Close
Credit:
Photographer: Robby Lozano / Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn
Recently, our Big Al’s K.C. Bar-B-Q Sauce climbed the traffic ranks in our recipe archives (we see you, Chiefs fans!), but what if you don’t have time or energy to DIY? We—and professional chefs from all corners of our barbecue-loving country—aren’t too proud to admit that we’ll gladly snag a bottle of store-bought sauce. A few years ago, our team taste-tested over a dozen different styles of barbecue sauce, and two bottles came out on top: Lillie’s Smoky Barbecue Sauce and Stubb’s Sticky Sweet Barbecue Sauce.
But which sauce are the pros sweet on?
Our Panel of Barbecue-Sauce-Rating Chefs
- James DiBella, corporate executive chef at Link & Pin, The Cellar, and Duckworth’s in Charlotte, North Carolina
- Jeanette Donnarumma, a recipe developer and Emmy Award-winning producer in Ridgewood, New Jersey
- George Guzman, chef at Carta Wine Bar in New York City
- Meggan Hill, the Valencia, California-based executive chef and CEO of Culinary Hill
- Mary Payne Moran, chef and owner of The Silver Lake Kitchen cooking school in Los Angeles and the author of “The Vita Gang Mysteries: Who Stole Vita D?”
- MacKenzie Schultz, morning prep and sous chef at Harbinger in Des Moines, Iowa
Qualities of the Best Barbecue Sauce
Personal and regional preferences abound when considering the features of “good” barbecue sauce. It seems like every barbecue lover has a secret ingredient that they think makes for the “best barbecue sauce.” For Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce, it’s a generous dose of apple cider vinegar. In our Best Carolina BBQ Meat Sauce, it’s mustard. As for Bubba’s Best BBQ Sauce, it’s not complete without a cup of cola. And although you won’t spot it immediately, you’ll certainly taste the pungent punch of horseradish in this fan-favorite Alabama-Style White Barbecue Sauce.
To proclaim a national winner on the supermarket shelves, let's define what champion sauces share. The chefs we spoke with believe these qualities set the best apart from the rest:
Classic, Balanced, Natural Flavor
Depending on the ingredients and quantities used, store-bought barbecue sauce can taste overly processed, chemical-forward, salty, or sugary, Chef George Guzman tells us. But it is possible for bottled sauce to taste beautifully balanced: “Sweet, tangy, smoky, and just a bit spicy,” is the ideal, Guzman says.
These days, novelty flavors are plentiful (from Dr. Pepper to cherry-habanero to yuzu), and a wider variety of sauces are added to shelves each year. But if you ask Chef Meggan Hill, nothing can beat the original: "Barbecue sauce is all about flavor; specifically, the nostalgia of the sauces I enjoyed in my childhood. I steer clear of variations on my favorites, and even though I continue to try new products all the time, I haven't found anything that comes close to the kind I’ve enjoyed since I was a kid."
A Dominant Tomato Element
Before you buy a bottle, check the ingredients—and their order—recommends Chef Mary Payne Moran. Instead of sugar or another sweetener, for a classic red barbecue sauce, “tomato puree or tomato paste should be the first ingredient on the list,” Moran believes, which indicates that it’s the most prominent product in the recipe.
A Sweetener That Caramelizes Well
Moran and other chefs we spoke to, including Chef MacKenzie Schultz, prefer natural sweeteners like molasses or brown sugar (essentially molasses-spiked cane sugar) over high-fructose corn syrup, while others are less strict about the sweetener source as long as the flavor is dialed in. What’s so special about those darker sweeteners? “The molasses or brown sugar helps with that caramelization on the grill, and gives a deeper level of flavor rather than cane sugar or corn syrup,” she explains.
Predictably Thick Texture
Some store-bought barbecue sauces err on the thin side, even after shaking the bottle. Chef James DiBella prefers a richer consistency, which adheres better when basting and is better for dipping (and sticking to dunkers like fries, wings, and chicken tenders).
