Smoky Ketchup from Zum Heiligen Stein. Hickory smoke and cranberries – the BBQ ketchup from Hesse.
Smoky Ketchup from Zum Heiligen Stein is a handmade BBQ ketchup from Lich near Giessen: 43 percent double-concentrated tomato paste, cane sugar, 3 percent cranberries, hickory smoke flavoring, vinegar with raspberry juice, bell pepper, and spices, in a 200g jar. No thickeners, no flavor enhancers, no preservatives, vegan – a ketchup with smoke instead of a sweet, sticky BBQ sauce from a bottle.
Smoky Ketchup is the manufactory's BBQ answer – a unique recipe rather than a ketchup with smoke flavoring added on top, in which hickory smoke and cranberries compete against the dense tomato base. It is the most recent variety and the one that disappears the fastest at barbecues when steaks or ribs are on the grill.
Smoke, berry, tomato: three layers in one spoonful
The first impression is the smoke – hickory, the wood used in the USA to smoke ribs and brisket, here stirred into the ketchup as a flavoring. Behind that comes the tomato, thick and dark as with all the manufactory's varieties, and then a surprise: a quiet fruitiness with acidity and tartness that comes from the cranberries. They keep the ketchup from tipping into the sweetness that many BBQ sauces have. The heat is mild – between the mild and the spicy ketchup, with bell pepper and a hint of cayenne.
The consistency is thick like the classics, a ketchup for spooning. Anyone expecting a thin BBQ sauce for brushing will find it too firm – for marinating, stir it with a little oil or water.
A limitation: The smoky flavor comes from hickory smoke aroma rather than a smokehouse – Smoky is a flavored ketchup, not a smoked product. Those looking for a ketchup without added flavorings are better off choosing the Spicy Ketchup. And this jar also contains sugar like a classic ketchup – around 36 grams per 100 grams is part of the recipe.
For spare ribs, pulled pork, and burgers from the grill
The place for the smoky ketchup is next to the grill. For spare ribs, which are already smoky and become even fruitier with the ketchup. For pulled pork in a bun, where it replaces the sauce. For pork neck steaks, bratwurst, and burgers, on which it makes bottled BBQ sauce superfluous. For corn on the cob and grilled zucchini when vegetarians are at the table – it is vegan.
In the kitchen, it works as a base: two tablespoons stirred with one tablespoon of oil, a teaspoon of honey, and some soy sauce create a marinade for chicken legs or ribs that marinate overnight. A spoonful in chili con carne or a bean stew adds smoke without smoked bacon. And for fried potatoes with a fried egg, it is the sauce that turns leftovers into a proper supper.
It is not suitable for dishes that are meant to remain delicate and light – fish, poultry in cream sauce, everything Mediterranean: the smoke takes over. And for children who want the familiar ketchup taste, the mild version is the better choice. Where smoke belongs, however, this ketchup belongs: with everything that has turned brown on the grill, in the smoker, or in a cast-iron skillet.
Our tip: The 200 grams are enough for four to five barbecue evenings. Anyone who wants both the ketchup and the truffle ketchup should choose the Truffle & Smoky Set.
The BBQ variation from the restaurant kitchen in Muschenheim
The smoky ketchup is based on the recipe that Boris Sauerborn developed in the kitchen of his parents' restaurant, Zum Heiligen Stein, in Muschenheim, for the lamb sausages from their own farm: tomato paste from Northern Italy, cane sugar, vinegar with raspberry juice, bell pepper, and the manufactory's spice blend. Two things were added for the BBQ version – hickory smoke flavoring and three percent cranberries, which provide a fruity counterpoint to the smoke, much like vinegar or molasses do in American BBQ cuisine.
The tomato content remains high: 430 grams of double-concentrated paste per kilo of ketchup. This is why the tomato alone provides the binding and color even in the smoky version. Mixing, bottling, and labeling are done by hand at the manufactory in Lich near Giessen. The red BBQ field on the label distinguishes it on the shelf from the classics; the lamb on the stone is the same.
The 200g jar is smaller than that of the classics – the right size for a BBQ ketchup that is used more for grilling than on a daily basis: it gets used up in one season instead of aging in the refrigerator.
At the 2025 Great Taste Awards from the British Guild of Fine Food, the smoky ketchup received two stars, following one star in 2022 – the jury found the hickory aroma "almost overwhelming," but well-balanced on the tongue with the sweetness of the tomato.
For grill masters, for gifts, for the season
We always include the smoky ketchup in our BBQ-themed gift baskets and with every grill order. It is a seasonal product in the best sense – from May to September it sits next to the grill, in winter next to fried potatoes and chili.
Those ordering the smoky version for the first time should place it next to the spicy one and try both on the same sausage: the base is the same, and the difference shows what smoke and cranberries do to a tomato. Afterward, most people know which jar they need when grilling – and many need both.
As a gift, it is perfect for people who own a smoker or dream of having one: a jar from Hesse that keeps up with American BBQ sauces while still tasting like tomato. Together with the spicy ketchup, it makes the perfect grill pair for the season; together with the truffle ketchup, it is the set for gourmets.
A BBQ ketchup from Lich – hickory smoke and cranberries on plenty of tomato, for ribs, pulled pork, and burgers from the grill.
