The 7 Best Store-Bought BBQ Sauces Of 2023
Your kitchen should never be without a good barbecue sauce, but it can be so difficult to choose a barbecue sauce when there are so many on the market!
BBQ sauce can help to make so many different meals, including pulled pork, ribs, brisket chicken wings, and even just used as a great dipping sauce! However, not all barbecue sauces are made the same, and some have a much better taste than others.
Which are the best store-bought BBQ sauces? Different BBQ sauces go better with specific meals, but if you are wanting an all-round BBQ sauce, it is good to stick to one with that traditional BBQ flavors. Blues Hog Original BBQ sauce is the best option overall thanks to its ketchup-based recipe, sweet and spicy flavors, and thick consistency.
To help you choose the best BBQ sauce, we have listed the 7 best, and what they are best paired with and used for.
The 7 Best BBQ Sauces For Any Meal
To help you decide on the best BBQ sauces to use, we have rounded them up and broken them down to show exactly which sauce should be used when cooking a dish!
All barbecue meals are great, but some require a certain blend and complexity of flavors from a BBQ sauce to really make the meal a winner!
Here are the best BBQ sauces to use for different meals and dietary restrictions:
| Meal Or Sauce | Best BBQ Sauce To Use | Why It’s The Best |
| Pulled Pork / Pulled Pork Sandwich | Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce | Ketchup base which sticks to the pulled pork for a thick sauce. |
| Ribs / Smoked Ribs | Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Original BBQ Sauce | Rich smoky flavor with sugar helping to caramelize on the ribs. |
| Brisket | Lillie’s Q – Smoky Barbecue Sauce | A gourmet sauce which adds moisture and smoky flavor to brisket. |
| Chicken Wings | Dinosaur-Honey BBQ Roasted Garlic Sauce | Flavorful sauce which adds the tastes of honey and roasted garlic to wings. |
| Carolina BBQ Sauce | Cattlemen’s Carolina Tangy Gold BBQ Sauce | Made with high-quality French mustard, adding a spicy kick to BBQ. |
| Korean BBQ Sauce | Ocean’s Halo Korean BBQ Sauce | Sweet, savory, and spicy sauce to be used for any meal. |
| Low Carb BBQ Sauce | Ken Davis Sassy 2 Carb BBQ Sauce | Sugar-free and low carbs, but with a traditional BBQ flavor. |
1. Best Store-Bought BBQ Sauce For Pulled Pork
Pulled pork is a favorite among almost everyone, and some good pulled pork can be slapped onto a sandwich for some great comfort food. Pork goes really well with a sweeter flavor, and the BBQ sauce you use for pulled pork should have this.
It is always good to use a BBQ sauce which is ketchup-based, and which has a decent vinegar-to-tomato ration, to give the finished pulled pork a sweet, thick, and spicy sauce.
You don’t want a sauce that is too runny, or it will be way too messy to eat. However, there are actually 7 ways to thicken BBQ sauce if you end up with a sauce that you absolutely love but is far too runny.
A great BBQ sauce to use to make pulled pork is Blue Hog Original BBQ Sauce.
Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce
Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce is a thick, gourmet sauce that is made from all-natural ingredients.
This BBQ sauce is absolutely ideal for pulled pork, as it is known as the sauce that “sticks to your meat”, so you will have a thick, decadent sauce with your pulled pork, and not one which is runny and thin.
The Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce has a delightfully sweet flavor, but which is mixed with the right amount of heat as well. It is phenomenal on pork, but can also be used on beef, wild game, hot wings, ribs, and veggies.
With a base of ketchup (made from red ripe tomatoes), brown sugar, natural flavors, apple cider vinegar, spices, and other essential barbecue sauce ingredients, you can be sure that the taste is as authentic as can be!
A large bottle of Blues Hog Original BBQ sauce is definitely an essential item to keep in your kitchen, especially if you are looking for a thick, sweet and spicy barbecue sauce to help perfect your pulled pork and your pulled pork sandwiches!
2. Best Store-Bought BBQ Sauce For Ribs
Ribs need to be smothered in a thick, sweet, and spicy BBQ sauce that brings out their smoky flavor and rich taste. You need a sauce that has you licking your fingers clean, and one that clings to the ribs to help deliver as much flavor as possible!
