BBQ Sauce Reviews

Sep
2
2010

5 Star, All, Mild, Sweet, Tomato By brian | No comments yet

The Secret Sauce “Sweet Love” BBQ Sauce (5/5)

A deep rich sweet sauce that is versatile for any kind of grilling, dipping, or BBQ’ing. It has enough complexity to appeal to connoisseurs and is mild enough to make the kids happy. All in all, this is a great sauce that goes equally well with pork, chicken, and beef products.

Smell/Aroma 5

There’s a lot of complexity to this. The smell invaded my brain and told me I’ve got to have this immediately. The whiff has a strong dark sweet scent – dark brown sugar darkened and thickened with molasses and with the onion, garlic, and red pepper it has a nice punch.

Consistency 5

Excellent. The brown sugar and molasses mix together to produce a naturally dark, thick sauce with a sheen produced from the mix of oils added to the batch. Just the way I love it. It glued itself to the chicken, not in a disgusting way, but in a way that seemed perfectly normal. This sauce brought forth an impressive mouth feel – lots of great onion and garlic chunks floating around in the bottle to add to the appeal of this sauce.

Taste 5

The flavor of the Sweet Love sauce is my favorite of the three varieties. It is rich, bold, and has a deep dark flavor with the right amount of sweetness. Very light on vinegar and low on tang, it is for the sauce lover that likes traditional KC style BBQ sauce – this is one to remember and one I’ll be going through quickly in my house.

Ingredients 4

Water, Brown Sugar, Ketchup (Tomato Concentrate (Water, Tomato, Paste), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Onion Powder, Spice, Natural Flavors), Honey, Tomato Paste, Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Molasses, Canola Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Chili Powder (Chili Pepper, Spices, Salt, Garlic, Silicon Dioxide (to prevent caking), Smoke Flavor, Garlic Powder, Minced Garlic, Spices.

Marketing and Branding 5

Before it’s even opened, there’s a lot that’s eye-catching about this sauce and that makes for an impactful first impression:
•    The bottles look like they should hold whiskey, not BBQ sauce. Fun stuff!
•    The label is pretty clever - like the original label was painted over so that the Secret Sauce stamp could be placed on top of it…
•    All of the Secret Sauce brands from Mild, Medium, and Hot have enough variation to be described individually, yet enough similarity to have them look like they are from the same company. Well done.

Website: http://www.thesecretsauce.com/

Aug
26
2010

4 Star, All, General, Mild, Sweet, Tomato, Unique By brian | No comments yet

Whoop Ass Chipotle Barbecue Sauce (4/5)

Well, pardner, if this one doesn’t jump out at you, then you might as well be sleeping. Sometimes products like this are great and back up their pretentious presentation. The bottle is extremely over-styled - a tough, frilly-leather-jacket-wearing-cowboy who is double fisting two pistols shooting off people who don’t deserve to be buying BBQ sauce. Nice cowboy hat too, which I’ll probably give to the kids when the sauce is gone.

Aroma: 5

Nice. Really has a great almost “western” smell to it. A really deep, rich aroma with strong tomato and spice scents. The vinegar takes a backseat while molasses, hickory smoke, and spices do the driving of this strong scented sauce.

Taste: 4

Quite flavorful. For something set up to be a huge gimmick, this sauce’s flavor does a pretty rootin tootin good job! A nice strong flavor heavy on the sweet, spicy, smoky but light in the tangy (vinegar category). Not a bad thing.

Consistency: 3

It’s like a marinara or meat sauce or spaghetti sauce, with a slightly thinner than ketchup like consistency. Sticks well to meat. Good color and natural appearance.

Ingredients: 5

Water, Tomato Paste, Sugar, Molasses, Vinegar, Onion, Soy Sauce (water, wheat, soy beans, salt), Green Chiles, Xanthan Gum, Salt, Dehydrated Chipotle Pepper, Garlic, Liquid Hickory Smoke, Natural Flavors, Spice.

For a gimmicky sauce, it’s mostly natural, which is a great surprise. I turned this bottle around expecting a list of 40 ingredients and Whoop Ass only has 15 “called out” ingredients (you don’t have to call out certain spices if they are not known to be common allergens).

Sauce Score: 4

It’s tasty and natural. And this is one of those one’s I’ll probably buy again just because it’s fun to have at a party.

Them - “Hey, Brian, what’s on the grill?”

Me - “Not much. Burgers. Dogs. And some WHOOP ASS BBQ chicken.”

Them - big smile.

Buy it here.

Aug
23
2010

4 Star, All, Mustard By brian | No comments yet

King James BBQ Sauce (4/5)

Guest review: Matt Walt

As an avid sports fan my initial reaction was one of consternation about the name choice and self proclamation. But I suppose as time passes and “The Decision” gets further in our rear view, I will no longer rue the makers of “King James” - and the sauce makers themselves do help their own cause. After all, unlike the “The Decision,” I do not regret the hour of my life that I lost while enjoying this meal.

