Gates and Son’s BBQ Sauce Recipe
Looking for a classic Kansas City-style BBQ sauce recipe to make at home? There is none better than you’ll find at Gates Bar-B-Q in Kansas City. It’s the kind of tomato-and-spice profile you’d expect to see brushed over burnt ends at a Kansas City joint. Gate’s and Son’s barbecue sauce recipe is easy to make and tastes exactly like the traditional barbecue sauce you know and love.
Gates BBQ: A Little History
The Gates journey started in 1946 when founder George W. Gates to leave the railroad behind and open a family restaurant. He gathered enough funds to open “Gates Ol’ Kentucky” at 19th and Vine.
This was the original of the restaurant chain known today as “Gates Bar-B-Q.”
Apparently, however, Mr. Gates had other ideas when he first purchased the restaurant.
According to WDAF-TV, George Gates initially bought the restaurant for its liquor license, intending to turn it into a pub. His wife didn’t agree with this — she was a devout Methodist and disapproved of whiskey — so barbecue became the venue’s main focus.”
Gates’ sauce recipe was one of the key elements in their success.
Hitting the Sauce
James Beard Award winner Adrian Miller, author of Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue, is a big fan of the sauce from Gates and Sons. In fact, Miller calls this his all-time favorite commercial barbecue sauce.
“Gates is one of the venerable African American-owned barbecue restaurants in Kansas City, Missouri,” he says. “They make a tomato-based sauce that’s not too thick, and it has a nice balance of tangy and sweet.”
What are the ingredients in Gates BBQ sauce?
According to the bottle, the ingredients in Gate’s Original BBQ sauce are “tomato concentrate (made from vine-ripened tomatoes, high fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, salt, onion powder. Garlic powder, natural flavors.) sugar, celery, spices, and pepper. 1/10 of 1% potassium sorbate preservative added.”
So much easier to make a homemade version of Gates’ BBQ sauce. But if you’d rather buy the original, you can.
Gates’ Sauce Comes to Cabo
This recipe for Gates’ barbecue sauce comes to us from John Padgett who cooked Southern BBQ further south than most people: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
He opened a restaurant there focused on barbecue and worked to develop a range of sauces to compliment the pork.
He shared this Kansas City-style barbecue sauce recipe with us, along with the story of how it was created:
“I’m a big mustard guy, myself, and my second favorite was always pure cider vinegar with red pepper flakes and salt; however, when I found a Kansas City recipe with ketchup (not overwhelming amounts) and cayenne, it won me over.
Photo courtesy of Bessinger’s BBQ.
“In fact, that sauce was one of the favorites in the restaurant.
“When I began researching and testing recipes for the restaurant, I knew we wanted several varieties of sauces.
“Because the concept was Southern BBQ and the customer got to choose what kind of sauce he wanted, we called the restaurant The Naked Pig BBQ: “We Leave The Dressing To You.” (I sold more T-shirts than food, lol.)
“I knew all about NC, SC, and Tennessee sauces and dry rubs, but not too much in the way of Kansas City-style sauces. I had always heard that their sauces had a kick to them.
“After testing several, I fell upon one that closely resembles Gates Bar-B-Q, and the rest was history.
“It was the perfect blend, and it went really well with the coleslaw I made, which resembled Memphis style slaw.”
Recipe tested and photo taken by Wiley Adams
Enjoy John’s classic homemade Gates Bar-B-Q style Kansas City BBQ sauce recipe:
Gates Bar-B-Q Style Kansas City BBQ Sauce
John Padgett’s no-cook Kansas City-style barbecue sauce, inspired by Gates Bar-B-Q, blends ketchup, cider vinegar, sugar, and bold spices for a tangy, sweet finish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup salt
- 2 tablespoons celery seeds
- 2 tablespoons cumin, ground
- 2 tablespoons ground red pepper, (cayenne)
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 quarts ketchup
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Simply mix the ingredients together and enjoy.
Notes
Yield and serving size: The 2 quarts of ketchup (8 cups) and 2 cups of vinegar provide 10 cups before the sugar and spices are mixed in. Expect roughly 10–11 cups, or at least 80 servings of 2 tablespoons each. The original 80-serving count is used for nutrition; the actual yield depends on ingredients and mixing, and may give a few more servings.
Nutrition: Estimates are per 2 tablespoons, calculated using all eleven listed ingredients and a conservative 80 portions. Assumptions include standard Heinz Tomato Ketchup (20 calories, 4 grams sugar, and 180 milligrams sodium per tablespoon), about 200 grams of granulated sugar in 1 cup, and Morton regular table salt (590 milligrams sodium per ¼ teaspoon). Eight cups of this ketchup contribute about 23,040 milligrams sodium, and ¼ cup table salt contributes about 28,320 milligrams to the batch. Together they account for approximately 642 milligrams sodium per 80 portions before the remaining seasonings. Ketchup brands and the type of salt make a substantial difference; using the full 10–11 cups may yield more than 80 portions and therefore somewhat lower nutrition per 2 tablespoons. These are ingredient-based estimates, not laboratory measurements. Sauce alone is counted, not the barbecue or other foods it accompanies.
Storage: This no-cook homemade sauce is not shelf-stable. Refrigerate promptly in clean, covered containers and use within 3–4 days, or freeze portions for longer storage. Do not store at room temperature or can without a tested preservation recipe.
Recipe origin: This is John Padgett’s homemade Gates Bar-B-Q-inspired sauce, not a verified formula from the restaurant.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
80Serving Size:
2 tablespoons sauceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 45Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 650mgCarbohydrates: 11gNet Carbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 0g
Approximate per 2 tablespoons of Gates-style sauce, using 80 portions (10 cups) from a batch likely yielding approximately 10–11 cups. Includes the full 2 quarts (128 tablespoons) of regular Heinz Tomato Ketchup (20 kcal, 4 g sugar, 180 mg sodium per tablespoon), 1 cup granulated sugar (~200 g), ¼ cup Morton table salt (590 mg sodium per ¼ tsp), 2 cups cider vinegar, and listed spices, celery seeds, liquid smoke and lemon juice. Ketchup and salt alone contribute ~51,360 mg sodium per batch (~642 mg/80 servings), before seasonings. Final yield, brand and type of salt may alter results. Ingredient-based estimate, not laboratory-tested. Meat/sides excluded.
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Check out these other authentic SCBBQ recipes we’ve published on destination-bbq:
Eastern SC Vinegar-Based Sauce Recipe
Home Team BBQ’s Alabama White Sauce Recipe
And we’ve published the following tomato-based sauce recipes in the SCBBQ Recipes: Going Whole Hog cookbook (read more about that here):
Sauces and Rubs:
Tomato-Based Sauces
- John Padgett’s Kansas City BBQ Sauce Recipe
- Honey-Hickory Barbecue Sauce Recipe
- Bullies BBQs Thin Basting Sauce Recipe
- Cherrywood Signature BBQ Sauce Recipe
- “Carolina Red” Light Tomato Barbecue Sauce Recipe
- Basic Tomato Barbecue Sauce Recipe
