Get ready for grilling season by snagging the best barbecue sauce. Our team of pitmasters sampled 11 brands to find the ones right for chicken, pork and more.
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The Search for the Best Barbecue Sauce
Who can resist the smell of barbecue in the summer—or anytime really? Grilled chicken, pork, beef and even vegetarian options only get better when brushed with a bit of barbecue sauce. It’s the flavor of the summer!
The best way to take these dishes from good to gotta-have-the-recipe great is a flavorful barbecue sauce. Before you add just any ol’ bottle to your basket, check out what our pros—serious grillmasters in their own rights—say. They got to work sampling 11 brands to find the best barbecue sauces.
How We Tested Barbecue Sauces
At Taste of Home, we take testing seriously. Our team researched bottled sauces and snagged the most popular brands—plus a few with small but devoted followings. For this taste test, our crew gathered up 11 different sauces and put them head to head.
As always, the identities of the sauces were kept secret until sampling was complete to avoid any biases. Each sauce was judged according to these standard criteria:
- Appearance: Barbecue sauce should have a rich color ranging from tomato-y red to mahogany. They should look well blended, though flecks of spices are always welcome.
- Texture: The best sorts of sauces should coat everything from chicken to ribs nicely. Thin sauces that drip right off just won’t make the cut.
- Flavor: While there are many regional barbecue sauces out there, our team stuck to the most classic variety which typically includes a blend of molasses, vinegar, tomato and assorted spices. Ideally, all these ingredients should work in harmony to create a tangy, sweet sauce that tastes great on everything from country-style ribs to chicken nuggets.
Ready to fire up the grill? Check out our pros’ favorite sauces.
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Best Barbecue Sauce Overall
Lillie’s Q Smoky BBQ Sauce
Lillie’s Q Smoky BBQ Sauce earned universal praise among our taste testers for its complex yet crave-able flavor. In the words of the Test Kitchen’s Josh Rink, “It has a bit of sophistication without being fussy.”
The flavor of this sauce is so rich thanks to a list of flavorful ingredients (and, no, you won’t find high fructose corn syrup on that list!). It contains a bold balance of brown sugar, ketchup and apple cider. From that base, plenty of spices and extras are layered over the top. Our team picked up notes of mustard, onion, garlic, paprika and cayenne. This sauce also contains a bit of Worcestershire sauce which helps give a boost of savoriness.
This sauce from Lillie’s Q also has the perfect consistency; it’s thick enough to brush over baby back ribs but thin enough to drizzle over the top of a beef brisket sandwich.
Head of the Test Kitchen, Sarah Farmer, sums up this sauce perfectly: “This is exactly what I look for in a barbecue sauce. I’d use this on everything from my boneless ribs to appetizer meatballs to chicken wings.”
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Best Spicy Barbecue Sauce
Stubb’s Original Bar-B-Q Sauce
If you prefer your sauce with a bit of a kick, the Test Kitchen recommends Stubb’s Original Bar-B-Q Sauce.
This smooth, tomato-red sauce is packed with flavor. At first blush, you get the tanginess of vinegar and molasses, but soon the sauce reveals its full flavor. This flavor is rich and spicy thanks to a blend of chili pepper, paprika and black pepper.
“That kick of pepper really comes through,” says the Test Kitchen’s Ellie Crowley.
While this sauce does have a kick, it’s the sort of heat that keeps you coming back for more—not reaching for a glass of milk to cool your tongue. Though if you do need to cool off a bit as you enjoy Stubb’s slathered over your pulled pork sandwich, add a spoonful of creamy coleslaw to your plate. It’s the perfect barbecue side.
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Best Mild Barbecue Sauce
Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce
Not everyone is looking for the heat of cayenne or the bite of vinegar in their barbecue sauce. For a mellow sauce that’ll please any backyard barbecue guest, try Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce.
“This brand has less spice and heat,” says Josh. “But it’s really well-balanced and tasty.”
So where does that balance come from? It comes from a blend of vinegar, tomato paste, molasses and, if you can believe it, pineapple juice! Together, these ingredients and a few spices make for a very classic and straightforward sauce.
One thing to know about Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce: It’s thick. This texture is great for brushing on grilled chicken but isn’t ideal for drizzling over a barbecue chicken pizza.
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Best Slightly Sweet Sauce
Sticky Fingers Sweet & Smokey Barbecue Sauce
While barbecue sauce is associated with savory foods like pork and chicken, it’s important to remember that some of the foundations of this condiment are sweet, like molasses and brown sugar. If you like your sauce slightly sweet to balance the smokiness of a good rack of ribs, try Sticky Fingers Sweet & Smokey Barbecue Sauce.
“The first thing that hits my tongue is sweetness,” says Josh. At first blush, you get that molasses tang with this sauce.
“But more complex flavors and spices develop the longer you taste this one,” Josh explains. “It starts sweet but finishes with warmth.” As you eat rib after rib or dip chicken tender after tender, you’ll pick up some of the pleasant nuances of this sauce like cayenne, celery seed and tamarind.
Taste of Home
Check Out More Test Kitchen-Preferred Products
Our Test Kitchen is constantly testing food, kitchen gadgets and cleaning gear looking for brands that deserve the right to be called Test Kitchen-Preferred.
If you want to fill your pantry and fridge with the best products, check out these tests:
- Cornbread mix
- Pickles
- Light beer
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Originally Published: April 21, 2023
