KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Move over Country Breakfast. Here comes Billy Barbecue.
That’s right. The man they call Country Breakfast in Kansas City, Billy Butler, now has his own line of barbecue sauce – “Billy’s Hit it a TON Barbecue Sauce” – in a city that worships marinated slabs of meat.
Butler, the Royals’ All-Star designated hitter, made the announcement on his Twitter account (@BillyButlerKC) on Thursday night, letting his fans know the sauce is available in most area grocery stores, including Price Chopper, Hy-Vee, Apple Market and Sun Fresh.
A beaming Butler said Friday that the idea for his own barbecue sauce stemmed from his relationship with Kansas City’s Zarda barbecue, which has been instrumental in supporting Butler’s “Hit-It-A-Ton” foundation, which supplies food to needy families in the Kansas City area.
“We just had our annual meeting with the foundation during Fan Fest,” Butler said. “And the idea came up and I said ‘Sure.’ Zarda still has that ‘Billy’s Ton of Barbecue’ sandwich at their place, so it was kind of a natural fit.”
All proceeds from the sauce go to the foundation, Butler said. Original Juan, another company involved in Butler’s charity, also contributed in developing the sauce.
“It’s really good,” Butler said. “It better be. This is a great town for barbecue. The whole Midwest loves barbecue sauce so we wanted it to be pretty good.”
So what does it taste like?
“It’s sweet,” Butler said, “but it has a really bold finish. Everyone who has tried it has liked it. It has kind of a thicker sauce to it. I tried it on chicken and it was really good.”
Butler said he already has had teammates requesting bottles of “Billy’s Hit it a Ton Barbecue Sauce.”
“It’s a hot item,” he said, grinning. “I’m gonna take care of everyone.”
Butler already goes above and beyond with his foundation. He donates a ton of food (which costs about $250 to make and deliver) for each home run he hits, and a half-ton of food for each double.
And now, Gates and Bryant’s and Jack Stack and Oklahoma Joe’s may have some new competition in town?
“Hopefully,” Butler said, smiling. “We were just looking for a way to expand the charity and I think this is a great way. I’m happy with it.”
