Barbecue season is here, so I set out to find the brand that delivers the tastiest barbecue sauce straight from the bottle.
I tried store-bought barbecue sauces from three different brands to determine which offered the smokiest, tangiest flavor for the best value. I also tried one brand's no-sugar-added version to see if it could measure up to the original.
While barbecue isn't typically my go-to dipping sauce — proud ranch fan, here — I tried each sauce on its own and with chicken nuggets to see which was my favorite.
Here's how I'd rank four store-bought barbecue sauces, from worst to best.
My least favorite barbecue sauce was Kraft's slow-simmered original barbecue sauce.
The sauce is made with ingredients like tomato, molasses, and hickory smoke.
It cost $4.69 for an 18-ounce bottle at my local Key Food supermarket in Brooklyn, New York.
The sauce wasn't as thick as the other brands I tried.
The texture was more watery and ketchup-like compared to the thicker, more molasses-heavy varieties.
The sauce was light and tangy, but I thought it didn't have a strong enough flavor.
Compared to the other brands, I thought this barbecue sauce was lacking. I typically go for a thick, smoky barbecue sauce, and this was much lighter. I think I would struggle to fully coat chicken or ribs in this more viscous sauce, though I did enjoy the flavor.
It was tangy and slightly sweet, with a honey-like flavor, but reminded me more of a sweet-and-sour sauce than a true barbecue sauce.
I also tried KC Masterpiece's American Original barbecue sauce.
The sauce is made from molasses, onions, and spices to deliver an authentic Kansas City-style barbecue sauce.
Aside from any store discounts, this barbecue sauce was the cheapest I tried. An 18-ounce bottle cost $3.29 at my local Key Food supermarket in Brooklyn, New York, making it the cheapest sauce I tried.
KC Masterpiece's was the thickest sauce I tried.
It clung to the chicken nugget and had a dark, buttery, molasses-like consistency.
I thought this sauce was a good balance of smoky and sweet.
The sauce had a robust, smoky flavor and a consistency that easily clung to the chicken nugget, making for a balanced bite that overtook my taste buds.
It was really sweet, with a strong molasses flavor. However, I was missing that slight tangy flavor that would have really taken this sauce over the edge and provided a more dynamic flavor profile.
Up next was the Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce with no added sugar.
Before this taste test, I was already familiar with Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce.
The brand is known for its top-selling barbecue sauce in the US, so this sauce had a lot to live up to, especially since it had no added sugar, which I worried would weaken the flavor.
An 18.5-ounce bottle cost $5.39 at my local Key Food, making it the most expensive sauce I tried.
The sauce had a balanced consistency. It wasn't too thick or too watery.
The sauce easily coated the chicken nugget, without being too thick or gloopy.
I was really impressed by the flavor. It was sweet without being overpowering.
Overall, this sauce nailed it for me. It was tangy but not sickly sweet, and it had a balanced texture. I definitely got the smoky flavor without the overpowering molasses flavor I tasted in the KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce.
It was also the lowest-calorie sauce I tried, with 15 calories per serving.
However, when it came down to value, it was beaten out by the original version.
My favorite barbecue sauce was Sweet Baby Ray's original barbecue sauce.
It's perhaps no surprise that this sauce was my favorite. After all, the brand has won awards at various barbecue competitions for its sauce.
An 18-ounce bottle cost $4.39 at my local Key Food.
The sauce had a rich, red color and a similar consistency to the no-sugar-added version.
It was a touch thinner than the other sauce from Sweet Baby Ray's, but it still coated the chicken nugget easily. In my opinion, this was the best dipping sauce.
Sweet Baby Ray's original barbecue sauce struck the perfect balance for me.
The sauce struck a pleasant balance between sweet and tangy. Its acidic, slightly tart flavor cut through the sweetness, while an earthy smokiness lingered on the palate, reminding me of a backyard barbecue.
It tasted more complex than many bottled barbecue sauces I've tried, making it easy to imagine pairing it with everything from ribs to chicken tenders.
In fact, after tasting it, I found myself thinking about other ways I could use it. The next time I'm firing up the grill or looking for a dipping sauce for nuggets or chicken tenders, this is the barbecue sauce I'll be reaching for.
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Erin McDowell is a reporter on Business Insider's editorial partnerships team. She covers food, lifestyle, and entertainment for Business Insider and its partner sites, including MSN, Apple News, and Yahoo.She graduated from Elon University in January 2019, where she studied strategic communications and digital art. She has written for V Magazine, Milk.XYZ, OUT.com, Brides Magazine, and more. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and can be found on LinkedIn. Please send all inquiries, comments, or tips to [email protected].Selected stories:
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