The first whiff all I could smell was mustard seed – and that, IMO, is always a good thing. As I poured a spoonful, the sauce was thick not watery. The taste had a mild spice – with hints of onion, pepper, paprika – and thankfully was not too sweet. All in all, I was most pleased.

The one downside I’d say – though common among sauces – was that the spicy flavor diminished when cooked on chicken, leaving my wife with the impression that her meal was bland (something no Grillmaster ever likes to hear – especially when she is right). But when I poured some fresh sauce onto the plate for dipping, the spicy flavors complimented my perfectly cooked bird, and I was very satisfied.

Final assessment: the King James is a better dipping sauce than marinade or glaze, but that’s all right with me. 4 stars for taste, 4 stars for texture. And unlike the other self appointed “King,” I look forward to seeing this James again.

Ingredients:

Apple Cider Vinegar, Calcium, Cane Molasses, Corn syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Mustard Seed Salt, Natural Flavoring, Onion Powder, Paprika, Red Pepper, salt, soybean Oil, Spice, sugar, Tomato Concentrate, Tomato Paste salt, Water

Website:

King James BBQ Sauce

Aug
18
2010

3 Star, All, General, Mild By brian | No comments yet

Geronimo’s Tangy Barbeque Sauce (3/5)

Initial Impression:

Cool label. Obviously someone has put a lot of thought into it. American Indian inspired and great causes listed on the label: National Kidney Foundation of Southern California and American Cancer Society. This is obviously a sauce-maker with concern for his society both locally and globally.

Aroma: 4

A pleasantly intoxicating blend on tomato, spices, and apple cider vinegar. Slightly smoky but nothing really exciting.

Consistency: 2

This was a little surprising. Although the color was right and the appearance was natural and filled with specks of spice, the sauce was way too watery. I don’t like cooking things where I am asked to marinate items for 30 minutes prior to cooking - as mentioned on the side of this bottle. I prefer slapping the barbeque sauce across my beautiful grill masterpieces (MeatHenge!) versus marinades and thin saucery that is best left for inside the house.

Taste: 3

After the impact of the watery sauce, it was a little hard to focus on the taste. But after rubbing some nice breasts and taking quick break… I returned to the task at hand. (get your mind out of the gutter, I had to get chicken breasts at the store so I could grill). It was a bit challenging to keep this sauce on the breasts, so I had to apply liberally like one of the Jersey Shore guys would do with gel in their hair. The sauce is decent - without any real standout ingredients and for the most part - nothing challenging either. I get a blend of tomato/vinegar with good strong onion and garlic notes. So it could be a crowd pleaser and useful for occasions and people that require a BBQ-flavored marinade sauce.

Ingredients: 5

Water, Tomato concentrate, Apple cider, Vinegar, Brown Sugar, Liquid Smoke, Onion Powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, chipotle peppers, natural flavor.

Can’t ask for much more that than. Only questionable component would be liquid smoke (because liquidized smoke doesn’t isn’t really found in “nature”). But - in my mind, this doesn’t affect the score one iota.

Sauce Score: 3

Geronimo - you really had me at the label. The ingredients further connected me to the sauce and what it “stood for”. But it fell down (in my book) because of the (unexpectedly) watery nature of the sauce, and a flavor that didn’t necessarily offend but also didn’t take the chance to stand out either.

Aug
14
2010

4 Star, All, Mild By brian | No comments yet

McCane’s Southern Fixin’s Original Pit Sauce (4/5)

Stewart McCane calls his sauces the best thing you ever threw a lip over - which is certainly a bold statement. But do his sauces have the boldness and flavor to back him up? Sure they do.

Smell and Aroma 4
A somwhat traditional scent like tomato sauce mixed with apple vinegar - also some additional spices add complexity. Nothing malodorous nor fragrant - so nothing particularly remarkable. Overall it’s a pleasant scent reminiscent of spiced-up ketchup.

Taste 4
The Original Pit Sauce has a great balance of sweet and tang. A little hot sauce adds a little heat and especially after grilling, the heat really starts to open up the more you eat. Adding cayenne pepper tends to do that… a slow building of heat versus the blast that you might get with habanero or jalapeno peppers.

Consistency 4
Good appearance. Looks and feels very natural. Color is right and the amount of spices floating in the bottle gives the impression that this could be an all natural sauce. Stuck well to the meat products on the grill.

Ingredients 3
Traditional fare but a few ingredients pop out at me including

Ketchup with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and additional HFCS (whether you mind it or not is not the question, some people do care if they eat this stuff).

Oleoresin Paprika I’ve just never seen it on a label before - apparently it’s a fairly natural coloring additive that is used in a lot of different places.

Caramel Coloring - Come on, do we need to add coloring? this makes me wonder what the sauce would look like without artificial coloring.

