2020 NYC Sauce King - Best International Sauce

In 2020 despite the pandemic FireFly Barbecue won Best International Sauce at the inaugural NYC Sauce King Competition.

Sauce King NYC Awards

October 2020

Sauce King NYC surveyed over 100 sauces submitted from all five boroughs of New York City to Houston TX, Salem NC, Bowling Green KY, Seattle WA and even London, UK and Toronto, CA. The competition was not about finding the hottest sauce that will blow your head off. Instead, it’s all about showcasing the wide range of top quality, all-natural barbecue sauces, hot sauces, and beyond that are perfect for a backyard barbecue, grilling, and home cooking. 

Ultimately one Sauce King champion was chosen along with 12 category winners and many more honourable mentions. 

Judging the sauces was a subjective process. Our 9 judges gathered for mini in-person and virtual tastings to have open conversations about the sauces that stood out. In many cases they embraced broad categories like “best flavour enhancer” or “best wing sauce”, but the judges also sought to recognize sauces for their niche appeal, creating sub-categories and honourable mentions for chilli oils, condiments or sauces that pair with seafood. Each sauce was scored on these criteria: taste, appearance (including packaging), colour, aroma, texture, and aftertaste.