With those qualities in mind, our chefs listed their front-runner sauces.
The Best Store-Bought Barbecue Sauce, According to Chefs
It was a close battle for the blue ribbon, but with three votes, the victorious store-bought sauce is Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce. DiBella says this brand "epitomizes the way barbecue sauce should taste. It has a notably sweet flavor profile," which is achieved through a combination of molasses, pineapple juice concentrate, and corn syrup. It’s the perfect choice for cooks "seeking a classic, sweet barbecue sauce experience," he adds.
The prominent tomato taste is balanced by tanginess from vinegar and some underlying smoky flavors. Jeanette Donnarumma calls the original Sweet Baby Ray’s “in my opinion, the most delicious and standard barbecue sauce.” It’s also the basis for many of the new Sweet Baby Ray’s flavors, which are released regularly.
The “thick, ‘ketchup-bodied’ texture” DiBella praises is extremely smooth and easily spreadable. The wide availability and budget-friendly price (our searches online turned up a 28-ounce bottle for $3.24!) seal the deal and secure Sweet Baby Ray’s the top spot.
Shutterstock
Other Chef Picks for Great Barbecue Sauce Buys
Even sweeping 50 percent of the vote, Sweet Baby Ray's battled some choice competition. The following five brands are worthy of chefs' honorable mentions:
- Trader Joe’s Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce: Donnarumma says, “I have spent a lot of time in the South for work, and I have a new appreciation for a mustard-based barbecue sauce. I’m always stocked with at least two bottles of this Trader Joe’s sauce in the pantry!”
- Open Pit Barbecue Sauce: “This savory sauce has stood the test of time,” Hill says, with mustard, onion, and garlic scenting every drop. If you ask the internet, this is the bottle that tastes most like the kind you’ll score with your McRib at McDonald’s.
- Kinder’s Hickory Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce: Delivering delicious flavor “without compromising ingredients,” Schultz is a big fan of this brown sugar and molasses-sweetened blend. “I love that they add unique ingredients too that put the flavor above and beyond,” she says, specifically, the tamarind and Worcestershire sauce.
- Lillie’s Q Barbecue Sauce: With what Guzman describes as “clean, authentic flavor,” courtesy of “quality ingredients without unnecessary additives,” this brand’s many varieties shine brightest with Guzman’s all-time fave: South Carolina Gold. “It’s tangy, slightly sweet, and perfect for pulled pork or sausages.” Mustard fans, this one’s for you.
- Stubb’s Barbecue Sauce: For a “sweet and tangy” sauce that’s tomato-forward, molasses-sweetened, and transports you to another time, Moran suggests stocking up on Stubb’s. “It reminds me of summer cookouts with barbecue ribs,” she says, adding that “labels are a big deal, and I love the country feel of this label. It reminds me of Oklahoma, where I’m from.”
How to Use Store-Bought Barbecue Sauce In Your Cooking
First off, there's no wrong way to use it. "I personally can put this barbecue sauce on almost anything!" DiBella says, touting its versatility as one of its best features.
Donnarumma echoes that sentiment, and admits, “I’ve been known to dab a bit on the same baking sheet I baked some store-bought chicken nuggets on and enjoy a few bites on the stove.” In other family-friendly dinner inspiration, barbecue sauce also makes for a scrumptious pizza topper.
Basting slow-cooked meats like Chef John’s Barbecue Chicken, Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs, and Busy Day Barbecue Brisket showcases “the most quintessential barbecue flavor” of Sweet Baby Ray’s, Donnarumma says. She also loves to coat tofu before baking to lend it “the smoky barbecue flavor you traditionally lack from a vegetarian protein.”
Hill recommends it on starters and sides, such as BBQ Bacon Ranch Dip, baked beans, or Slow Cooker Cocktail Smokies. And don’t sleep on adding the sauce to wildcard recipes like Brunswick Stew or Ham Barbecue.
Explore more:
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!
Other
Submit
