To ensure a successful outdoor barbecue, having the best BBQ sauce is essential. Whether used as a dipping sauce or marinade, the right BBQ sauce can enhance the flavors of your prime cuts. The search for the best BBQ sauce of 2024 involved tasting 15 different sauces with a group of barbecue-loving friends to determine which one stood out. Balance is key when it comes to a great barbecue sauce, with most sauces having a base of tomato, vinegar, sweetener, and heat, which are then enhanced with spices and flavors like mustard, garlic, fruit, and smoke. It’s important to avoid sauces that are too overwhelming in one direction or too simple without complexity.
The tasting process included traditional Kansas City-style sauces, vinegar-heavy Carolina-style sauces, keto-friendly options, Japanese-style sauces, and Alabama white sauces to cater to different preferences. Each sauce was tested with plain unseasoned chicken breast to assess factors like balance, sweetness, heat, and overall flavor profile. While sweeter varieties are popular in some regions, vinegar-based sauces were also included in the tasting to ensure a diverse selection. Some of the top contenders included Full Moon, Stubb’s, Bachan’s, Carolina Q’, Bull’s-Eye, Texas Pete, and Sweet Baby Ray’s, each offering a unique flavor profile and balance.
Full Moon, a regional chain of barbecue restaurants in Alabama and Mississippi, impressed with its near-perfect balance of sweetness, smokiness, tang, and spice. Stubb’s, a widely available option in supermarkets, also stood out for its balance and quality ingredients. Bachan’s, with its Japanese-inspired flavors and umami punch, offered a unique twist on classic barbecue sauce. Carolina Q’ impressed with its rich, dark, and smoky flavor profile, while Bull’s-Eye stood out as an affordable option with a great balance of sweetness and smokiness. Texas Pete’s Eastern Carolina sauce catered to hot sauce lovers with its vinegar-heavy profile and subtle sweetness, making it a healthier option compared to other sauces.
Although some sauces didn’t make the cut, each offered its own unique flavor profile and characteristics. Full Moon’s Alabama White Sauce, while not a traditional barbecue sauce, was addictive with its rich ranch-like flavors. Jack Daniel’s Original BBQ Sauce, Good for Food Keto BBQ Sauce, Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce, Heinz Carolina Vinegar BBQ Sauce, Heinz Carolina Mustard Sauce, and Kings Delight Bar-B-Que Sauce were also tested but did not make it to the top of the list. Overall, the search for the best BBQ sauce of 2024 highlighted the importance of balance, flavor complexity, and quality ingredients in creating a memorable barbecue experience.
