BBQ sauce

I kike Stubbs Original...as well as their sweet heat. Neither is sweet...I am more of a tangy guy.

I've used many bottles of Chicken'N Ribs and Open Pit bbq sauces. They taste good, inexpensive, and I've always preferred a more fluid sauce than really thick.

I like bone suckin sauce and sweet baby rays

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head country

We like Sweet Baby Ray's honey sauce. It goes great with my rubs and the cherry wood I smoke with.

Stubb's is great, especially if you're avoiding extra sugar. I also really like Head Country.

Sweet Baby Rays in my opinion.
I always liked KC Masterpiece but haven't had it in a long time. They may not still even make it.
Edit: They absolutely still make KC Masterpiece. They've added a few flavors. Might have to pic some up

Sticky Fingers Carolina Sweet...

My grocery store carries Blues Hog. Championship is my favorite.

Head Country really impressed me. It's one I wouldn't have picked up if I didn't see so many rave reviews on this site.

I mostly use Gates BBQ sauce, or rather a version I make myself that's lower in sugar. Our family just prefers the zip that it offers.

Ideally though, I cook BBQ that doesn't require sauce :wink:

BBQfirefighter148 said:

Best store bought BBQ sauce? Thanks brothers!

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Best for me, you, people in general? Sweet, smokey, hot, vinegar based, tomato based? Sorry, I just had to complicate things. :doh:

For grocery store sauces, i used to buy Sweet Baby Ray's just because it was there, in fact it was everywhere. Great marketing begins with brand recognition.

I even tried to experiment and make my own homemade sauces, some simple, some with not so common ingredients, most producing good results.

It wasn't until I started to occasionally travel with my job that I realized there is a whole new world of flavors to discover. As I brought sauces home with me, I realized that many of the sauces were not just related to the area of my travel, in fact many of these were available locally, I just had to visit different grocery chain stores.

The major hurdle in finding a good BBQ sauce is that it is too subjective to our individual tastes. I am sure five tasters could taste the same product at the same time and give you five different reviews. Regional and ethnic tastes are the greatest variables between our own individual likes and dislikes. There are so many sauces to choose from; compare selecting a good sauce to selecting a good wine, many styles, many regions, and many twists on the same basic product. - Red Sauces, Vinegar sauces, Mustard Sauces, the list just goes on and on.....

Like anything else we use in our passion of smoking, what one Brethren likes, another Brethren may not, but it should not prevent us from trying new and different items. If we all had the same tastes, there would only be one single sauce on the grocery store shelves.


I also find that by serving the sauce on the side, it also allows your guests to sample several different sauces at one sitting. This not only gives them a choice, but also allows you to get a collective consensus of what they think.

It's like when Christopher Columbus set out to discover the new world; to find out what lies beyond the horizon you have to actively seek what lies beyond your comfort zone. Be willing to look for and explore different choices available to you. I am not saying they will all be great, some you may not like, but many will be really good, and yes some will be great. The bottom line is that the sauce(s) you like best will be the greatest sauce in the world to you.

A good place to start sampling other sauces is on the "BBQ-Brethren Trading Post Forum". Every few months they have users sign up in a trade round, they are paired with members from different parts of the country, and they trade local products, specifically 1 dry rub and 1 BBQ sauce not found as national brands. This is a good way to try items from around the country with the help of a fellow brethren.
Currently we are hosting Trade Round #59 - Happy Birthday America http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=272114

Over many years, I have found that many have a passion for making great sauce, consequently the audience is small because it will never be carried in grocery chain stores due to alliances with the major food producers. Sadly I've seen many good sauces come and go as they try to reach the larger marketplaces, while others thrive in smaller local market areas.


I agree with the others, Blues Hog, Head Country, and some others are great places to start sampling. Get out and visit other branded stores, Wegman's, Trader Joe's, and even whole foods all carry different items. Visit local Farmer's Markets because most states allow small cottage industry markets where quality sauces, pickles, and jams can be made at home and sold.


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TravelingJ said:

Head Country really impressed me. It's one I wouldn't have picked up if I didn't see so many rave reviews on this site.

I mostly use Gates BBQ sauce, or rather a version I make myself that's lower in sugar. Our family just prefers the zip that it offers.

Ideally though, I cook BBQ that doesn't require sauce :wink:

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I agree on the Gates..but thought maybe it was a local thing.

Stubb's original

I really like Gates. If you google it you can find home made Gates. I like and use that recipe. Just increase the celery seed a little bit. I do not like sweet meat. If you do this recipe is not for you. I’m not computer litterateur enough to attach a link.

For me, Stubbs original. I add sweetness with just a bit of Coca Cola and to thin it slightly. I like Gates as well, but can't get it at the local grocer.

For store bought it's definitely Head Country for me.

If your Costco carries it (also in Grocery stores), Kinders Organic original / mild is actually pretty good. I use it as-is for just backyard BBQ and as a base when I want something different. I used to make my own as I didn't like all the corn syrup and other garbage but this stuff is legit & easy to acquire.

For example, add red pepper and AC vinegar for Pulled pork OR mix with Texas Rib Candy for a rib glaze.

Sweet Baby Rays Original, or Honey.
But only as a base.

I add Granulated Garlic, Onion Powder, Montreal Steak Seasoning, Black Pepper, (1 TBS of each to a bottle) and a nice glob of Honey. (1/4 cup)
I also like about 1/2 - 1 tsp of Cayenne Pepper for some afterburn. But the candy a$$es around me whine if I add heat. So I tend to use less rather than more.
I like to make it at least a day ahead and let the flavors have an orgy in the fridge overnight. (1 quart glass bowl W/snap on lid)

Then there is my method. After the meat is taking on some sear I begin painting on layers. Each time I turn (10 minutes is my current timing), I'll lay on another layer (thin) of my doctored sauce, baking the previous layer on as it faces the heat.
As things go along, when the coating builds and gets a sear coming along, the meat is nearly ready. Then it is a matter of feel.
Get the right feel and you are ready to pull.

Mostly this applies to BB Ribs, Tri-tip, and Chicken.
But that's my signature sauce Family and Friends love.
Doctored up Sweet Baby Rays.

I use to sprinkle on seasonings separately. But decided one day, Why not just mix them together and bake it on?
I encourage others to take the tastes they like, and make the rubs and sauces they and others come to love.
Your own Signature BBQ flavor.