Bbq Sauce Base Categories
The three most popular sauce bases in BBQ are tomato, vinegar, and mustard. These are the three ingredients that have helped to define regional BBQ in America. Just as you might call marinara or alfredo the mother sauces of Italian cooking tomato sauces, vinegar sauces, and mustard sauces are the mother sauces of BBQ.
This Is Sweet Baby Ray’s Most Underrated Bbq Sauce
Americans like barbecue and all the sauces that make this meal so finger licking good. In 2019, 8.82 million Americans used at least 4 bottles of the sweet and savory sauce we brush on our barbecue meats as they grill . And among those brands we purchase, Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce consistently ranks on lists of best barbecue sauces. Just do an internet search and you will find that food sites like Delish, Taste of Home, and the Kitchn, to name a few, rank the original flavor among the best. And it’s easy to understand why.
Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce got its big break when it won a rib contest in the Midwest . After its fateful victory, the now-famous brand decided to go commercial and ultimately developed a suite of sauces, expanding from its classic original barbecue to variations that include a Hawaiian flavor, Sweet & Spicy, Maple, Hickory & Brown Sugar, and more. The sauce’s moniker is a hat tip to the creator’s little brother who was nicknamed Sweet Baby Ray, and aptly so. The collection of sauces range in flavor, but there is a definite sweetness to each. However, there’s one Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce whose taste rises to the top, head and shoulders above the rest but never seems to get the love it deserves. In fact, this sauce is probably the most underrated in the Sweet Baby Ray collection. Which one is it?
Types And Styles Of Bbq Sauce And Best Brands
Just as the styles of BBQ vary from region to region, so do the different styles of BBQ sauce. There are endless flavors to explore from Carolina to Kansas City, St. Louis to Texas, and dont forget about that Alabama white sauce. Everyone knows the secret to a good BBQ is all in the sauce.
But what sauce reigns supreme? Opinions on that are sure to vary, but we have the rundown on all different types and styles of BBQ sauce. Plus, we will take a look at what most consider to be the best brands in BBQ. Get ready to baste, because this guide is sure to leave your mouth watering for a taste of saucy, delicious BBQ!
Contents
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I Never Liked Bbq Sauce Before This
I have never been a fan of bbq sauce at all. My boyfriend eats sweet baby rays on everything and he talked me into trying it one day. At first, I wasn’t crazy about it, but after a while I feel in love with it. It has a great taste that is nothing like any other kind of bbq sauce. The price is decent, but to make it better, I’m always finding sweet baby rays on sale. I now use it on everything too. I even use it to replace the ketchup in my meatloaf!
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Sweet Baby Ray’s Took Its Name From A Basketball Nickname
There’s a story behind every beloved product name. Sometimes that story is manufactured, other times the name has an endearing history. In the case of Sweet Baby Ray’s, the name came before there was even an inkling of starting a barbecue sauce company, Dave Raymond told the Chicago Tribune in 1990.
According to legend, Dave’s brother Larry, named the sauce in honor of Dave’s childhood nickname, Baby Ray. Dave earned the nickname while playing basketball on Chicago’s west side as a kid. In a short documentary, Dave Raymond said that he grew up in a place where “you had to either kinda be in a gang or play sports” to go out, and basketball was a big part of his life. His brother was called Ray , so the younger Dave became Baby Ray.
One day, he told the documentarians, Dave’s team was playing a bigger and older team. He made a fancy move during shooting drills, and one of the guys said, “Hey, that’s sweet, Baby Ray.” That stuck, and it eventually lost the pause between “sweet” and “Baby Ray”. Larry went with the nickname when he entered the family’s barbecue sauce into the Mike Royko Rib-off, and the rest is history. Since the early days of the company, Dave has been the face of the brand that’s named after him.
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Bachelor On The Cheap
What is the most popular thing to add to meats cooked outdoors?
BBQ Sauces
Its true, the most popular thing to add to the plethora of meats cooked outdoors is BBQ sauce. If you had guessed ketchup, believe it or not, you would be wrong.
The person who invented BBQ sauce is unknown, but whoever he was, he was a genius! References to the sauce started appearing in 17th century English and French literature about the formation of the American colonies. The rest is history and boy has BBQ sauce been kicked up a notch with all kinds of flavors and varieties created over the last 400+ years!
