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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Best supermarket BBQ sauce
- Sweet flavor
- Thick, rich consistency
- Dark mahogany color
- Good blend of spice, smoke and sweet
- Contains high-fructose corn syrup
- Too sweet for some
- Contains artificial ingredients, preservatives
If there is indeed, as the editors of Cook's Illustrated believe, a generic "all-American" barbecue sauce style that appeals to everyone, then according to many reviewers, this flavor has been encapsulated in Sweet Baby Ray's Original barbecue sauce. Barbecue guru and creator of the website BBQ Sauce Reviews, Brian Henderson says that Sweet Baby Ray's is "a very plain, safe sauce for everyone. It's like BBQ sauce for kids and families -- the mass market product of choice for quite a few people." Henderson adds, however, that it is super sweet, like a mix of candy and BBQ sauce. Nevertheless, this very sweetness is what seems to appeal to a lot of people.
On his Amazing Ribs website, BBQ expert Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn says that Sweet Baby Ray's has "everything the public loves. It is smoky, sweet, tangy but not too tangy, spicy but not too spicy," and the liquid smoke favor, he adds, gives it an "outdoorsy" flavor. Tasters at foodie site Epicurious.com note its "full-bodied smokiness," grains of pepper, and thickness -- although one of their judges says that it's too thick. On his website Grilling with Rich, BBQ expert Richard Wachtel devotes an entire page to reviewing the different varieties of Sweet Baby Ray's (Original, Sweet Vidalia Onion, Sweet and Spicy, Hickory & Brown Sugar) and admits that he likes all of them, but prefers the Hickory & Brown Sugar, thanks to its robust blending of those two ingredients.
Sweet Baby Ray's does contain some artificial ingredients, preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which causes some BBQ fans to choose a more expensive, all-natural gourmet brand such as Bone Suckin' Sauce Original (*Est. $ 7 for 16 oz.). Some reviewers also find Sweet Baby Ray's too sweet for their taste (although other reviewers praise this sweetness), and prefer instead to use a less-sweet sauce, such as Bull's Eye Original Barbecue Sauce (*Est. $2 for 18 oz.).
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| Original Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce - 18 oz | |
(6 reviews) In Stock. Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping |
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Our Sources
Created by barbecue expert Brian Henderson, this popular site rates a wide range of more than 100 commercial BBQ sauces individually on a scale of one to five, from gourmet BBQ sauces to supermarket shelf staples. Henderson praises Sweet Baby Ray's Original for its sweetness, adding that it's "a very plain, safe sauce for everyone. It's like BBQ sauce for kids and families -- the mass market product of choice for quite a few people." However, he does warn that it's super sweet, like candy.
Review: Ratings of the Best Barbecue Sauces, Brian Henderson, May 24, 2011
BBQ expert Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn reviews his favorite sauces, including Sweet Baby Ray's Original, which he praises for its balance of sweet, smoky and tangy flavors.
Review: Meathead's Favorite Commercial Barbecue Sauces, Spice Rubs, Steak Sauces, and More, Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn, 2011
BBQ expert Richard Wachtel devotes an entire page of his website to this review of all the different varieties of Sweet Baby Ray's, and decides that, while they're all good, his favorite is the Hickory & Brown Sugar, thanks to the blending of those two robust flavors.
Review: Grilling with Rich Goes Saucy, Rich Wachtel, Dec. 31, 2010
In this blind taste test comparing 22 supermarket and gourmet BBQ sauces (slurped straight with the help of a side dish of Jiffy Mix corn bread), Sweet Baby Ray's Original barbecue sauce is chosen as the Best Overall, thanks to its "full-bodied smokiness," "grains of pepper," and thick, tomato-puree type consistency (which one judge, however, deems to be "too thick").
Review: Taste Test: Barbecue Sauces, Carolina Santos-Neves
5. Good HousekeepingDetails/Subscribe
In this undated BBQ sauce round-up, Good Housekeeping editors sample 13 supermarket brands and choose their favorites. Honorable mention goes to Sweet Baby Ray's Original, thanks to its "authentic, real barbecue" flavor.
Review: Taste Test: Barbecue Sauce, Editors of Good Housekeeping
Chowhound contributors are passionate about explaining (and often defending) their choices in this foodie website, and Sweet Baby Ray's Original is an apparent favorite among supermarket brands, with a large number of enthusiastic posts praising its "tasty" flavor.
Review: Best Barbecue Sauce Out of a Bottle?, Contributors to Chowhound.com
7. Amazon.com
Several Amazon.com users say that this is their favorite non-homemade BBQ sauce, and especially praise its sweet/spicy, "mouthwatering delicious" flavor. However, as a number of posters point out, Sweet Baby Ray's does contain the controversial high-fructose corn syrup, which many consumers are trying to avoid.
Review: Original Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce, Contributors to Amazon.com
BBQ Sauce Runners Up:
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