
*Rocket Fuel Foods, Newark, NJ
*Bayou Gotham, NYC x New Orleans!

The post 2023 Sauce King NYC Winners appeared first on Sauce King NYC.

Congratulations to the 2020 Winners!

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.

The post 2020 Award Winners – Sauce King NYC appeared first on Sauce King NYC.