A BBQ sauce with its own smoked flavor is ideal for ribs that haven’t been smoked, giving them that iconic taste. You should also look to use a BBQ sauce with good sugar content, to caramelize on the ribs for that charred finish.
A great barbecue sauce to use on ribs and smoked ribs is the Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Original BBQ Sauce.
Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Original BBQ Sauce
An official Jack Daniel’s product, the No. 7 Original BBQ Sauce is a family favorite and is trusted by many as their go-to rib basting barbecue sauce!
Packed with true flavors which are thanks to all-natural ingredients and absolutely no preservatives, you can trust that you are only enjoying the best that barbecue sauce has to offer, without any of the nasty ingredients that other subpar sauces may contain.
The barbecue sauce is fructose-free, with no added corn syrup. It is made from a classic process of barbecue making, and this allows for an infusion of great flavors with the old-time kettle-cooking technique.
An authentic recipe that has been tried and tested, and loved, gives this authentic barbecue sauce which is crafted in small batches, the perfect balance of flavors.
Thick, smoky, spicy and sweet, Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Original BBQ Sauce is perfect for ribs, and will leave you wanting more with each bite!
If you are wanting to try something different, they also offer Honey BBQ Sauce and a Sweet & Spicy which has a little more kick to it.
3. Best Store-Bought BBQ Sauce For Brisket
Brisket is an underrated piece of meat, and with the right BBQ sauce, it can make for a delicious meal.
When choosing a good BBQ sauce for brisket, it is important to remember that the brisket needs some extra moisture, to prevent the meat from becoming too dry. The sauce should also bring a good, rich flavor to the brisket.
A great option for brisket is Lillie’s Q Smoky Barbecue Sauce.
Lillie’s Q – Smoky Barbecue Sauce
It doesn’t get better than the gourmet barbecue sauce from Lillie’s Q! Made from flavors as authentic as the place they came from, this is a Memphis sauce tradition!
The smoky barbecue sauce is highlighted with a dash of cayenne pepper, a sprinkling of smoke, and finished with a mild and sweet flavor with brown sugar.
The barbecue sauce is perfect to use with almost anything, but fairs incredibly well when slow-cooked, and brings such good moisture and flavor to brisket.
Only natural ingredients are used to make the barbecue sauce, and all are gluten-free as well. There are no high-fructose corn syrup additives, no MSG, no preservatives, and no nasty additives.
It is authentically crafted southern BBQ, and will help you serve up some great, juicy, smoky, and sweet brisket, as well as other meals such as wings, ribs and pulled pork!
4. Best Store-Bought BBQ Sauce For Chicken Wings
Wings really are just the ultimate comfort food. They are messy to eat and let you really enjoy the different flavors of the basting sauce.
To really have great tasting chicken wings which are juicy, tender, and flavorful, you need the right BBQ sauce.
For an incredible BBQ flavor, with a hint of roasted garlic and honey, the Dinosaur-Honey BBQ Roasted Garlic Sauce will become your best-kept secret for the most amazing chicken wings!
Dinosaur-Honey BBQ Roasted Garlic Sauce
The Dinosaur-Honey BBQ Roasted Garlic Sauce will become your must-have on all your chicken wings, and other barbecue items at home.
It is made with crushed tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, brown mustard, liquid smoke, and other perfectly balanced spices and herbs.
It has the traditional, decadent barbecue taste that we all love, as well as a heightened hint of honey and garlic, which give wings the ultimate flavor.
You can use the barbecue sauce to baste and cook the wings in or use it as a dipping sauce after. With the great flavors, you will probably find yourself using it for both!
Made with only high-quality ingredients, you can trust that you are giving your family the best with Dinosaur-Honey BBQ Roasted Garlic Sauce, and giving them the best flavor experience for their chicken wings as well!
5. Best Store-Bought Carolina BBQ Sauce
Carolina BBQ sauce is the perfect blend of traditional BBQ sauce, with a mustard-base, thinned down with vinegar, and with added spices that give it an extra zing.
Carolina BBQ sauce is traditionally used for pork recipes, such as pulled pork or on pork butt.