Polysorbate 80 - an “emulsifier” according to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysorbate_80

Label and Marketing 3
Good. A professionally-designed label and a clean appearance. I like the name - Pit Sauce - a term not used very often… it brings to mind a big guy working 15 racks of ribs at once in a room filled with BBQ smokers. Definitely one that targets the hardcore Q’er versus the backyard griller. This is not good or bad, but depending on how sales are going, it might make sense to broaden the reach with a potential name change… (I know, bold statement). Here’s my reasoning. I think when people first glance at the name Pit Sauce - they aren’t going to be sure what that means. I like that it’s different, but the word Pit could have a few meanings - the pit from a fruit or an olive, BBQ pit, arm pit, “it’s the pits,” or even a hole in the ground. All I’m saying is that potentially changing this one word, could have a huge potential impact on sales. People notice the little things. One final thought here… a website would be a good thing!

Sauce Score: 4
McCane’s Original Pit Sauce has a nice complex flavor with great consistency and color. Lots of ingredients contribute to both the unique flavor but for the eagle-eyed sauce buyer, it could also be a negative. In general, I look for high-quality ingredients versus mass-production. I seek quality over quantity. The big thing holding back most sauces (including McCane’s) is the use of low-quality, cheap ingredients. Some people can’t taste the difference. Some people can.

Aug
9
2010

3 Star, All, Fruit, General By brian | No comments yet

Luna Mercato Blueberry Barbecue Sauce (3/5)

It’s been awhile since my review of Luna Mercato’s Strawberry Barbecue Sauce - more than enough time to let give my tastebuds a break from fruity BBQ sauce. In general, I’m just not a big fan of the category. While there are certainly stand-outs (the sauce formerly known as Carribean Calypso for example), there’s a lot of mileage in between the stars.

[Tangent: I sometimes wonder if I've been too easy going in the past and before writing down my final comments here , I re-read the Strawberry review only to realize I was coming off a bad BBQ trip that was caused by Tassleberry Farms Strawberry BBQ Sauce. I'm sure the Tassleberry gang isn't so happy with my critique, but when I tried their sauce I literally gagged. And when I didn't gag on Luna's Strawberry, I was amazed - it was the best Strawberry fruit sauce that I've ever had. 4 stars! End Tangent]

For the blueberry variety, I feel similar about the flavor as related to Tassleberry, but I don’t think this one warrants the 4 stars. The ingredients aren’t great. The flavor is good, but average and nothing I was really going back for when it spent time in my fridge… The blueberry taste is there, and in the right proportion if you are a big fan of blueberries. The consistency is decent, a little thin, but sticky, and holds well to meat. But it really is a novelty item - not one I’d keep around for the average BBQ grill night.

Smell 3
Taste 3
Consistency 4
Ingredients 3
Label and marketing 4

Ingredients:

Blueberry Jelly (Blueberry Puree, Sugar, Pectin), Tomato Paste, Water, Corn Syrup, Brown Sugar, Vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce (Distilled Vinegar, Molasses, Corn Syrup, Water, Salt, Caramel Color, Sugar, Spices, Anchovy Puree, Natural Flavor (Contains Soy), Tamarind), Liquid Smoke, Spices, Salt.

Website:

Luna Mercato

Recipe:

Blueberry BBQ Sauce Pizza

Aug
1
2010

4 Star, All, Spicy By brian | No comments yet

Big Nugg Company Southwest Chipotle Q Sauce (4/5)

Decent flavor from a competition barbecue team that wanted to bring “the exact sauces” they use in competition to you. Like Blender’s this one provides a strong vinegar oomph but not quite as overpowering. The three pepper blend (Cayenne, Chipotle, Red Chili) provides a great balance of flavor and heat - just enough to heat up the ole tongue a few degrees. Excellent consistency, natural looking specks floating around inside the glass bottle, but the quality of ingredients is on the cheaper side (high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, and preservatives). The bottle and label are decent looking, but the label is quite busy, with about 5 different fonts on the front - which gives the impression of a small design budget.

Ingredients:

Water, sugar, tomato paste, vinegars (Apple cider, white distilled), honey, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, salt, garlic, peppers (cayenne, red, chili) mustard seed, spices, natural smoke flavor, wheat, soybean, citric acid, raisins, paprika, fruit juice concentrates (orange tangerine) celery seed, lemon juice, natural flavor, oranges, onion, tamarind extract, xanthan gum, caramel color, annatto, calcium disodium. EDTA To retain freshness

Website: www.bignuggbbq.com

Jul
19
2010

3 Star, All, Mild, Tomato By brian | No comments yet

Blenders Chipotle Barbeque Sauce (3/5)

Blenders has a great story and a great, all-natural ingredients list as I’ve described on my review for their original blend (here).. The chipotle flavor is a nice addition to the deep rich tomato/vinegar and spice blend of the original. This super thick sauce flows like lava from the bottle to your basting bowl and onto the meat, with no problem staying put once it’s there. Like the original, the strong, sour notes of vinegar were still a bit much for these tastebuds.

