The Founder Went On To Start Another Barbecue Business Under The Sweet Baby Rays Name
While Sweet Baby Ray the person may no longer be involved with Sweet Baby Rays the sauce, he still can capitalize on the name recognition. As part of the terms of the sale to Kens Foods, Raymond kept the rights to the Sweet Baby Rays name, and he used it to start a catering company and a restaurant.
In 2005, the same year of the sale, Raymond opened a barbecue restaurant in Wood Dale, just outside of Chicago. Then he purchased True Cuisine Catering in 2010 to go along with Sweet Baby Rays barbecue catering company. Duce Raymond, who is in business with Dave, added in his line of barbecue sauces: Duces Wild BBQ Sauces. Combined, the businesses are called SBR Events Group, Duce Raymond explained to Chi Thee Wed.
The old and new Sweet Baby Rays businesses are still deeply intertwined. SBR Events Group promotes its use of Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce along with Duces Wild BBQ Sauces. The restaurant in Wood Dale also has ten Sweet Baby Rays house barbecue sauces exclusive to the location. The restaurants website nods to Dave Raymonds former sauce business, though it leaves Larry, the original sauce recipe creator, out of it and instead mentions how Dave and his friend and partner Mike OBrien went on to build the most popular barbecue sauce brand in history.
Whole Foods Market Barbecue Sauce
Score: 41
Another wallflower at the cookout here. Lacks depth of flavor just kind of thin and flat, remarked one of the panelists. A couple of people likened it to its tamer condiment cousin, ketchup. Like a sad ketchup, one summed it up, Like ketchup pretending to be BBQ. Not everyone minded the meekness, though. A little mild compared to the others, but not in a bad way, said one.
The Best Barbecue Sauces Ranked
Barbecue season is upon us!
Barbecue season approaches, and with so many barbecue sauces on the market, it can feel impossible to choose. The Delish team rounded up 12 of Americas most popular brands to see which are up to snuff. Turns out barbecue sauces are a lot like snowflakes, no barbecue sauce is alike. Also, some barbecue sauces are gross.
Not all barbecue sauces need sugar to be sweet and this gluten-free and vegan-friendly maple flavor sauce proves that.
BUY NOWG Hughes Smokehouse BBQ Sauce, $4
This whiskey maple sauce from Rufus Teague will taste so good you wont be able to put even the worst of barbecue down once its topped with this.
BUY NOWRufus Teague Whiskey Maple BBQ Sauce, $5
This family-owned barbecue sauce brand has been bottled since 1990 and the delicious taste proves why its been around so long.
BUY NOWWilliamson Bros. Original Bar-B-Q Sauce, $5
Though its name is Carolina Sweet, you wont have to worry about this sauce being too sweet to eat.
BUY NOWSticky Fingers Smokehouse Carolina Sweet Barbecue Sauce, $3
Looking for a barbecue sauce thats delicious and organic? This Mild flavor from Kinders will definitely do the trick. And while it is a barbecue sauce, if you wanted to opt to have it as a dipping sauce instead, you wont be disappointed.
BUY NOWKinders Organic Mild BBQ Sauce, $5
BUY NOWBachans Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce, $14
BUY NOWSweet Baby Rays Honey Chipotle Barbecue Sauce, $3
BUY NOWJones Bar-B-Q Sweet & Tangy Sauce, $7
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Sweet Baby Rays Barbecue Sauce
If youre addicted to sweets, go with Sweet Baby Rays. Its not particularly good, mind you, but at least it doesnt pretend to be something its not. Instead of attempting to mask or balance the sweetness, this sauce doubles down on it by combining high fructose corn syrup, molasses, regular corn syrup, white sugar, and pineapple juice concentrate. Honestly, the pineapple flavoring is a quite interesting addition that makes this barbecue sauce unique. If you like your barbecue sauce really, really sweet, you wont be too disappointed by this brand.
However, not only is Sweet Baby Rays Barbecue Sauce incredibly sweet, it also uses sodium benzoate as a preservative. Sodium benzoate may be linked to everything from ADHD, to obesity, allergies, and even cancer. So, if youre not concerned with that additive , and youre looking to add some exceedingly sweet barbecue sauce to your dinner plate, youve found the holy grail.
Sweet Baby Rays Got Its Start In A Barbecue Sauce Competition
Larry Raymond was a young Chicago restaurateur before he was a barbecue sauce inventor. He did, however, have a family recipe for sweet and tangy barbecue sauce that he tinkered with starting around 1982, according to the Chicago Tribune. He had properly adjusted the recipe enough by 1985 that he decided to enter it into a local barbecue competition called the Mike Royko Rib-off. Sweet Baby Rays company history notes that the competition was at the time the largest rib cook-off in the country.
