We Tasted and Ranked 16 Grocery Store Barbecue Sauces

This sauce did poorly across the board. Not only did our panel find it overly vinegary and much too sour, but a lot of people also thought it had a rotten fruit flavor. I personally thought it tasted like raspberry salad dressing, which I absolutely hate.

Our panel didn’t mind the flavor of this sauce but hated its “watery” consistency. One even said “the spice was great but the texture was bad.” Though the Blues Hog website says this sauce works for dipping, we disagree and think it would be much better for mopping, marinating or as a pulled pork topping.

Almost everyone agreed that Open Pit doesn’t really taste like barbecue sauce. A few people thought it tasted more like an Asian condiment — multiple people said it reminded them of sweet and sour while one person thought it tasted like Panda Express General Tso’s Chicken sauce. For three editors, it tasted more like steak sauce than barbecue sauce. And one mentioned its “devastating spout” because it made such a mess when pouring.

Our panel was pretty split on this one, yet it still ended up in the bottom fourth of the sauces we tasted. Some absolutely hated it, while others appreciated its “sticky,” “honeyed” flavor. More than one person said it had a strong oregano flavor, and another mentioned it would be “good with wings.”

This “middle-of-the-road” sauce got points for being “balanced,” “inoffensive” and “tangy but not too sweet.” But it also lost points for its “gloopy” texture and “unremarkable” flavor.

Our panel couldn’t be fooled by this bottle, which costs about $3 at the absolute most. Many people said it “tastes super cheap” and “wouldn’t go out of my way to get it,” but others found it “reliable” even though the “flavor falls a little flat.” Still, some appreciated its “subtle smokiness.”

Almost every single person said the same thing about Buffalo Wild Wings Honey BBQ sauce — the flavor is fleeting. Many appreciated the lingering spice, but one taster said it had “minimal complexity in flavor, no layers.” So even though this sauce tasted good, it wasn’t a winner in the overall flavor department.

This has always been one of my personal favorites, and I think a lot of people on the panel felt the same way. But compared with other bottles we tasted, Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet ‘n Spicy got a pretty average score. Almost everyone liked its lightly spicy kick and appreciated its classic flavor and texture. But the consensus was that it was “a little boring compared to the others.”

Champions Blend scored much better than the other Blues Hog sauce we tasted. Though some found it too sweet, others appreciated its cinnamony, baking-spice forward flavor; one even said “it tastes like Christmas, but I like it.” The consensus was that it would be best paired with ribs or baked beans.

Our panel got some weird vibes from this one, but they weren’t all bad. Three tasters said it tasted like “smoky ketchup,” and a few others said it didn’t taste like barbecue sauce at all. A couple others noted its Worcestershire-forward flavor. One editor praised it, saying it’s a “perfect blend of all things good.”

Almost every single person on the panel said this sauce tasted “oniony,” and the majority considered that savory note a positive one. A lot of people loved its lack of sweetness, and one mentioned it would be good on ribs.

Even though this one had mixed reviews, it got high marks, putting it in fifth place. A couple people found it “very basic,” and one or two people said it tasted like something you could buy at Autozone. But two editors mentioned how well-balanced the flavor was, even if the texture is a little on the sticky side.

This sauce got major flavor points from our panel. Our editors said it has a nice kick and that they “enjoy the tang.” But they also agreed that it would be better for marinating rather than dipping, with pulled pork being the clear winner as the meat of choice. 

Although this sauce ranked third in our blind tasting, it isn’t a typical American barbecue sauce. Bachan’s is actually a Japanese brand with Asian-forward flavors — soy sauce, ginger and mushroom were some of the notes mentioned. But it was a winner overall, with comments like “it’s so yummy but definitely different” and “there is literally nothing I’m not willing to dip in here.”

One taster called this “the peoples’ BBQ sauce,” and it seems like the whole panel agreed — this grocery store favorite hits every time. Almost everyone defined the flavor as “sweet and tangy” with a “little kick.” Our panel also appreciated its thick texture, with one saying it had a “good consistency for scooping.”

Our winner by six points was this stunner from Rufus Teague, which is spicy, smoky and “in your face.” But even though it got bold remarks, one taster mentioned it had a “rich flavor but won’t completely cover the flavor of the food.” While one editor said they “need more heat,” the general consensus was that this sauce is “absolutely delicious.”