2023 SAUCE KING NYC AWARD WINNERS
2023 GRAND CHAMPION
FireFly Barbecue
United Kingdom
Smoked Jalapeño Jam
Noel Bateman, Director and Owner
https://www.fireflybbq.co.uk/
Jalapeños slowly fermented for two years in a Spanish Oak Rioja barrel with apple cider vinegar and a hint of beech smoke.
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.”
2023 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.
ALL 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. Here are all the winners.
Grand Champion, the “I’d fight to take home” Top Overall Sauce ( style doesn’t matter)
1. FireFly Barbecue, UK ( International).
Smoked Jalapeño Jam, aged 2 years in a Rioja barrel!
Homegrown Hero
2. 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
3. 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
2023 Metro NYC Start Up “Duane Joseph” Award (tie)
*L & L Infused, 2 sauces…. the sisters, Lissandra & Lissette
*Kam Rai Thai restaurant, Astoria Queens NYC. Chef Dhanapol “Oak” Marprasert, 2 sauces, Zeed green hot sauce, Sam Rod dipping sauce
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 Scorcher. 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!
SOME OF THIS YEARS 200+ ENTRIES
Sauce King NYC co-presented by
Food Karma Projects and
Taste of the Bronx
Jimmy Carbone, founder/ producer
Top Prize Sponsor:
Kikuichi Cutlery, Japanese knives.
Based in Nara, Japan, Kikuichi Cutlery has been producing handmade Japanese blades for over 750 years. Using samurai sword making techniques, our Japanese kitchen knives are revered by chefs worldwide.
Location Sponsors:
Rocket Fuel Wings. Newark.NJ
The Bronx Beer Hall, Arthur Avenue Market, The Bronx NYC
Pod Hotel, Williamsburg Brooklyn
Prize Sponsor:
Kikuichi Cutlery, Japanese knives
About Kikuichi Cutlery
Based in Nara, Japan, Kikuichi Cutlery has been producing handmade Japanese blades for over 750 years. Using samurai sword making techniques, our Japanese kitchen knives are revered by chefs worldwide.
2023 JUDGING PANEL
Here are the details on this year’s judging panel
- Ori Zohar, Burlap and Barrel co-founder
- Mac DeMatteo, chef
- Nick Bandouveris, Film Producer & Food Karma NYC team
- Chef Jesse Jones
- Chef Joe Musngi, SmoKING of Meats
- Deepak Ballaney, culinary expert, International Wings Factory
- Anthony Ramirez 2nd. , Taste of The Bronx/ Bronx Beer Hall
- Paul Ramirez, Taste of The Bronx/ Bronx Beer Hall
- Derrick Ramirez. Taste of the Bronx/ Bronx Beer Hall
- And friends
- Presented by @foodkarmanyc @jimmypotsandpans , and @tasteofthebronx
Insiders look at one of our judges tasting approach..
My main judging choices arose from three criteria:
- If it's a "basic" sauce (BBQ or hot or rub or whatever), it better be damn good. Because I can make my own, or buy a Kraft version nearly the same at the store for $1. So a basic sauce needs to be so PERFECT that I will buy it and add my own ingredients, depending upon how I feel the day of the cook. A few of this year's BBQ sauces were worthy of plunking down good money at the store to elevate my BBQ or other cooking, or had some kind of "extra" flavor or other quality that made me want learn how to make my own even better.
- If it's DELICIOUS, it's a top contestant. It can be hot as hell with not much flavor and just piss me off, putting me in mouth pain - sweating for no reason isn't a goal in my life!. Or a sauce can be so sweet that it gives me diabetes, or maybe it has a chemical flavor or, what I consider a "cheat" - contains liquid smoke or other not-fresh or natural ingredients. They're out.
BUT, It can have next to no heat but the best flavor and it'll make me incredibly HAPPY. IF it has great heat but that heat doesn't overwhelm the flavor, and if the flavor is delicious, it's top of the list!
- If it's DELICIOUS and also possesses either a freshness or flavors that I'm not used to pouring out of a bottle, it also goes to the top of the list.
- Finally, what does it INSPIRE me to cook? Does the BBQ sauce have a character that works toward one specific kind of meat (or veggie)? Is it overall great? Does a hot sauce make me suddenly think to cook with potatoes, as I mentioned above, or some other use un-imagined by its creator? Top of the list for ANY delicious flavor that gives me ideas!
for me, these things make any sauce, of any flavor, heat or use, very easy to judge.
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