This has been around since 1927 and has a lot of positive attributes:

All natural.
No preservatives (learn more here)
No artificial flavors (see info here)
No liquid smoke (interesting article here)
No corn syrup (learn about high fructose corn syrup here)

Jul
18
2010

5 Star, All, Spicy, Tomato By brian | No comments yet

Miller’s Spicy Bar-B-Q Sauce (5/5)

Miller’s brings to market a second, spicier KC-style BBQ sauce with a smooth balance of heat and sweet. I liked the strong hickory via liquid smoke and the deep rich flavors provided by the molasses and brown sugar. It is clear the ingredients selection was not made for a health food nut, but the choices combine to add awesome flavor to whatever you’re cooking or dipping in this stuff. The consistency and appearance was just right for me, and the level of heat was great too. Just enough to heat up the mouth and lips without being overpowering or ruining the flavor of a couple pounds of BBQ chicken. Another idea for this sauce: a large vat of cocktail weiners in a crock pot filled to the brim with Miller’s Spicy BBQ Sauce.

Ingredients

Tomato Concentrate, Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Honey, Brown Sugar, Water, Liquid Smoke, Butter, Molasses, Chili Pepper, Spices, Dehydrated Garlic, Dehydrated Onion, Salt, Natural Flavors, Jalapeno Powder, Anchovies, Tamarind Concentrate.

Website

http://www.millerssecretsauce.com/products.html

Miller’s Recipes

Jul
14
2010

4 Star, All, Spicy By brian | No comments yet

Hecky’s Hot Barbecue Sauce (4/5)

This sauce is a little brother to Hecky’s Original, which I gave five stars back in May. And it does a couple things I really liked but didn’t impress me as much as their original sauce. The sauce was certainly hotter than the original (expected), but the flavor profile also changed quite a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the nutmeg-infused spicy flavor, but it came out of left field and nothing on the label jumps out and says “buy me, I’ve got nutmeg in here!” Plus, the look was a lot different than the original.

Smell

Had a traditional vinegar, tomato, garlic, spicy scent

Taste Before Cooking

It’s a traditional NC-style (i.e. thin and watery) tomato/vinegar BBQ sauce laced with heat and nutmeg. Mmm.

Consistency

Thin with some specks. Some artificial colors.

Taste After Cooking

Nice heat. Nutmeg strengthens and really kicks up the flavor. I love a little nutmeg in BBQ sauce.

Nutrition

Average (typical high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, preservatives)

Ingredients

HFCS, water, distilled vinegar, tomato paste, corn syrup, salt, modified corn starch, red pepper, lemon juice concentrate, natural smoke flavor, paprika (color), spice, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate (preservatives), dried garlic, dried onion, caramel color 55030.

Branding/Packaging

Inconsistent with their original style. Not a bad look, just plain.

Website

www.heckys.com

Jul
11
2010

3 Star, All, Unique By brian | No comments yet

Saint A’s BAR-B-Q Sauce (3/5)

St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida that was founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. It is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the United States. St. Augustine lies in a region of Florida known as “The First Coast”, which extends from Amelia Island in the north, and in the south to Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Palm Coast. According to the 2000 census, the city population was 11,592; in 2004, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that its population had reached 12,157. St. Augustine is the headquarters for the Florida National Guard and the home of Saint A’s barbecue sauce.

This is for BBQ enthusiasts who really like onions and aren’t afraid to try something different. A little bit like Crazy Uncle Jester’s Brush Fire BBQ Sauce, this one seemed a bit more like a relish than a sauce, but didn’t have quite the flavor of Brush Fire and had only a trace of heat.

Some quotes from the other three judges, not including me:

“Thick, yuck - not spicy, not smokey”

“Chunky, sweet, crunchy, some heat”

“Jelly consistency, chunky, no heat, oniony”

Smell

Very strong onion/garlic-scented vinegary BBQ sauce aroma.

Taste Before Cooking

Onion mixed with red wine vinegar. Expected more spice. Just a hint of heat.

Consistency

Thick, almost onion-relish/jelly-like consistency. Could be considered chunky.

Taste After Cooking

Good, doesn’t really change - retains chunky consistency throughout cooking.

Nutrition

Nothing stand-out. Average. HFCS and additional corn syrup added.

Packaging

Below average, looks like designed in Microsoft Paint. I would play up the city of St Augustine a bit more and maybe throw in an iconic building.

Ingredients

Tomato Concentrate, Distilled Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Molasses, Celery, Onion, Brown Sugar, Red Wine Vinegar, Dry Mustard, Garlic, Salt, Spice, Onion Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Natural Flavorings.

Website

http://www.saintabbq.com/

Jul
8
2010

All By brian | No comments yet

Sauces that Remind Me of Spices I Like

spices

Timberfolks

The nutmeg in here reminds of Harpoon Winter Warmer Lager

Captain Curts

The bay leaves remind me of Old Bay (any Baltimore crab eaters out there?)

