Barbeque sauce is what makes smoked pieces of meat not just delicious but absolutely yummy. It is this sauce that is poured over the chunks of meat as they smoke over fire and it is this sauce that turns up again in side bowls as the dipping condiment when the meat is served.

And for those who love their meat, barbeque sauce is a very serious matter. In fact, regions guard their sauce recipes like vineyards guard their distillation processes. In Kansas City and Memphis, both considered to be the barbeque capital of the world, you will get luscious sauces that are essentially tomato-based and spiced along the way with vinegar, pepper, sugar, molasses, and plenty of secret spices. In Memphis you may sometimes get your ribs dry, but in Kansas City no self-respecting barbeque will miss out on the thick sauce.

If you were to go to Carolina you would find that the meat and the sauce across the region are similar. The meat most often found on the grill is pork shoulder and the sauce is thin and vinegary with pepper flakes. The variations that occur are usually a result of interesting additions that regions make. Ketchup, mustard sauce and molasses and even brown sugar are added to make region specific sauces.

Texans who prefer beef as their barbeque meat keep their sauce fiery with hot chili cumin. The meat is cooked slowly over a smoky mesquite or hickory fire and then put on white bread. The thin spicy sauce is the perfect binder.

All sauces, however, are not tomato red. There are two very elusive sauces that never travel out of the region they are served in. These are the Alabama and Western Kentucky sauces. Alabama has a white mayonnaise-based sauce that is tangier while Kentucky has a black dip that is actually a pungent mix of vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.

So the next time you want to journey through the delights of a barbequed piece of meat, reach for the sauceboat. It will make all the difference.