There's a lot of options out there when it comes to store-bought barbecue sauces, and
it can be tough to pick one.
We've got you covered!
We did the legwork so you don't have to — all that's left for you to do is select your meat
and get cooking.
If you enjoy high fructose corn syrup, you'll love Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce.
At some point, Kraft decided to switch from using real sugar to using high fructose corn
syrup with an artificially sweet aftertaste.
"There's that sauce again."
"Oh yeah!"
To make matters even worse, Kraft attempts to cover up the phony sweetness of the corn
syrup by adding an obnoxious level of spiciness.
The spiciness isn't pleasant; it tastes like stale black pepper.
Plus, they have to put so much spice to mask the high fructose corn syrup that it ends
up being more spicy than sweet.
This stuff is just a disaster.
All that high fructose corn syrup can't be too great for your health, either.
Final thoughts?
Avoid it.
"I'll get you!"
"Run, Forrest, run!"
Another of the budget options on your grocer's shelves is KC Masterpiece Original BBQ Sauce.
And just like Kraft's concoction, this stuff is absolutely awful.
KC Masterpiece attempts to use hickory smoke flavor to balance its sickly sweetness, and
the result is an overpowering taste of mediocrity.
If you make the mistake of adding it to meat of any kind, this sauce is all you will taste.
Additionally, KC Masterpiece Original BBQ sauce has a chemical aftertaste, which is
definitely not what you want after an evening over a hot grill.
Don't be fooled by any of the other versions that KC Masterpiece also markets.
They taste almost exactly the same as their original sauce with extremely tiny hints reminding
you of brown sugar, honey, or other mild flavors.
If you're addicted to sugar and that sweet tooth needs satisfying even when you're serving
up savory meals, go with Sweet Baby Ray's.
It's not particularly good, mind you, but at least it doesn't pretend to be something
it's not.
Instead of attempting to mask or balance the sweetness, this sauce doubles down on it by
combining high fructose corn syrup, molasses, regular corn syrup, white sugar, and pineapple
juice concentrate.
Honestly, the pineapple flavoring is an interesting addition that makes this option unique.
If you like your barbecue sauce really, really sweet, you won't be too disappointed by this
brand.
Give your pulled pork sandwiches or pork chops a kick with Famous Dave's Devil's Spit BBQ
Sauce.
You'll have to overlook the high fructose corn syrup and a lot of other questionable
ingredients, but the end result is a spicy but not-too-spicy sauce that you can swallow
without a glass of milk to wash it down.
Unfortunately, if you've been to one of the Famous Dave's restaurants in the Midwest,
you'll most likely be underwhelmed.
The sauce at those barbecue restaurants is outstanding.
This sauce, by comparison, is a major disappointment.
While Dave might be famous, he hasn't figured out how to bottle his barbecue sauce and ship
it around the nation without it losing his signature flavor.
Is it the corn syrup, the preservatives, or something else?
It's impossible to say for sure, but don't expect restaurant quality in a bottle.
Heinz has been in business since 1869 and has been making its famous ketchup since 1876.
Today's Heinz is by far the most popular brand of ketchup in the United States.
Recently, Heinz expanded to offering a new line of barbecue sauces, and so far the results
have been impressive for being the new kid on the block.
Heinz Classic Sweet & Thick BBQ Sauce does a lot right.
As the name suggests, this barbecue sauce is sweet, and it has a thickness that works
especially well when used as a dipping sauce.
It's made with cane sugar and a variety of spices including onion and garlic, plus tamarind
concentrate.
Give Heinz a few more years and these ketchup experts will probably be climbing this list.
As it stands, this barbecue sauce is slightly heavy on the vinegar taste.
Heinz Classic Sweet & Thick BBQ Sauce is good enough to buy, but it's still a work in progress
as they continue to work on balancing all the flavors.
Brought to you by the same company that blesses the world with Frank's RedHot and French's
Classic Yellow Mustard, Cattlemen's Carolina Tangy Gold BBQ Sauce will have your taste
buds doing somersaults.
The first taste you'll notice is the mustard, which arrives via No. 1 grade mustard seed
and is given spiciness by aged red cayenne peppers and depth by paprika, onion, and garlic.
Then, you'll taste the sweetness of the sugar and the molasses.
All in all, an okay choice as long as you're good with mustard being the dominant taste.
Yes, Jack Daniel's Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Sauce is made with real, genuine Jack Daniel's
Tennessee Whiskey.
No, it won't leave you tipsy, even if you overdose on a trough of barbecue chicken.
What makes this sauce notable is the zing you get from the spiciness that tastes like
a combination of red pepper and jalapeno.
It's not a powerful punch of spicy, but it's just enough to make you sit up straight and
recognize its presence.
Additionally, Jack Daniel's Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Sauce wins bonus points for its quality
ingredients that include dark brown sugar and blackstrap molasses.
Obviously, the history of this barbecue sauce doesn't date all the way back to 1866 when
the distillery business started, but it's worthy to have the name attached.
The sauce isn't the best option for pork, but it works well with beef, chicken, and
some seafood, specifically shrimp.
You can use it as a dipping sauce but it really shines when it's used for basting.
C.B. Stubblefield's culinary skills first came to light during the Korean War when he
served in the United States Army as a mess sergeant.
In 1968, he opened Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Lubbock, Texas.
Since then, his sauces have become legendary.
Stubb's Original Bar-B-Q Sauce impresses with its authentic ingredients, ranging from tomato
puree to molasses and sugar instead of any traces of high fructose corn syrup.