Raymond landed in second place out of 700 contestants. A second place finish was more than enough. After all, the Rib-off had a reputation for crowning future barbecue stars. It was started by a popular Chicago columnist named Mike Royko, and in the first year of the competition in 1982, the winner out of 400 participants was Charlie Robinson. Robinson would go on to start a beloved barbecue chain of his own and sell a branded sauce within a year of winning, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Raymond found similarly quick success after being in the Mike Royko Rib-off. Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce was incorporated by Larry, his brother Dave, and a childhood friend named Mike OBrien a year after coming in second place.
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How To Make Just Like Sweet Baby Rays Bbq Sauce:
G Hughes Sugar Free Bbq Sauce Original
Score: 26
Unlike the other sauce-testants, this one was sweetened with sucralose. And while that might be a win for people looking to regulate their sugar intake, it sure didnt hit the sweet spot with our panel. Though they werent alerted to a faux-sugar sauce in the lineup, two testers seemed to sniff out the impostor, both likening it to Diet Coke. Others found it to be overly sweet, and as one put it, not the good kind of sweet. A couple others found the cinnamon notes to be overpowering. One taster summarized the reaction: Oh gosh, no.
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Alabama White Bbq Sauce
There is an easy way to identify Alabama style BBQ sauce it is white! A mixture of mayonnaise, vinegar, and pepper, both the color and the flavor of this sauce is distinctive.
Often thick and creamy, it makes a perfect dipping sauce for your meat, fries, andwell, we think you could eat it on just about anything.
White BBQ sauce was made famous by the Alabama restaurant Big Bob Gibsons, where it was invented by the restaurants namesake. Bob Gibson pioneered the entirely new style of sauce back in 1925 and it is still winning world championships today.
Baste the Alabama white sauce onto the meat at the very end of cooking or serve it on the side for dipping. We guarantee you will want to try this Zesty Alabama White Sauce on everything you can get your hands on.
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Trader Joes Carolina Gold Barbeque Sauce
Give kudos to Trader Joes for not being bashful about stepping out of the box to create a one-of-a-kind barbecue sauce. This stuff is really unique and really good. While you can put it on a cheeseburger or a sub sandwich, it really stands out when used with chicken. If youre searching for a sauce to use for dipping chicken, this is it.
Trader Joes Carolina Gold Barbeque Sauce has a strong mustard base but it successfully blends in sweetness from molasses and a subtle hint of smoke. Besides chicken, this is the sauce to use on grilled vegetables. While its absolutely fine on pork and beef, you will appreciate what it can do to take your chicken and vegetables to the next level.
Unlike many of the competing barbecue sauces, Trader Joes found the optimal balance between being easy enough to pour yet still being thick and creamy enough to use as a dipping sauce.
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Famous Daves Bbq Sauce Original Recipe
Score: 37
Dave might tout his fame, but he only achieved notoriety among our judges. There were lots of complaints about strange flavors here two tasters pegged it as slightly chocolate-y, and others found unpleasant hits of celery, licorice and vinegar in its bouquet. Whoa! This is weird not very traditional, said one. It left one wordsmith of a colleague speechless: ???? he wrote.
This is what someone who has never eaten barbecue thinks mass produced barbecue tastes like, wrote another.
Carolina Gold Barbecue Sauce
This Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce is also known as Carolina Gold Barbecue Sauce.
The sauce gets its name from the beautiful gold color it produces.
My husband isn’t a huge mustard fan, so this isn’t his favorite bbq sauce.
However, I love the sweet and tangy mixture.
I never stop at one helping with barbecue, so I am often interchanging all the lovely sauces.
Although this sauce is DELICIOUS on some pulled pork, it makes a tasty sauce for grilled chicken and grilled ribs.
Pour some of that golden love over either of those meats and you have a fantastic meal ahead of you.
Note: For a pulled pork sandwich, on a bun, add pulled pork, this Carolina mustard barbecue sauce, and my Southern creamy coleslaw! YUM!
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How To Make Carolina
Carolina sauce is cheap and incredibly easy to make at home!
To make Carolina-style barbeque sauce, combine apple cider vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a small sauce pan. Bring the sauce mixture to rapid simmer over medium heat. Immediately reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer the sauce, whisking occasionally, for 15-18 minutes or until thickened and glossy.
My Tips For Making Barbecue Sauce
- Measure the spices into a small bowl and whisk them together before adding it to the pan. This will ensure any hardened clumps are broken up.
- Also, it is best to use a high side pot when boiling and simmering. This sauce really has a tendency to pop and spatter when it cooks!
- Since barbecue sauce is really a regional and individual taste type of flavor, taste your sauce after it has simmered a bit. You can add more onion or garlic powder, sugar, vinegar or cayenne pepper to suit your particular taste, though I think this recipe has plenty of sweet taste.
- If you like the sauce really thick, whisk in a teaspoon or two of cornstarch to the mix.
- If Im not in a hurry, I like to let it simmer on very low for 15-20 minutes and really let the flavors meld.
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Cant I Just Buy Low Sodium Bbq Sauce
It certainly makes sense to try to find low sodium BBQ sauce at the grocery store. Store bought options save time!
Whereas low sugar BBQ sauces are common, it is surprisingly hard to find a BBQ sauce that is low sodium. The definition of a low sodium food is less than 140mg of sodium per serving.
