Not-So-Secret Sauce: Worlds of Fun Unveils Three Signature Barbecue Sauces

When many people think of Kansas City, the first thing that comes to mind is “barbecue.” One of the barbecue capitals of the United States, Kansas City barbecue is characterized by its use of a wide variety of meats: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, lamb and sausage, which are rubbed with spices, slow-smoked over a variety of woods and served with a thick tomato-based barbecue sauce.

When Worlds of Fun opened their new “Cotton Blossom BBQ” restaurant earlier this year, they knew they had to be authentic to the region they were in.

“When you open a BBQ restaurant in Kansas City, like we did with Cotton Blossom this season, you have to be legit,” Worlds of Fun Executive Chef Wesley Boston told us. “Knowing this, our culinary team went into ‘mad scientist mode’ during the off-season. We were determined to create our own signature Kansas City BBQ and perfect our process. Everything from our original rub to the blend of wood we smoke with was tweak and re-tweaked until it became perfect.”

photo: CPFoodBlog

An integral element to any “legit” Kansas City barbecue restaurant is a signature barbecue sauce, and Worlds of Fun came up with three of their own this year: Original, Sweet & Mellow, and Extra Hot. 

“If you’re going to do Kansas City BBQ right, you have to have the right sauce,” Chef Wes continued. “It’s a point of pride. We really didn’t have a choice. It was just another element to our commitment.”

The “mad scientist” approach off-season included some endless taste-testing at Worlds of Fun.

“We worked on the base sauce for a full year on property before we felt like we had it perfected,” Chef Wes recalled. “The sauces each have very detailed recipes, to the point where we measure some ingredients by the gram. The sweet and hot flavors took an additional four months to perfect.”

The inspiration for the sauce was fairly simple, starting with commonality among many signature Kansas City sauces: a sweet, tang that’s rich in molasses and balanced with tomatoes and vinegar. From there, Worlds of Fun spent several months playing with spices.

It was clear to the culinary team at Worlds of Fun that their sauces had to evoke a familiar local flavor, while still being unique.

“All three sauces follow traditional Kansas City BBQ saucing techniques and combinations, but each has its own unique taste,” said Chef Wes. “The flavors are bold, and are unlike most generic, ketchup-y tasting sauces. They are uniquely original, yet authentically Kansas City.”

Photo: CPFoodBlog

Bottled by local company Garden Concepts, the three flavors of sauce can be found throughout Worlds of Fun, in select retail locations throughout the park, in the namesake restaurant Cotton Blossom BBQ, but also anywhere at Worlds of Fun that serves the park’s “hand breaded” chicken tenders.

“The sweet and mellow sauce is great with our tenders,” Chef Wes said.

Handbreaded Chicken Tenders. Photo: CPFoodBlog

Currently, the park has no plans to expand on its sauce empire, noting that the initial three-flavor options make the perfect combination for all tastes.

The good thing about the varietal nature of Kansas City barbecue is that the sauces go well with any item at Cotton Blossom BBQ, and Chef Wes can’t name a favorite.

“It’s like picking my favorite child, and what’s awesome is that all three are equally popular among guests,” when asked about his favorite sauces and favorite menu items for each sauce. “I personally love the brisket, but the rotisserie chicken is a surprise hit at Cotton Blossom BBQ.”

As more and more parks, especially in the Cedar Fair chain, continue to turn dining into an attraction in and of itself, with special menu items and signature sauces (like Knott’s Boysenberry BBQ Sauce, or Carowinds’ Chef Kris’ Sweet Tea BBQ or Copperhead Strike Sauce), Chef Wes is honored to be “riding the wave” of the theme park culinary renaissance.

“It’s really cool to see all of the Cedar Fair parks stepping up their culinary game,” Chef Wes said. “Knott’s Boysenberry BBQ Sauce is definitely an institution, so we’re in great company with our three sauces.”


Worlds of Fun’s BBQ Sauces are sold at the park in 19oz. bottles for $6.99 each. We’ll be at Worlds of Fun next month, and will be sure to taste-test all three of the sauces for you!

For more information about Worlds of Fun, visit the park’s website, and follow them on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

 

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