Flavor Trends, Strategies and Solutions for Menu Development
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Today’s barbecue sauces are taking inspiration from their condiment cousin—hot sauce—and showcasing ever-spicier peppers and names like “Fireball” or “Scorcher.” Enter Dickey’s Barbecue Pit’s hottest sauce release yet: Dickey’s Atomic Barbecue Sauce, which pulls heat and flavor from habaneros, chipotle powder and crushed red pepper flakes. For those guests who may need to bring the heat down a notch, Dickey’s also created a limited-edition fusion option this spring, combining the Atomic Sauce with the brand’s original maple-rich Sweet Barbecue Sauce for a smoky, sweet, spicy combo.

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American barbecue has never showcased more flavor diversity than it does right now. Across the country, chefs are putting their own spins on the classics while also introducing consumers to the country’s wide array of on-trend regional variations. These sauces are true dynamos, showing up across the menu in everything from sandwiches to pizza and beverages to salads. Plus, a truly successful sauce can be bottled and sold at retail, extending the brand and providing an additional source of revenue. Here, we look at the broad range of flavor builds that are driving barbecue sauce innovation on menus today.

About The Author

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Mike Kostyo is the VP of Menu Matters, a private consultancy that works with foodservice professionals to analyze, understand and leverage food and beverage, industry and consumer trends. Kostyo has been a recurring guest on Fusion TV’s “The A.V. Club” show; has been featured on NBC News, CBS Radio and Gimlet Media’s “Why We Eat What We Eat” podcast; is regularly featured in newspapers and magazines; speaks at numerous conferences across the country; and was a judge on Food Network’s “Eating America.” For over a decade, he was the resident Trendologist and an Associate Director at Datassential, one of the food industry's leading insights companies. Kostyo has a master’s in Gastronomy from Boston University, plus certificates in the culinary arts, baking arts, wine and artisan cheese production. He is a regular contributor to Flavor & The Menu and can be reached at [email protected].