Heinz Partners with Top Pitmasters for BBQ Sauces

Heinz has partnered with five of America’s top pitmasters to introduce five new BBQ sauces. Heinz BBQ sauces are a collection of authentic regional sauces that taste even better than they look. Heinz worked with five Pitmaster Partners and used only 100 percent natural, locally-inspired ingredients and recipes to craft each BBQ sauce—Kansas City Sweet & Smoky, Memphis Sweet & Spicy, Texas Bold & Spicy, Carolina Tangy Vinegar and Heinz Classic Sweet & Thick—each with flavor as distinct as the regional barbecue taste it represents.

The launch of Heinz’s new BBQ Sauces is supported by a new campaign, “Pitmasters, not Spokespeople,” which features the Heinz Pitmaster Partners: Joe and Mike Pearce (Kansas City, Kan.), Dan Brown (Memphis, Tenn.), Robert Sierra (Texas) and Sam Jones (North Carolina). As part of the campaign, the TV commercial showcases the delicious new BBQ sauces alongside the real pitmasters who partnered with Heinz on each of them. In a funny, blooper-reel style spot, we see that while these pitmasters are masters at perfecting delicious-tasting, authentic BBQ sauces, they may not be masters of being traditional “spokespeople.” Heinz tapped DAVID Miami for the campaign. 

“As interest in BBQ continues to grow across the country, people are becoming more aware that different regions have different styles of sauce, but we know that a lot of consumers are reluctant to try a sauce from a brand they don’t know and trust,” said Jessica Ryan, director of marketing at The Kraft Heinz Company. “Our new line of BBQ sauces will make it easier for people to explore these flavors, because they combine the BBQ expertise and passion of top pitmasters with the trust and experience of Heinz.”

New Heinz BBQ Sauces include:

Kansas City Style Sweet & Smoky BBQ Sauce: Rooted in generations of barbeque tradition, great Kansas City style barbeque is a perfect balance of thick, sweet and tangy. Heinz teamed up with Kansas City natives and award-winning Pitmasters, Joe and Mike Pearce, to craft a Kansas City style sauce that is a mouthwatering blend of that sweet and smoky deliciousness that the region is known for.

Memphis Style Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce: From the birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll, the tradition of Memphis barbeque is rich and sweet with a pop of spice. To create a truly great Memphis style barbeque sauce, Heinz teamed up with Dan Brown of Memphis’ own Leonard’s PIT Barbeque—a barbeque institution since 1922. With sweet brown sugar and the flavors of the region’s traditional dry rubs, this is a sweet and spicy sauce.

Texas Style Bold & Spicy BBQ Sauce: In Texas, there’s nothing shy about barbeque, and a great Texas style sauce means bold flavors and big personality. That’s why Heinz teamed up with Robert Sierra, Pitmaster of the Texas State Grand Champion S&S Pit Crew competition BBQ team from San Marcos, Texas. This sauce captures the very best of Texas barbeque—combining spices like cumin and chili powder for a sauce that’s bold and flavorful with just the right kick.

Carolina Vinegar Style Tangy BBQ Sauce: Real Carolina barbeque is all about the deep-rooted traditions of whole-hog barbeque slow cooked over wood coals. Heinz teamed up with third-generation pitmaster Sam Jones, of the legendary Skylight Inn BBQ in Ayden, North Carolina to craft a true Carolina style sauce that blends the distinctive tang of apple cider with the just right bit of sweet and spice to make it the perfect addition to pulled pork.

Classic Sweet & Thick BBQ Sauce is a true classic -sweet, thick, deliciously balanced, 100 percent natural, and sure to please!

All five of the New Heinz BBQ sauces come in Heinz’s iconic, upside-down squeezable bottle and are available at major retailers nationwide in 20-ounce bottles with a suggested retail price of $2.49. Heinz also offers a “Pitmaster Collection” Sampler 4-Pack that features 11-ounce sampler bottles of the Kansas City, Memphis, Texas and Carolina sauces.