The only two BBQ sauces I found with less than 140mg of sodium per 2 tablespoon serving are:
Let me know in the comments below if you have a low sodium BBQ sauce you love!
Sweet Baby Rays Gets Its Heat From The Addition Of Tabasco Sauce
The original Sweet Baby Rays recipe is well known for its sweetness. Some on Reddit have gone so far as to say that, Its just sweet and thats it, no flavor besides that.Others on Reddit have compared it to corn syrup. According to the Chicago Tribune, Larry intentionally made it sweet to match with the name that had already been chosen, and because other chefs had recommended to do so. Still, theres a little kick of spice in there, too, and that originally came from McIlhennys Tabasco from Avery Island, Louisiana.
It is a unique blend of sweet, hot, and smoke designed to complement food flavor and not dominate it, Dave Raymond told the Chicago Tribune. Used straight from the fridge it is spicier, but milder when heated. The addition of Tabasco gives a little acidity from the vinegar and a mid-level spicy heat from the Capsicum frutescens peppers. Other sauces use bell peppers, curry powder or cayenne red pepper, which are cheaper ingredients without the same bite, Raymond said.
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Rufus Teague Honey Sweet Bbq Sauce
According to the label, Rufus Teague made some barbecue sauce, put it in a jar, and shared it with his boys. It was so good, his boys pestered him until he made another batch. And from there, this sauce spread from Kansas City to the rest of the country. Give Rufus Teague Honey Sweet BBQ Sauce a taste and you too will be hankering for more once you run out.
Most barbecue sauces that try to incorporate honey are failures but this one is a home run. It has a sweet taste but the sweetness has depth due to the perfect mix of honey, brown sugar, white sugar, molasses, orange juice concentrate, and raisin paste. Its like an orchestra of heavenly nectar that everyone with a sweet tooth can enjoy.
The label also says Rufus Teague Honey Sweet BBQ Sauce is damn good. If two words were needed to describe this sauce, those were two wisely chosen words. Its impossible to disagree.
Sweet Baby Rays Is Da Stuff Dot Com
I heard a lot of friends raving about Sweet Baby Rays products, so I thought Id give them a try. Am I ever glad I did! I started out with the Original Barbecue Sauce and said, Now is the way its done.Ive never been a big fan of most commercial barbecue sauces. Theyre usually too sweet for my taste. Sweet Baby Rays is a very nice balance of sweet, sour, and spice just the right touch that doesnt overwhelm the taste of the meat. Ive used it with pork and beef. Ill bet its twice as good on chicken. Who knows? The next time I buy lamb, Ill slather on some Sweet Baby Rays Original to see how that works.The consistency of Sweet Baby Rays is really good. Too many bottled sauces are thick as glue. This one is different. Its thick without blorting out in big messy gobs. Sweet Baby Rays adheres to the meat nicely and doesnt slither off into the coals.I like the price of Sweet Baby Rays Original, too. You can pay a lot more or you can pay a bit less, but this one is the best bang for my buck, Ive found.
Gottin
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Heinz Classic Sweet & Thick Bbq Sauce
Heinz has been in business since 1869 and has been making its famous ketchup since 1876. Todays Heinz ketchup is by far the most popular brand of ketchup in the United States. Recently, Heinz expanded to offering a new line of barbecue sauces and so far the results have been impressive for being the new kid on the block.
Heinz Classic Sweet & Thick BBQ Sauce hit shelves in 2017 and its doing a lot right. As the name suggests, this barbecue sauce is sweet and it has a thickness that works especially well when used as a dipping sauce. Its made with cane sugar and a variety of spices including onion and garlic, plus tamarind concentrate.
Give Heinz a few more years and these ketchup experts will probably be climbing this list. As it stands, this barbecue sauce is slightly heavy on the vinegar taste. Heinz Classic Sweet & Thick BBQ Sauce is good enough to buy, but its still a work in progress as they continue to work on balancing all the flavors.
What Makes A Great Barbecue Sauce
It’s all relative, but most pitmasters agree that balance is key to a great barbecue sauce. Most sauces are made with a tomato base, vinegar, some sweetener like honey or molasses and an element of heat. From there, sauces are fine-tuned with spices and flavors, such as mustard, garlic, fruit and smoke. Any sauce that’s too overwhelming in any one direction usually doesn’t work well. And super simple sauces without much spice or complexity often fall flat.
We tasted many traditional Kansas City-style sauces for this list, a host of vinegar-heavy Carolina-style sauces, some keto-friendly sauces, Bachan’s cult-favorite Japanese-style sauce and a few Alabama white sauces to see which ones really tickled our taste buds. We tried each one with plain unseasoned chicken breast since it’s a rather blank slate as far as classic grilled foods go. When tasting, we noted things like overall balance, heat, sweetness, overwhelming flavors or anything else that jumped out — both bad and good.
It took a lot of napkins to find the best barbecue sauce in 2022. Here they are.
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