Kinzie Foods Takes First Place at World’s Largest BBQ Sauce Competition with Multiple Top Finishes Across Categories

Dubai Chocolate Named Specialty Category Champion at American Royal World Series of Barbecue® Sauce Contest with Three Sauces Ranking in Top 10

RAPID CITY, SD, UNITED STATES, April 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Kinzie Foods, the sauce brand known for its flavor-forward varieties including Pickle and Espresso BBQ, has been crowned a world champion at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue^® Sauce Contest, the largest barbecue sauce competition in the world.

Competing against more than 400 entries from across the country, Kinzie’s Dubai Chocolate BBQ Sauce was awarded First Place in the Specialty category, with additional strong finishes in competitive verticals:
- Fiery BBQ Sauce — 3rd Place (Vinegar)
- Jalapeño Lime — 9th (Specialty)
- Pickle — Top 25 (Specialty)

Kinzie was the only brand with two sauces finishing in the Top 3, and one of the only brands with three sauces ranked in the Top 10.

The American Royal World Series of Barbecue^® Sauce Contest is the largest sauce competition in the world, drawing hundreds of entries from brands and teams across the country. Sauces are judged blindly by certified judges on appearance, texture and taste and evaluated both on their own and with unseasoned pulled pork — making it one of the most competitive and respected stages in barbecue.

“We have a ton of respect for the World Series of Barbecue^®, for the tradition behind it and for the people and brands who show up to compete,” said Walter Kinzie, founder of Kinzie Foods. “Barbecue means a lot to a lot of people, and we don’t take that lightly. What we’re trying to do is steward the category's history while also pushing flavor somewhere new – creating sauces that help cooks take everyday meals and gatherings to the next level. To see Dubai Chocolate win on a stage like this, and to have multiple sauces recognized, means a lot to us.”

Notably, three of Kinzie’s four recognized sauces finished in the Specialty category — a catch-all for non-traditional barbecue profiles — reinforcing the brand’s focus on expanding how and where barbecue sauce is used. While traditional categories like mild and mustard remain the backbone of the industry, Kinzie’s results signal growing acceptance of more unconventional flavor profiles.

Kinzie Foods has built its following through limited direct-to-consumer releases, with recent drops including Jalapeño Lime, Pequin and Dubai Chocolate selling out in under 90 minutes. The brand is now expanding into retail while continuing to experiment with flavor, treating barbecue sauce less as a category and more as a canvas.

The company began with a family recipe that Kinzie has shared for years with artists, entertainers and clients over the course of a career producing world-class live events. What started as a personal gift, passed around backstage and at private gatherings, eventually turned into a product people kept asking for, and a brand built on doing sauce differently.

To learn more, visit www.kinziefoods.com.

About Kinzie Foods
Kinzie Foods makes small-batch, award-winning sauces recognized at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue^®. From Pickle to Espresso, every flavor is crafted to create moments worth remembering. Founder Walter Kinzie spent two decades producing world-class concerts before bottling his family recipes and building a brand that is on a mission to cure blandness. Learn more at www.kinziefoods.com.

For wholesale and retail inquiries, contact:
Barret Lang, barret@kinziefoods.com

Jacob Klein
Jake Ryan Consulting
+1 516-385-0969
jake@jakeryanconsulting.com

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