There is something deeply satisfying about a rack of ribs coming off the grill, glistening with sauce. And honestly? Nobody is judging you for reaching for a bottle instead of making the sauce from scratch. Even professional chefs do it.
Six chefs from around the country shared their go-to store-bought barbecue sauces and what they look for when choosing one. Their answers might help you find a new favorite before your next cookout.
What Makes a Great Bottled BBQ Sauce?
Regional preferences run deep when it comes to barbecue. But these six chefs agreed on a few qualities that separate the good bottles from the forgettable ones.
Balanced flavor. Chef George Guzman of Carta Wine Bar in New York City says the ideal sauce is “sweet, tangy, smoky, and just a bit spicy.” He warns that store-bought sauces can easily tip into tasting overly salty, sugary, or chemical-forward.
Tomato first. Chef Mary Payne Moran, who runs The Silver Lake Kitchen cooking school in Los Angeles, recommends flipping the bottle around before you buy. For a classic red sauce, she believes tomato purée or tomato paste should be the first ingredient listed, making it the most prominent in the recipe.
The right sweetener. Moran and Chef MacKenzie Schultz, sous chef at Harbinger in Des Moines, Iowa, both prefer natural sweeteners like molasses or brown sugar over high-fructose corn syrup. Schultz explains why: “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.”
A thick, clingy texture. Chef James DiBella, executive chef at Link & Pin, The Cellar, and Duckworth’s in Charlotte, North Carolina, wants a sauce that sticks. A richer, thicker consistency holds up better when basting and makes for a much better dipping sauce, too.
The Winner: Sweet Baby Ray’s Original
Three of the six chefs named the same bottle: Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce. That’s half the panel going with one brand, a pretty clear winner.
Chef DiBella says it “epitomizes the way barbecue sauce should taste,” with a notably sweet flavor that comes from a combination of molasses, pineapple juice concentrate, and corn syrup. Recipe developer Jeanette Donnarumma of Ridgewood, New Jersey, calls it “in my opinion, the most delicious and standard barbecue sauce.”
The texture is thick and smooth, what DiBella describes as a “ketchup-bodied” consistency that spreads easily. And the price is hard to argue with: a 28-ounce bottle was found online for just $3.24.
Five More Bottles Worth Knowing
Sweet Baby Ray’s had solid competition. Here are the five other sauces the chefs recommended:
- Trader Joe’s Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce: Donnarumma spent time in the South and developed a love for mustard-based sauce. She says she always keeps at least two bottles of this one in her pantry.
- Open Pit Barbecue Sauce: Chef Meggan Hill, executive chef and CEO of Culinary Hill in Valencia, California, calls this a sauce that “has stood the test of time,” with mustard, onion, and garlic in every drop.
- Kinder’s Hickory Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce: Schultz loves this one for delivering great flavor “without compromising ingredients.” She especially appreciates the addition of tamarind and Worcestershire sauce, which she says push the flavor “above and beyond.”
- Lillie’s Q Barbecue Sauce: Guzman praises this brand for its “clean, authentic flavor” and quality ingredients. His personal favorite from the line is the South Carolina Gold variety, tangy, slightly sweet, and great with pulled pork or sausages.
- Stubb’s Barbecue Sauce: Moran recommends stocking up on this sweet and tangy, tomato-forward, molasses-sweetened sauce. “It reminds me of summer cookouts with barbecue ribs,” she says. She also loves the label’s country feel, which reminds her of Oklahoma, where she grew up.
More Ways to Use It Than You’d Think
DiBella puts it simply: “There’s no wrong way to use it.” He says the versatility of a good bottled sauce is one of its best features.
Donnarumma uses it on slow-cooked meats like chicken, ribs, and brisket to get what she calls “the most quintessential barbecue flavor.” Hill likes it on starters and sides, baked beans, cocktail smokies, and dips. She also suggests stirring it into Brunswick stew or ham barbecue.
And if you are looking for a fun summer shortcut? Donnarumma admits she has been known to dab some sauce on the same baking sheet she used for store-bought chicken nuggets and call it a win. Nothing wrong with that at all.