The golden barbecue sauce packs a punch of flavor, and a great option is Cattlemen’s Carolina Tangy Gold BBQ Sauce. It has all the right flavor elements to make it taste as traditional as possible.
Cattlemen’s Carolina Tangy Gold BBQ Sauce
The Cattlemen’s Carolina Tangy Gold BBQ Sauce is made with high-grade French mustard seed, molasses, aged cayenne, and hickory smoke. It has an authentic flavor that many other Carolina BBQ sauces do not!
The BBQ sauce is dairy-free, vegetarian, kosher certified, and free from gluten and fructose corn syrup. It is perfect to use with pork, chicken, and beef, and even offers up a vegetarian option for those who would prefer to eat veggies!
There is no starch or fillers in the sauce, and it is only packed with good ingredients that you would want to give your family.
Thick and tangy, the sauce has a delightful smokiness thanks to hickory smoke. It sticks to your meat and creates a rich and flavorful sauce when cooked.
While it is traditionally used for pork, this Carolina BBQ sauce can be used on just about anything and will be the go-to tangy sauce in your kitchen. It has the authentic taste that barbecue sauce should have, just with a little southern flair!
6. Best Store-Bought Korean BBQ Sauce
Korean BBQ sauce offers a delicious twist on the BBQ sauce we are used to. It has a glaze-like texture with a savory profile consisting of hints of soy and spicy chili. It offers a spicier flavor than the original barbecue, with the soy sauce giving it a distinctive Asian taste.
A bottle of Korean BBQ sauce at home can help you give your traditional barbecue meals an Asian twist, with fresh flavors and a sweet and spicy kick.
One of the better Korean BBQ sauces is Bibigo Gochujang Sauce. It is hot and sweet and simply delectable!
Ocean’s Halo Korean BBQ Sauce
Ocean’s Halo Korean BBQ sauce is made with some of the best Korean ingredients for BBQ sauce out there. It is great for dipping, glazing, and seasoning.
It has a perfectly balanced blend of sweet, spicy, and savory flavors that go well with all different kinds of food, and is not just limited to Asian cooking.
The Korean BBQ sauce will be an absolute hit at your next barbecue!
Complex yet perfectly blended flavors complete this BBQ sauce to make it a definite must-have in the kitchen, containing a spicy kick from organic red jalapenos!
7. Best Store-Bought Low Carb BBQ Sauce
As delicious as BBQ sauce is, it does come with a fair amount of carbs and calories. However, there is no reason you can’t enjoy the great BBQ taste when you are on a diet.
There are some great low-carb barbecue sauces on the market to enjoy, all guilty-free while still tasting absolutely amazing!
Ken Davis Sassy 2 Carb BBQ Sauce
This well-balanced barbecue sauce from Ken Davis is spicy and sweet and only contains a small number of calories per serving. It has zero sugar and allows you to enjoy a sweet and spicy barbecue without all the guilt!
It has a rich, smoky flavor and a complex taste that really does go well with so many dishes. You will hardly be able to tell the difference with this zero-sugar barbecue sauce when compared to a normal one.
Being so flavorful and delicious, it might be just what you need to motivate you to stick to your diet each day, giving your food some much-needed flavor!
Related Questions
How do you stretch BBQ sauce?
You can stretch BBQ sauce by adding in some ketchup. Add in ¼ cup of ketchup to 1 cup of BBQ sauce, tasting as you add more in.
How can I make quick barbecue sauce at home?
If you don’t have barbecue sauce to use, you can mix ¾ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons of mustard, and 2 tablespoons of sugar.
You can double or halve these amounts depending on how much barbecue sauce you need, and it gets pretty close to the real thing in a couple of minutes.
The 7 Best Store-Bought BBQ Sauces – Conclusion
The above store-bought BBQ sauces are all suited to be used for different meals, but can all be used in a wide variety of dishes as well!
They all have that authentic BBQ taste that we all love, with an extra kick of flavor here and there to make them must-haves in your kitchen pantry!
Cook up some of your favorite barbecue meals, fire up the grill, and serve some sweet and spicy barbecue dipping sauces using one of the above!
