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Best Reviewed
BBQ Sauces
- Best barbeque sauce Bone Suckin' Sauce Original *Est. $0
- Best supermarket BBQ sauce Sweet Baby Ray's Original *Est. $5
- Sugar-free BBQ sauce Smokin' Joe Jones No Sugar Added Barbecue & Dippin' Sauce *Est. $6
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- Good balance of sweetness and smoke
- Nice depth of flavor
- Inexpensive
- Contains molasses
- Very thick
- Contains artificial flavors
- Contains high-fructose corn syrup
KC Masterpiece gets good reviews as a top pick among supermarket barbecue sauces, especially for those who like sweet/thick BBQ sauces. It's noted in one large roundup for its balance of delicately spicy and sweet flavors. Food website Epicurious.com calls is a runner up in their review of more than 20 competing sauces, lauding it as versatile -- a good choice for everything from pork to salmon. KC Masterpiece is also liked in the review on Bon Appétit magazine, which calls it "addictive."
On the downside, some taste-testers on the Bon Appétit panel didn't care for what they noted as unpleasant flavors of raisins and prunes. And KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce contains high-fructose corn syrup -- an ingredient many people are trying to avoid. On the other hand, it also contains molasses, which many experts say it a key flavor profile in a good barbecue sauce.
Altogether, we found better reviews for Sweet Baby Ray's Original barbecue sauce (*Est. $5 for 18 oz.), which doesn't contain high-fructose corn syrup, but does cost more than KC Masterpiece. Another supermarket runner-up is Bull's Eye Original Barbecue Sauce (*Est. $2 for 18 oz.).
Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
For its latest roundup of barbecue sauces, Consumer Reports tries 10 varieties, including KC Masterpiece Original. In the end, editors say homemade BBQ sauce is still best.
Review: Barbecue Sauces, Editors of ConsumerReports.org, May 2011
2. Cook's Illustrated MagazineDetails/Subscribe
As the title suggests, editors at Cook's Illustrated find in taste-testing that molasses is a key ingredient in barbecue sauce. Editors try 10 commercially available BBQ sauces, including KC Masterpiece, concluding that homemade is best.
Review: The Sweeter the Better -- As Long As Molasses is in the Mix, Editors of Cook's Illustrated, Aug. 1, 2009
3. Bon AppetitDetails/Subscribe
KC Masterpiece is one of the three favorites in this roundup, which focuses exclusively on supermarket barbecue sauce. Editors call it "addictive."
Review: Supermarket Standoff: Barbecue Sauce, Julia Bainbridge, July 1, 2010
4. Slate.com
Tasters sampled 12 BBQ sauces, in search of a condiment that would "draw out the flavor of your barbecue and grilled meats, not overpower it." Tasters find KC Masterpiece Original BBQ Sauce smoky and sweet, but there's "no finish."
Review: 'Cue It Up, Kelly Alexander, May 20, 2002
5. Helium.com
This article discusses five supermarket sauces in a non-critical way. KC Masterpiece is listed and briefly described, but we can't tell how extensively the writer tested it in recipes.
Review: Best Store-Bought Barbecue Sauce, Charlotte Mielziner, Aug. 22, 2010
BBQ Sauce Runners Up:
5 picks including: Slate.com, Helium.com…
4 picks including: Helium.com, SeriousEats.com…
4 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.