Willingham’s Cajun Hot BBQ Sauce

Reminds me of McCormicks Cajun spice (or Penzey’s cajun spice)

Outta the Park BBQ Sauce

Strong notes of ginger!

Jul
4
2010

3 Star, All, Gluten-Free, Mild By brian | No comments yet

Blenders Original Barbeque Sauce (3/5)

Who knew crime and punishment, Hollywood and Kansas City, and people with names like Aunt Pauline and Nana Lena could be combined in one story about BBQ sauce? Well, it’s all true. It could be the most interesting Behind-The-Sauce story I’ve read so far. The flavor, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired…

Continue reading Blenders Original Barbeque Sauce (3/5) →

Jul
1
2010

General By brian | No comments yet

Best BBQ Sauces for Fourth of July Grilling

fourth-of-july

On July 4, 1776, we claimed our independence from Britain and democracy was born. Every day thousands leave their homeland to come to the “land of the free and the home of the brave” so they can begin their American Dream.

Over the years, the Fourth of July has truly transformed from being a boring history lesson to one of America’s favorite holidays. So join the rest of us who will drink beer, light off dangerous fireworks, and eat way too much BBQ to celebrate another birthday for our country (in 2010 our country will be 234 years old).

Some considerations for Fourth of July BBQ Sauces:

You could be around lots of people (including kids with undeveloped tastebuds - keep good sauces away from them)
You probably don’t want anything too hot (unless you want an inpromptu heat contest - which could be fun actually)
You might want to have a few varieties to mix up the flavors a bit (always nice to have crowd pleasers and a few unique tastes)

Specific recommendations:

Or make your own!

Jun
25
2010

3 Star, All, General, Mild, Sweet, Tomato By brian | No comments yet

KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce - Original (3/5)

Did you ever hear a song so beautiful it made you cry? Did you ever see a picture that caused you to stare in awe, then do a double-take, then stare again for another 5 minutes? Did you ever see a video clip or scene from a movie so powerful, that it gave you goosebumps?

Continue reading KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce - Original (3/5) →

Jun
21
2010

4 Star, All, Mild By brian | No comments yet

Captain Curts Famous Boss Sauce - Hickory (4/5)

Hmm. Not too much variation from the mild sauce or hot version. Maybe it is a little bit bolder… could be extra salt and spices… I’m not sure. It’s still a great sauce, very unique with a strong Old Bay flavor (via ground bay leaves I assume). For more details on Captain Curt and for musings about the use of compound ingredients on a label, check out my other reviews of Captain Curts sauces!

http://www.bbqchicago.com

Jun
14
2010

General By brian | 6 comments

BBQ Sauce Giveaway: Outta the Park BBQ Sauce

ga4-outta-the-park-bbq1

You could be as happy as the guy on this bottle when you receive a FREE bottle of Outta the Park BBQ Sauce. As the most recent sauce to receive 5 stars from me, I strongly believe that most folks who try this will be impressed with the uniqueness of its flavor. Even my wife - a long-time vegetarian - and non-BBQ lover, dipped a carrot in this sauce and agreed it was great stuff for almost any purpose.

Two winners (yes two winners!) will receive a free bottle of sauce shipped out straight from NC where Outta the Park runs it’s operations. If you win, I’ll put you in touch with Scott Granai, owner of the company, who will have your sauce mailed out (free of charge, no shipping) to your home or business.

To enter, JUST LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!

Giveaway Guidelines:
- Deadline: Midnight EST on Saturday, June 19th
- Anonymous or spammy comments will be ignored/removed.
- Only one comment per person, please.
- Winners will be randomly picked and announced Monday June 21th.

Leave me a comment! Say something nice about this sauce, or my site, or the internets.

Jun
13
2010

5 Star, All, Gluten-Free, Mild, Sweet, Unique By brian | 4 comments

Outta The Park BBQ Sauce (5/5)

It’s Real. It’s Good. It’s Gone! says creator Scott Granai on the bottle of his Outta The Park sauce. And I’d have to agree. The magic ingredient here is ginger - giving what could be a fairly average sauce a unique Asian flair that reminds of a flavor I may have had once in a really high-end Chinese restaurant. And there’s just enough jalapeno to provide a mild kick in the taste buds.

Not that this sauce needed the extra boost, but Scott’s sauce also received bonus points for concocting an all-natural sauce with no high fructose corn syrup, no MSG, and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The flavors and real-spice-speck-laden consistency remain stable through cooking and cling to the meat product well. It’s not often that you get a great tasting sauce that is good for you, all in one nice-looking package.

I tried this on chicken, burgers, veggies, and veggie-burgers and they all tasted great. My wife made me one of the best BBQ Chicken Pizza’s I’ve had using this sauce. I moved through this bottle like Walter Payton used to move through the defense. Here’s a quick recipe, if you want. Morningstar Mushroom Lovers Burger + cheddar cheese slice + jalapeno cheddar roll (Panera) + lettuce + onion + this sauce.

