Uncle Earnie's BBQ Sauce starts with a tomato base sauce like most BBQ sauces . It is sweetened with a mix of applesauce and brown sugar. Its not too spicy and not too sweet and has the right amount of seasonings not to overpower the sauce. All of Uncle Earnie's sauces are made from scratch in Cedar Creek Nebraska. Most commercial sauces are made with fillers and preservatives, and Uncle Earnie's sauces are all natural made with the finest and fresh ingredients. Uncle Earnie's Sauces earned 2nd place in hot salsa, 3rd place mild salsa, 5th place mild sauce and 5th place hot sauce at the American Royal Contest last year in Kansas city. The American Royal is the world biggest sauce competition with over 300 teams competing for the BEST SAUCE ON THE PLANET. Uncle Earnie has also finished 2nd in the World BBQ Association contest in Lebanon, TN which had 72 teams competing. 1st place Bluffs Run BBQ Contest, Nebraska State BBQ Championship - 1st place in hot or mild sauce for 5 years running now.