Best bottled Barbecue Sauce

Was trying to find barbecue sauce in the supermarket yesterday, and couldn't find the Lea & Perrins that I normally get, and got charlie beiggs sauce instead, the hot pepper and the bourbon one, and wasn't impressed with either, too acidic tasting, and too watery-------who has got the best bottled barbecue sauce--there were several other brands there, and alot of them had msg which is a no no for me--the beiggs one was all natural at least......thanks for the tips!

[luggage512]

I do like the Salt Lick's 'Lauren's Spicy Recipe' BBQ sauce (you can get it in supermarkets in the Austin area at least, not sure about elsewhere). The label says it contains corn syrup, but not HFCS. It's got a bit of a kick but is not super-spicy.

[cackalackie]

All Natural. Fat Free. Gluten Free. No HFCS: Bone Suckin' Sauce.

http://bonesuckin.com/

[Hondo3777]

No HFCS, No processed sugar, the 1st & only BBQ sauce to meet the standards of the American Diabetes Association and iseven vegan friendly. Chef Hymie Grande www.chefhymiegrande.com to see your local retailer or order online.

[TooLooseLaTrek]

In the supermarket I go with Sweet Baby Rays.If you have a Trader Joe's near you,their Bold and Smokey Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce is very good.

[luggage512]

I'm looking for a bottled barbecue sauce that does NOT contain high fructose corn syrup AND tastes good. Nearly all of them have HFCS as a major ingredient. Any recommendations?

[CocoaNut]

Just checked your profile and see you're in Austin. Go to Central Market - they have one that's organic (their own label) and it is excellent with a nice heat to it - that would be the TX style "flavor", the only one I've tried.

Also at Central Market, they carry the Frederickburg Farms brand. For taste, the peach-pecan bbq sauce used as a glaze of sorts for grilled pork is excellent. They do not specifically list HFCS, but ketchup is on the ingredient list, so...... Or you could contact them and ask specifically. http://fbgfarms.com/

I really like the hot version of Bone Suckin' sauce. Sweet-hot-vinegar tang-loose on the tongue.

As is evidence by the responses you see here, the "best" bottled BBQ sauce depends almost entirely on person preference.

My personal opinion is that Clark's BBQ Sauce (Texas) is the best for my palate. A friend was sweet enough to send me two bottles recently, and I've become hopelessly addicted to the stuff.

It has just the right balance of smoke, sweet, spice, and tang. It doesn't taste at all muddled, and works equally great with both chicken and/or ribs (pork,beef). I think your best bet would be to grab a couple bottles of what other people find delicious and see if it matches your tastes as well. Good luck!

Kraft. It's very neutral and basic. Close to catsup, or ketchup. An open medium perfect for jazzing it up the way you like it.

I Love that Bone Sucking Sauce and the Mustard they make. But I have to give the nod to Arthur Bryants or Gates BBQ. Something about those sauces hit my olfaction like liquid cocaine......Takes me Back To Kansas City

Scott's BBQ Sauce. True eastern NC style sauce, primarily for pork; have used it combined with other sauces in various dishes besides pork. Think they may have a web site, not sure. Maybe type in Scott's BBQ sauce & see what hits.

Here on the left coast I don't seem to recall seeing many good prepared sauces, hopefully some CA hounds will chime in with their finds. There is a little specialty shop in Seaside CA (near Monterey) I'll have to check next time in the area called Gil's Gourmet Gallery, 577 Ortiz Ave
831-394-3305. They have a huge selection of hot sauces so probably have a few decent BBQ ones as well.

A friend brought over some BBQ beef sands he prepared for our Super Bowl get together, really nice and spicy. He left two partial jars with me, they're both all natural, one is Smokin' Joe Jones "Mississippi Meat and BBQ Sauce" distributed here by SJJ in San Diego, the other that he used to blend with is Bone Suckin' Sauce, mf'd for Ford's Foods, Inc, 1109 Agriculture St., Raleigh, NC, 800-446-0947. Sorry, don't know what the proportions were.

Another pal's favorite is called "Serious", thought I had a bottle but couldn't locate it, believe he orders it from the east coast.

I prefer to make my own (the recipe from Paul Prudhomme's old cookbook using oranges, lemons and dry roasted pecans is outstanding with pork ribs or chicken) but for the times I need something in a hurry, I've found doctoring up the old original Bulls Eye does pretty good for beef. Add a little apricot or plum jam, a little soy, drizzle of sesame oil, some asian hot sauce, fresh ginger and extra molasses if you like.

I love Smokin Joe Jones. Note that it comes in three levels of spiciness. I usually buy the "Smokin" which is medium hot, but they make "Blazin" which is even hotter.

Ah... that explains why the Bone Suckin' jar is half gone and the SJJ nearly full, it it in fact the Blazin level.

As you have a jar of it you probably know but Bone suckin' is actually called Serious Bone Suckin' Sauce. One of my favorite bottled sauces Allong with Dreamland's sauce (same stuff they serve in the shack)

JOHNNY HARRIS' BARBECUE SAUCE (there are two flavors) comes from my hometown of Savannah and is great. I can get it here in New York City but if you can't get it where you are, you can always order it on-line. It has been around for 80+ years and is a staple in Georgia. I would highly recommend you try both flavors.

My extended family is from Savannah, and I lived my summers in Tybee as a kid, so I am well aware of Johnny's..(used to eat there in the 60's and 70's when it was an intense experience)...In fact, I used to get it sent to me by my mother, but she's passed on, and I guess I just never thought to order mail order. Yes, it is quite distinctive, but I was actually looking for a darker brew this time around.

My Aunt used to live in Savanah and give me a case every Christmas. She's since moved, but I still order on-line. By far my favorite. The steak sauce is quite good too.

Another vote for Sweet Baby Rays, unless I'm in Missouri and can get some Show-Me brand.

gates -hot or regular

Oh my god, this is SOOOO good. He used to have a tiny restaurant down the block from me. He had the BEST sauce. Then he started bottling it, selling it and eventually go out of the restaurant busienss and started doing sauce full time. It's amazing. I have Texan friedns who now swear by it. He does mail order and it's worth a few bucks to find out how good life can be.

Most professional places use Open Pit and then add some secret ingredient, like teriyaki sauce or tabasco.
I think you can get it in a grocery store.

I just *love* Sweet Baby Ray's, pretty easy to find in grocery stores around here (Midwest).

Good call on Sweet Baby Ray's. Balanced, not too sweet, doesn't interfere with the flavor of smoked meats, and it's cheap as chips, too. There's always a bottle in my fridge.

[Dax]

I tend to make my own but the SBR spicy is the jam when you want a thicker ketchup based sweet and spicy sauce. I also like Stubb's spicy for a more vinegary sauce.