Forbes Mag: Oklahoma Joe's in KCK one of the best BBQ joints anywhere

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

See, to me, Gates' sauce could be any generic, store-brand supposedly "KC-style" sauce. Just nothing distinctive about it.

^Interesting. You're not the only person I've heard say that, but I think you (and they) are wrong. Gates sauce is absolutely distinctive. There's no way I wouldn't immediately recognize it in a blind taste test. Why people pick on Gates, I do not know, because Gates is awesome! And honestly, I think the sauce is objectively distinct. I've never had anything even close. I'm not certain what distinguishes it, but I think celery plays a key role. In a blind taste test, I don't think one could find another sauce, let alone in the typical selection at grocery stores, that one would confuse as Gates.

[TabulaRasa]

Agree to disagree.

[MOKAN]

I guess it's all about perspective. Somebody from the Carolinas might think Arthur Bryant's sauce is generic because the mustard and vinegar that make it distinct here are common there.

But to me the real generic sauces, even though they form a distinct variety, are KC Masterpiece, Kraft, Hunts, Heinz, etc. Another style that is generic is the darker, spicier, and thinner sauces like at Rosedale, Wyandot, Quick's, and several others, but at least they are good!

[WiseOwlSaysHoot]

I don't think Gates is similar to KC Masterpiece, or any other generic "KC" BBQ sauce. Gates is thinner, much more spicy/tangy and less sweet. I think OK Joe's is closer to the generic sauces.

I agree that OK Joe's beans are not very good, but I like their potato salad and fries.