Why do thicker bbq sauces seem to dominate the market?

Bamabuzzard · Jan 31, 2011

As I walked by the bbq sauces in Brookshires the other day I noticed that the shelves are dominated by thick sauces which I assume are tomato based sauces. I see a few thinner sauces but nothing compared to the thick sauces

Yet I've encounterd SO MANY people who say they prefer a thinner sauce. Most say about the same thing. The thicker sauce tends to dominate the flavor of the meat via texture and taste. Now I live in northwest louisiana that has an east texas influence. I guess for everyone that says they prefer a thinner sauce there are that many more that just love the taste of sauce over the meat itself. Because it is very hard to find a thick sauce that takes a back seat to the flavor of the meat.

Dustin D · Jan 31, 2011

I make my own so no complaints here

1FUNVET · Jan 31, 2011

Ya don't have Pig Stand or Jack Millers up there ?

landarc · Jan 31, 2011

I suspect that your second supposition is correct Bama. There are actually a lot of folks that prefer the thick stuff. Many of the folks out here say they like a thinner sauce now, but, throw a vinegar or thinned red sauce out there and there are no takers.

Lake Dogs · Jan 31, 2011

Exactly! I couldn't agree more. 99% of the sauces purchased over-the-counter
absolutely cover/hide the flavor of most meats, particularly pork or chicken. In many
cases you could be eating warm/wet cardboard and not notice much of a difference.

It's a shame, really. Also, try to find one without smoke flavor(ings) in it. VERY hard.

Their average market is the mom who cooks a butt in a crock pot and dumps a bottle
of this in, and *voila* they think they have BBQ...

roksmith · Jan 31, 2011

I would think it's becasue they are catering to John Q Public who throws some chicken on the grill, covers it in sauce and calls it done.
They have very little, if any, flavor to their meat, so they need something to give it some.

Big Jim BBQ · Jan 31, 2011

Lake Dogs said:
Exactly! I couldn't agree more. 99% of the sauces purchased over-the-counter
absolutely cover/hide the flavor of most meats, particularly pork or chicken. In many
cases you could be eating warm/wet cardboard and not notice much of a difference.

It's a shame, really. Also, try to find one without smoke flavor(ings) in it. VERY hard.

Their average market is the mom who cooks a butt in a crock pot and dumps a bottle
of this in, and *voila* they think they have BBQ...

I absolutely agree. That's why I seldom sauce any of my meats with the possible exception of chicken and rib tips occassionally. I keep probably 12-15 different store bought sauces in my cook shed for anyone who feels the need for a sauce. I keep anything from a thick Ketchup based to a thin mustard/vinegar based to a Mayonaise based Alabama White sauce. I hardly ever use any myself.

smokeyw · Jan 31, 2011

I think sauce is a regional thing to a degree. It also depends what the sauce will go on. For instance, in this area, thin vinegar based sauce rules for pulled pork. However, thicker sauce is used for pork ribs. Chicken could go either way. Most in this area know little about brisket. And then there are a lot of people in this area from other geographic locations. I guess the stores try to cater to all the different tastes. I make all of my own sauce so it doesn't make much difference to me what the stores carry.

Bamabuzzard · Jan 31, 2011

Tell me about this Jack Millers brand. I've seen it but it doesn't appear thin to me. Up here it comes in a jar that looks like a pickle jar to me. The consistency looks like paste but with a thinner liquid around the edges. I'm scared to buy it to be honest.

1FUNVET said:
Ya don't have Pig Stand or Jack Millers up there ?

Hotrodhog · Jan 31, 2011

Personally, I only consider over the counter sauces for last minute base sauce,
I will use Jack Daniels, K.C. Masterpiece or Sweet Baby Rays, then, thin with apple cider vin. and spice from there.

P.S. Heat it up!!

Bamabuzzard · Jan 31, 2011

Yeah, no joke. Most of them you can taste the liquid smoke in them.

Lake Dogs said:
Exactly! I couldn't agree more. 99% of the sauces purchased over-the-counter
absolutely cover/hide the flavor of most meats, particularly pork or chicken. In many
cases you could be eating warm/wet cardboard and not notice much of a difference.

It's a shame, really. Also, try to find one without smoke flavor(ings) in it. VERY hard.

Their average market is the mom who cooks a butt in a crock pot and dumps a bottle
of this in, and *voila* they think they have BBQ...