It also has no preservatives, doesn't use artificial colors, and is both kosher and
gluten-free.
If you're making baby back ribs at home, this is the best sauce for the job.
Add one tablespoon for every pound of ribs and you'll become the go-to baby back ribs
expert of your family.
Stubb's Original Bar-B-Q Sauce is very capable of flavoring chicken, beef, or pork, and if
it has a weakness, it doesn't have the right thickness for dipping, and it doesn't have
the smoky flavor some barbecue enthusiasts demand.
Otherwise, Mr. Stubblefield's sauce is worth every penny.
Loyal fans of Trader Joe's know there's a lot of deliciousness sold under their own
store brand labels, and the effort that goes into development shows in products like Trader
Joe's Carolina Gold Barbeque Sauce.
While it has a strong mustard base, it successfully blends in sweetness from molasses and a subtle
hint of smoke.
While it's absolutely fine on pork and beef, you will appreciate what it can do to take
your chicken and vegetables.
Unlike many of the competing barbecue sauces, Trader Joe's found the optimal balance between
being easy enough to pour yet still being thick and creamy enough to use as a dipping
sauce.
It can't be stressed enough that this sauce is very, very hot, but just as quickly as
it hits, the heat subsides enough for you to enjoy the truly wonderful blend of flavors
simmering beneath the fire.
So many barbecue sauces that brag about being fiery hot only have one dimension, but Kinder's
EXXXtra Hot BBQ Sauce is the exception.
Yes, the crushed red peppers and the habanero peppers catch your attention but you will
still be able to detect the brown sugar and hickory smoke.
From fish tacos to hamburgers, this is the barbecue sauce to reach for when you want
that kick.
"It's not so bad."
"More tingly than hot."
What Sticky Fingers Carolina Classic Barbecue Sauce does so right is successfully adding
layers to their mustard, creating a sweet and tangy sauce that manages to stay true
to its roots.
Forget ranch.
Sticky Fingers Carolina Classic Barbecue Sauce is so legitimately tasty that it's not uncommon
to find this sauce used as salad dressing.
If you think you hate salad and are quick to pass on your greens, give this sauce a
try and you'll be changing your mind.
While this version gives you that mustard flavoring that is popular in South Carolina,
the company also makes Sticky Fingers Memphis Original Barbecue Sauce, which tastes exactly
like the best barbecue sauce you can find in Tennessee restaurants.
Don't miss those either.
"Howdy folks!
Enojying your meal?"
"Enjoying it?!
Heck, I got swine fever!"
Don't let the strange name or the prehistoric cartoon creature fool you, this sauce is seriously
good.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Sensuous Slathering BBQ Sauce uses no artificial ingredients or preservatives
but still manages to balance all the competing flavors without a hitch.
Bonus?
This sauce rises above while only having six grams of sugar per serving.
Not too sweet, not too spicy, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Sensuous Slathering BBQ Sauce just tastes
great.
All the flavors in this chunky sauce taste fresh and you won't be surprised to learn
that crushed tomatoes are the leading ingredient.
The bottom line is that if you studied long and hard, bought all the necessary supplies,
and endeavored to make barbecue sauce in your kitchen, the best case scenario would be your
homemade concoction tastes like this wonderful sauce.
According to the label, Rufus Teague made some barbecue sauce, put it in a jar, and
shared it with his boys.
It was so good, his boys pestered him until he made another batch.
And from there, this sauce spread from Kansas City to the rest of the country.
Give Rufus Teague Honey Sweet BBQ Sauce a taste and you, too, will be hankering for
more once you run out.
"What a day for a picnic!"
"Sure is!"
"I want that piece!"
"Now go get some Rufus Teague Barbecue Sauce!
It makes everything better."
Most barbecue sauces that try to incorporate honey are failures, but this one is a home
run.
It has a sweet taste but the sweetness has depth due to the perfect mix of honey, brown
sugar, white sugar, molasses, orange juice concentrate, and raisin paste.
It's like an orchestra of heavenly nectar that everyone with a sweet tooth can enjoy.
Lillie's Q Carolina Barbeque Sauce is hands down the best sauce available if you want
to replicate that distinctive North Carolina taste.
Nothing else is even remotely close.
The first flavor that hits you is vinegar, followed closely by a tangy depth created
with lime juice and apple juice.
If you're looking for a sweet barbecue sauce or one that has a strong tomato base, this
isn't the sauce for you.
But before you dismiss it, give it a chance.
Seriously.
Lillie's Q Carolina Barbeque Sauce tastes heavenly on smoked or grilled chicken, beef
brisket, and pulled pork.
You will be convinced that you're back at your grandma's house and you're once again
devouring her secret sauce.
A word of warning: this isn't as thick as other types of barbecue sauce, so pour carefully.
When you toss and turn at night dreaming of scrumptious barbecue sauce, this is the stuff
you're fantasizing about.
Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce, using a recipe created in the rolling hills of Tennessee,
is perfection in a bottle.
Beyond Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce's alluring thickness, its balance of sweet and spicy
will have you coming back for seconds.
It's made with all-natural ingredients, with brown sugar and apple cider vinegar taking
leading roles.
Best of all?
You can complement it with their Raspberry Chipotle, and experience some serious deliciousness
right through to the very end of the meal.
The next time you're having a backyard barbecue and you want to impress everyone in your neighborhood,
use this stuff as your secret weapon.
Your meat will be the talk of the town.
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