So, go get a bottle and then come back here and let me know if you agree.

Ingredients

Organic ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, water, molasses, brown mustard, jalapeno pepper, ginger, butter, spices, hot pepper sauce, paprika, sea salt, organic garlic powder, onion powder.

Website: www.outtatheparksauce.com

Jun
10
2010

3 Star, All, Mild, Sweet, Tomato By brian | No comments yet

Jack Daniel’s Original No.7 Recipe Barbecue Sauce (3/5)

This is sauce is OK, but it’s really more of an extension of a huge brand versus a finely-tuned BBQ sauce for barbecue and grilling fanatics like you and me. They put lots of funky stuff in the sauce itself from high fructose corn syrup to modified corn starch to preservatives and artificial flavoring. They put “essence” of Jack Daniels in the sauce, it’s not even the real stuff.

In terms of aroma and flavor, I get a good smoky, full aroma BBQ sauce scent with vinegar tomato and a slight hint of JD whiskey. After grilling, the whiskey flavor gets a tad stronger, but the sauce has a strange way of not really sticking to the meat very well considering it’s thickness.

Ingredients

Tomato Concentrate, HFCS, Distilled White Vinegar, Molasses, Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Natural Hickory Smoke Flavor, Mustard Flour, Caramel Color, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (preservatives), Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey Flavoring (Natural and Artificial Flavors), Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Spice, Xanthan Gum.

Bottom line

This sauce is OK, nothing special, and if the price is right in your local market (probably pretty cheap) than it could work well for your household.

Website

Jackdaniels.com

More history about Jack Daniels can be found here. Very interesting stuff.

Jun
6
2010

4 Star, General, Mild, NC By brian | No comments yet

Sucklebusters Original BBQ Sauce (4/5)

I guess I’d describe this sauce as a very decent, all-natural sauce. A great texture and decent flavor, good color, without many uniquely distinguishing features or characteristics. But for my tastebuds, I’ll take that any day over something that dares to be different and fails. My score for this smooth tasting sauce also received a boost for being all-natural - no MSG, no preservatives, no bad stuff. And because it’s vinegar based (vinegar first ingredient on the label), their sauce uses about 1/2 the salt of traditional BBQ Sauces. I did notice there is a slight heat that comes out when cooked on the grill which is hard to discern when using the sauce cold. I could imagine this sauce dressing up just about anything from chicken to pork to beef to seafood.

Ingredients

Vinegar, water, brown sugar, tomato paste, pure cane sugar, natural smoke, salt, cayenne, mustard, onion, garlic, cloves and xanthan gum.

Awards

Natl BBQ Association 2009 - 1st Place
Chile Pepper Magazine 2009 - 1st Place
Scovie Awards 2009 - 2nd Place

Q+A with the Sucklebusters Sauce Chief, Dan Arnold

BBQSauceReviews: How long have you been making this sauce, Dan and how did you get started?

Dan: I have been making this sauce recipe for over 20 years, but when we decided to bottle it about 3 years ago - we also decided to go all natural and had to completely redo the recipe. It took over 1 year to redevelop and test the recipe and get the flavor profile just right. We are very proud of our sweet - tangy - spicy sauce and won several major BBQ Sauce awards in our first full year of production.

BBQSauceReviews: How is business?

Dan: Business is booming and we just introduced a brand new sauce made with 100% peaches, called SuckleBusters Spicy Peach BBQ Sauce.

BBQSauceReviews: What is next for you?

Dan: Up next will be our hot BBQ Sauce. We also make award winning BBQ rubs, Tex-Mex Seasonings, Pepper Sauce and Texas GunPowder. Check out all of our award winning rubs and sauces at www.sucklebusters.com

BBQSauceReviews: Ummm. GunPowder?

May
23
2010

5 Star, All, Mild By brian | No comments yet

Heckys Original Barbecue Sauce (5/5)

A sweet tomato, KC-style sauce that is equally effective out of the bottle as it is cooked on the grill. The sauce hits you first with a blast of sweetness and then lingers and transforms to produce a smoky, tangy aftertaste.

Smell

A perfect blend of tomato, sweet, smoke, and spice.

Look / Consistency

Smooth - but with nice specks to indicate a fair amount of real ingredients (lemon, red pepper, spices, dried garlic, dried onion.

Before Cooking Flavor

In the same league as KC standards Sweet Baby Ray’s and Trader Joe’s KC Style BBQ Sauce, this one provides that super sweet tomato smoky spice blend.

After Cooking Flavor

Very sugary and it loves to char up, so it put on the meat really late in the cooking. If done correctly, you will get a nice essence without burning off the sweet. Unlike some other sauces, this doesn’t really transform into anything new or magical on the grill, but the base flavor is so good you should really enjoy it as long as it’s not burnt. Keep the meat on until it’s just about done, then slather it on.