Johnny_Crunch · Jan 31, 2011

Probably because the makers of the thick sauce pay the most for the shelf space. IE sell it to the stores for less. They are usually your corporate manufacturers that dominate the shelves.

bigabyte · Jan 31, 2011

Apparently most folks prefer dunking their chicken nuggets in the thick stuff than the thin stuff. This is not a thread hijack, I'm trying to make a valid point. Now I'm going back to Woodpile. How the heck did I wind up over here in Q-talk anyway?

Bamabuzzard · Jan 31, 2011

You got that right brother. I saw some sauces selling for under $2/bottle. I'm like "How in the world are the they making money off of this?"

Johnny_Crunch said:
Probably because the makers of the thick sauce pay the most for the shelf space. IE sell it to the stores for less. They are usually your corporate manufacturers that dominate the shelves.

aquablue22 · Jan 31, 2011

SUGAR......Most OTC brands of Bar B Que sauce are very sweet and everybody loves sweet thick sauce. Except me and most of you guys!

1FUNVET · Jan 31, 2011

Bamabuzzard said:
Tell me about this Jack Millers brand. I've seen it but it doesn't appear thin to me. Up here it comes in a jar that looks like a pickle jar to me. The consistency looks like paste but with a thinner liquid around the edges. I'm scared to buy it to be honest.

You have to stir or shake it real well.It is thin compared to Kraft or KC. I was probably in my late teens before i knew there were other sauces, because Millersand Pig Stand was always used by my grandpa.It's definitely an acquired flavor.I tend to stay away because my wife does not like the onion chunks in it.It will not kill ya, so give it a try. Buzzards eat a lot of strange stuff, especialy the Bama one's :becky:

GEAUX TIGERS :thumb:

Bamabuzzard · Jan 31, 2011

Oh ok. And yes we Bama buzzard's don't discriminate in what we eat. :thumb:

BTW, I see you're from Lake Charles. I got some kin folk down there. Last time I was down there I ate at a "Dan's BBQ". Not bad for a drive thru Q Joint.

1FUNVET said:
You have to stir or shake it real well.It is thin compared to Kraft or KC. I was probably in my late teens before i knew there were other sauces, because Millersand Pig Stand was always used by my grandpa.It's definitely an acquired flavor.I tend to stay away because my wife does not like the onion chunks in it.It will not kill ya, so give it a try. Buzzards eat a lot of strange stuff, especialy the Bama one's :becky:

GEAUX TIGERS :thumb:

Bamabuzzard · Jan 31, 2011

My brother in law is pretty much a "sauce lover" not a bbq lover. Everytime I've watched him eat bbq he's bathed it in Sweet Baby Rays or Kraft sauce. It doesn't matter the meat either. If its ribs, all you see is sauce covering it. If it's chicken, brisket, pulled pork it is CAKED in thick sauce. I KNOW there is NO WAY he's tasting the meat. There's just no way.

aquablue22 said:
SUGAR......Most OTC brands of Bar B Que sauce are very sweet and everybody loves sweet thick sauce. Except me and most of you guys!

Boshizzle · Jan 31, 2011

Bamabuzzard said:
As I walked by the bbq sauces in Brookshires the other day I noticed that the shelves are dominated by thick sauces which I assume are tomato based sauces. I see a few thinner sauces but nothing compared to the thick sauces

Yet I've encounterd SO MANY people who say they prefer a thinner sauce. Most say about the same thing. The thicker sauce tends to dominate the flavor of the meat via texture and taste. Now I live in northwest louisiana that has an east texas influence. I guess for everyone that says they prefer a thinner sauce there are that many more that just love the taste of sauce over the meat itself. Because it is very hard to find a thick sauce that takes a back seat to the flavor of the meat.

Most people have never eaten well cooked BBQ. That's why. I cooked some BBQ chuckies this weekend that needed no sauce and were absolutely incredible! I didn't put sauce on it. I put it on a bun with some rub and absolutely enjoyed every ounce of it.

Many restaurants poorly cook meat and, as they say, sauce covers a multitude of sins. That's why people love thick sauce. It covers up the poorly cooked meat.

jestridge · Jan 31, 2011

I hardly ever use sauce but sweet Baby Ray is my favorite some of that homemade sauce isn't all that great. Just because you cook it at home doesn't make it good Back to your question thick sauce is what the market wants.

Why do thicker bbq sauces seem to dominate the market?

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