Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue KC Original Sauce (4/5)

Jack Stack BBQ Sauce

I was in Kansas City recently and I got to experience the “full” Jack Stack treatment.  Many times, the sauces I try are merely a snippet in the life of a larger BBQ empire.  This one, a KC classic, came highly recommended by my friend Paul who lives in the area.  From the menu, I got a “pick two” Kansas City Combo and chose burnt ends (fantastic) and the pork ribs (very good)… both cooked in a brick oven over hickory wood.  Their appetizers also scored big – we got the cheesy corn, hickory pit beans, and french fries for the table. And of course we got two big ass bowls of original and spicy BBQ sauces.

From their website: A passion for barbecue. Dedication to distinctive quality and taste from our signature hickory-fired brick ovens. A commitment to extraordinary service. And a promise to give you the finest barbecue dining experience you’ve ever encountered. For the past 50 years, Jack Stack has set the standard for premier barbecue in Kansas City and across the country. Prepare to be impressed.

So I got some sauce to go and recently made up some chicken and kielbasa on the grill, so, as I say here quite often, on to the review!

Smell/Aroma

Excellent.  Very natural scent, a traditional KC-style BBQ sauce scent.

Before Cooking Flavor

Good. Tastes sweet and tangy – a nice mix of tomato, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and spices.  Nothing odd or unnatural.  That said, nothing unique or extremely remarkable either.  A good safe bet.

Consistency

Not too thin, not too thick.  Just right.

After Cooking Flavor

Although this sauce really hit the mark on the pork and burnt ends in the restaurant, I found the real magic in the restaurant to happen “around the sauce,” meaning the sauce was simply the topping on an already flavorful plate of meat. They spiced and then slow cooked the meat, really enhancing the flavor and boosting the overall package.  My chicken was a little less flavorful and less exciting than it could have been (even for a straightforward KC style sauce), but the kielbasa really shined when used with this sauce.  I like to cut kielbasa into 4 inch long segments, all sliced lengthwise (kinda like you might slice a hotdog bun) so that they could cook quickly and easily. As usual, I applied the sauce around the 75% mark during the grilling. And I loved the way kielbasa tasted after this sauce.

Ingredients

Water, Tomato Paste, Sugar, Distilled Vinegar, Brown Sugar, Hot Sauce, Dehydrated Garlic and Onion, Molasses, Natural Flavor, Worcestershire Sauce, Modifed Food Starch, Caramel Color, Garlic Powder, Sugar, Spices, Tamarind, Spice Extractives, Sodium Benzoate (preservative). GLUTEN FREE. NO MSG,

Bonus points: No HFCS (high fructose corn syrup, the wonder ingredient sometimes blamed for the fattening of America), No Glutens.

Calories 30
Total Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0g
Sodium 280mg
Carbs 6g
Protein 1g

Marketing and Packaging

Slick packaging that complement their overall brand.  Nicely executed.  However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this in stores near me (Boston area).

Related Website

Jack Stack BBQ (Order Ribs, Burnt Ends, Brisket Online!)

Site Editor, BBQ Sauce Lover, Family Guy, Hi Tech Marketer by Day. He recently wrote the Ebook “How to Market Your BBQ Sauce” which can be purchased on this site.

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Comments

  1. My son and I were in Kansas City in mid March 2009 on business. I was encouraged to go to Jack Stacks and have a BBQ experience. I will admit it was an experience that I don’t want ever again. I had a pork ribs and pulled pork plate. The ribs were so tough that you could not get the meat off the bone and the pulled pork had more fat and gristle than meat. My son had beef ribs and he ask me, “Do you think they have these cows on a diet? There were parts of the ribs that looked as if someone had gotten to them before they were served. My bill was $36.98 + tip of $5.00. I was shocked at the product that we were served.

  2. Hmm. Must have been an off night. I had a good experience and well, several other folks across the web also had a good BBQ meal at Jack Stack.

    here’s a few reviews:
    http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g44535-d390492-Reviews-Fiorella_s_Jack_Stack_Barbeque-Kansas_City_Missouri.html

  3. Jennifer says

    I love Jack Stack’s and when recently diagnosised with Celiac was concerned about eating there for my son’s college graduatioon party. So I called ahead to ask and was told almost all of their menu is gluten free! I was thrilled! We all enjoyed a wonderful meal and I am delighted I can still enjoy my favorite KC BBQ anytime!! The fries are on their “no no list” so be careful. And the sauce in the restaurant is gluten free but not the bottled stuff in the stores. (So they told me) we were able to buy some of their spices and rubs though and they are labeled gluten free on the package.
    Yay! Go Fiorellas!!

  4. Dan

    You are a cheap tipper. If you were in Kansas City on business I assume you expensed your dinner to your company (and chances are, your son’s dinner too).

    If the food was not to your liking but the service was still good, shame on you.

    • Just a simple man says

      Actually, his tip was right around 15%, which is standard practice, regardless of who is picking up the check.

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