Ingredients

High fructose corn syrup, water, distilled vinegar, tomato paste, corn syrup, salt, modified corn starch, lemon juice concentrate, natural smoke flavor, spice, paprika, red pepper, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate (preservatives) dried garlic, dried onion, caramel color.

Nutrition

Well not great (high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup, and modified food starch, artificial colors and preservatives). Not for the most health conscious of BBQers. But here the flavor really dictates the score, especially because I am not a nutritionist.

Branding

Great. Can’t see much room for improvement.

It’s The Sauce! from 3to1 Studios on Vimeo.

Websites

Hecky’s Home Page

Facebook Page

BBQ Sauce Reviews Facebook page

May
18
2010

4 Star, Mild, Sweet By brian | 3 comments

Timber Folks BBQ Sauce (4/5)

Upon opening the package, I was a bit underwhelmed. I walked over to the back of our kitchen and got ready to just throw this in the garbage. The label just barely fit on the jar and got wrinkled pretty bad during the course of application. The photo on the label was weak and the graphics were non-memorable. And compared to the standard sizes I’ve been getting (8-12 ounce jars typically), this one was a monstrosity - weighing in at 32 ounces (2 pounds). I thought to myself, “is this a joke?”

But because I attempt to treat all sauces the same and because I’m willing to cook with each and every sauce - I found this one to be quite a nice surprise.

The Smell

Upon opening the classic Ball jar, I was hit with an unusual scent. Almost like drinking a Harpoon Winter Warmer Ale, there was something festive and poppy about it - like christmas in May. I couldn’t quite place it…

Look & Consistency

Pretty thin as noted by the above texture score of 2. Not many noticeable specks, but for a thinner sauce it held really well to meat for some reason…

Before Cooking Flavor

Very sweet almost like candy, but with a unique spice perhaps achieved from the rootbeer and apple cider vinegar. These finer subtleties added depth to a good sauce, and gave it a nice lift and different taste… Might have to seek out more sauces with root beer!

After Cooking Flavor

Like any sweet sauce, the flavor mellows out a bit with the heat. Now, if you are lucky enough to burn the ends ever so slightly, there is some kind of magic that can be achieved - almost like burnt candied chicken. Did I just say that?

Ingredients

Ketchup, Water, Root beer, Brown Sugar, Sugar, Spices, Apple Cider, Vinegar, Salt.

Nutrition

Negatives: caramel color, ketchup, HFCS, & preservatives

Branding and Packaging

Pretty weak. Almost charming how bad this looks, like something your grandma would make. The grandma that’s a logger from Central Oregon, that is.

These guys look like they are shoestringing it, which is awesome - but I would really love to see more put into graphics and perhaps even a website where others could order this.

Contact Information

Timber Folks BBQ
52880 Wayside Loop
La Pine, OR, 97739
541-771-6344

May
6
2010

4 Star, All, Mild, Sweet, Tomato By brian | No comments yet

Uncle Mike’s Bar-B-Q Sauce (4/5)

Straight outta Kentucky, this sauce blends a homemade, hickory smokey BBQ sauce with a little chili powder and worchestershire to get you a nice tasting, smokey tang.

Smell

A spicy-sweet authenticity, Worcestershire and chili powder mixed with onion and garlic and of course hickory smoke flavor.

Look & Consistency

Right in the middle, not too thin not too thick. Good specks and good color (although some caramel color used) and a pleasant mouth feel. I like saying that… mouth feel. ha.

Before Cooking Flavor

Starts off sweet and ends with a spicy “hickory bite” - not hot but spice filled.

After Cooking Flavor

It mellows out a bit for a full flavor and pleasant taste on grilled foods. You could almost fake your friends into thinking their food was grilled over hickory wood chips. Nice!

Ingredients

ketchup(red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, onion powder, spice, natural flavor), high fructose corn syrup, water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce(distilled vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, water, salt, caramel color, sugar, spices, anchovies, natural flavor, tamarind), spice, modified food starch, salt, hickory smoke flavor, chili powder, dried onion, dried garlic, sodium benzoate (to preserve freshness).

Nutrition

Negatives: caramel color, ketchup, HFCS, & preservatives

Branding and Packaging

Nice packaging and bottle, prominent picture of uncle mike - little special reserve 101 makes it almost feel like I’m tasting a collectible edition

Website
http://www.unclemikesbbqsauce.com/

The Story

The Uncle Mike’s BBQ team was born where most great cookin’ begins, in the backyard with family and friends, around a campfire and a pit-smoker. Whether it was in the dead of summer with sweat rolling off the brow, or in the bitter cold of winter huddled around the grill to keep warm, for years when the grill fired up at Uncle Mike’s barn and mouth watering aroma filled the air, people came from all corners always asking aloud, “What is your secret?” and “Can I buy any of this sauce?”. It is Uncle Mike’s long sought after secret that has finally been bottled for all to enjoy.

After years of cooking for family and friends at his barn and feeding hundreds while tailgating for college football games, Uncle Mike had the burning desire to compare his meats to the best in the world. In May 2003, Uncle Mike hand picked his best and brightest and headed to Memphis, Tennessee for the Memphis in May BBQ World Championships. In his first competition and against professional cookers with grills hauled in on semi-tractor trailers and much larger teams, Uncle Mike’s hometown BBQ team more than held their own and hauled in a 5th place finish in the lip smackin’ baby back ribs.

Since that weekend in Memphis, Uncle Mike has continued his proud grilling tradition by hosting and serving hundreds at every Western Kentucky University football game both home and away, traveling from Florida to Iowa with his grill and secret sauce. Since the beginning, Uncle Mike’s motto of good times and good food has never changed. Like any great cook, Uncle Mike will always keep his grilling secrets to himself. However, after years of being pestered with the same question, “Where can I buy this sauce?”, Uncle Mike has declared that it is time to distribute his famous sauce to the masses.

Apr
30
2010

1 Star, All By brian | 1 comment

Topco Valu Time BBQ Sauce (1/5)

Guest Review: Dennis Moore

(this review was NOT edited in any way, although I did add the picture above)

Smell/Aroma
It smells like tomato soup. It doesn’t even remotely resemble BBQ sauce.

Look and Consistency
I had just finished shaking the last dollups of my K.C. Masterpiece onto the burgers I was grilling. I just bought this other stuff ( on sale ), and opened the bottle to add a little more sauce to the meat……….. Nothing thick & rich about this sludge…… color-wise, a cross between Tabasco sauce & french dressing……as it “washed” across my precious hamburger and dribbled onto the heating element, causing a cloud of sizzling steam to waft up to the ceiling, setting off the smoke alarm.

Before Cooking Flavor
Upon first opening the bottle, I dipped my pinky into the cap to get a little taste……..suspicious and “put off” by the color. My first impression was an image of mayonaise-flavored catsup.

After Cooking Flavor
I’m 54. I’ve tried a LOT of BBQ sauce over time, but this is the first time I’ve ever actually had to “discard” my dinner into the trash after only being able to tolerate half of one of my 2 hamburgers. I wouldn’t feed this to my neighbor’s cat.

Ingredients list
distilled vinegar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, water, prepared mustard (distilled vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt and turmeric), modified corn starch, tomato paste, salt, hickory smoke favor, spices, caramel color, xanthan gum, citric acid, paprika, less than 1/10 of 1% sodium benzoate as a preservative, and red 40 (color)

Nutrition
Look over the complete list of ingredients I already posted. And say no more…

Branding and Packaging
It’s clearly a store “brand”…….Nothing fancy….The washed-out photo of baby-back ribs ( serving suggestion ) doesn’t look very appetizing.

Other Comments:
I’ve got nothing against store brands/generics in general. Most of the time, they can be just as good as the “name” brands, BUT this bottle’s destined for the dumpster……I don’t even want it in my kitchen trash.

————————————————————–

This is awesome! I am sending Dennis a free bottle of sauce as my way to say thanks for sharing on the site.

Mar
4
2010

4 Star, All, Mild, NC, Sweet By brian | No comments yet

Big Billy BBQ Sauce (4/5)

Guest review by Paul Zonfrillo from Team ZBQ

The best way I can describe this sauce is KC BBQ meets Carolina Vinegar sauce. It is on the thin side for consistency, has a noticeable deal of acidity, but it is balanced out by a good dose of sweet. The result is a full bodied base to the sauce.

The spiciness is done very well in this sauce. It produces a pleasing back heat that builds as you continue to eat the sauce - most noticeable if you are trying a few spoons from the jar, but it never overwhelms. There are chunks of red pepper flake - about one or two per tablespoon of sauce. Ingredients that contribute to the heat also include cayenne, chili powder and liquid smoke. In lower amounts, as in this sauce, I find that liquid smoke tends be less of a smoke component and more of a heat enhancer. A number of other spices such as nutmeg, allspice round out the flavor. The sauce has the “one flavor” feeling that I like, no ingredient really
dominates, and they all work together to make one taste.

It is not a very aromatic sauce, you get a ketchup and vinegar sort of aroma. It does have highly processed ingredients in it such as ketchup and high fructose corn syrup. I am not opposed to these ingredients on philosophical grounds, but the very best sauces seem to shy away from these ingredients in high proportion.

The sauce worked well on boneless grilled chicken breast. I marinated the chicken in Italian dressing, applied mustard and a chili based rub and finished with the sauce. The sauce worked really well as a flavor layer, since it is not overpowering. I suspect it will work very well on pulled pork. I could also see using this as part of a mop sauce for ribs or pork butt, perhaps mixing it 50/50 with some apple juice or beer, though Big Billy does offer a mop sauce as well that is mustard base. Overall, a very solid and pleasing sauce.

Smell 3
Taste 4
Consistency 4
Ingredients 3
Label and marketing 4

Website: bigbillybbq.com

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