A traditional flavoring for pork, beef and chicken, sauce can range from watery to thick, from being heavy on the vinegar to being loaded with spice. Ranging in flavor from sugary to savory, to HOT!, heck, theres even mustard and mayonnaise based BBQ sauces. Its a regional thing, theres Carolina BBQ Tennessee whiskey BBQ Texas BBQ and the favorite of many, Kansas City Style BBQ.
What is your favorite, do you like sweet, tangy, KC style, Carolina style? Have you tried enough variety to know?
In the coming weeks, I’m going to be sampling it all, making comparisons and letting you know what I think the cream of the crop is. Will it be KC Masterpiece? Sweet Baby Ray’s? Stubbs? Something else?
First up: KC Masterpiece vs. Sweet Baby Ray’s
Test Subject: My famous “Idaho Burger” served on a toasted onion roll
Stay tuned for more sauce tastings!
$pend Wisely My Friends…..
Sweet Baby Ray’s 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 Ray’s 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 Ray’s barbecue sauce was incorporated by Larry, his brother Dave, and a childhood friend named Mike O’Brien a year after coming in second place.
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Recipe Testing And Reality
We know it is hard to compete with high fructose corn syrup and refined sugar, but we absolutely LOVE our healthier version. It has incredible flavor, and we feel that it comes pretty darn close to being labeled a WFPB copycat version of Sweet Baby Rays.
One of the things we are most proud of is that it does NOT have a ketchup base as nearly every other BBQ sauce out there does. This loveliness is made from scratch and the flavor is yummilicous!
Ill let Mom tell you more!
Daddy Sam’s Bbq Sawce
The Crowd PleaserThe only thing disagreeable about Daddy’s Sam’s BBQ Sawce is the intentional misspelling on the label . This BBQ sauce has made a name for itself — and Daddy Sam — by being right in the middle of the pack, in a good way. You can slap this ready-to-roll sauce on just about anything, serve it to almost any BBQ fan, and expect a reasonably positive reaction. It might not set the world on fire , but it’s a solid starting point for beginners, and a safe bet for large crowds. And it’s versatile, too. Expect this to work with everything from salmon, to broccoli. If you really want to serve broccoli at your BBQ, that is.
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Sweet Baby Ray’s Gets Its Heat From The Addition Of Tabasco Sauce
The original Sweet Baby Ray’s recipe is well known for its sweetness. Some on Reddit have gone so far as to say that, “It’s just sweet and that’s 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, there’s a little kick of spice in there, too, and that originally came from McIlhenny’s 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.
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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Additional Notes On American Sauces
America’s regions cultivate an evolving spectrum of sauces with smaller-but-emerging styles found throughout the 50 states. Some argue that Memphis and St. Louis represent an alternative style, similar to Kansas City but with a thinner more vinegary base. In North Carolina, scholars also contend that a third imported style riffing on thicker tomato-based sauces has taken hold in the northern regions of the state. And in Kentucky, mutton is sometimes dressed with black Worcestershire-based dip. Wherever it’s applied, sauce adds a signature that marks barbecue as one of the U.S.’s great folk food traditions.
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 America’s 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 won’t be able to put even the worst of barbecue down once it’s 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 it’s been around so long.
BUY NOWWilliamson Bros. Original Bar-B-Q Sauce, $5
Though it’s name is “Carolina Sweet,” you won’t 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 that’s delicious and organic? This Mild flavor from Kinder’s 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 won’t be disappointed.
BUY NOWKinder’s Organic Mild BBQ Sauce, $5
BUY NOWBachan’s Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce, $14
BUY NOWSweet Baby Ray’s Honey Chipotle Barbecue Sauce, $3
BUY NOWJones Bar-B-Q Sweet & Tangy Sauce, $7
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The Founder Went On To Start Another Barbecue Business Under The Sweet Baby Ray’s Name
While Sweet Baby Ray the person may no longer be involved with Sweet Baby Ray’s the sauce, he still can capitalize on the name recognition. As part of the terms of the sale to Ken’s Foods, Raymond kept the rights to the Sweet Baby Ray’s 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 Ray’s barbecue catering company. Duce Raymond, who is in business with Dave, added in his line of barbecue sauces: Duce’s Wild BBQ Sauces. Combined, the businesses are called SBR Events Group, Duce Raymond explained to Chi Thee Wed.
The old and new Sweet Baby Ray’s businesses are still deeply intertwined. SBR Events Group promotes its use of Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce along with Duce’s Wild BBQ Sauces. The restaurant in Wood Dale also has ten Sweet Baby Ray’s house barbecue sauces exclusive to the location. The restaurant’s website nods to Dave Raymond’s 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 O’Brien went on to build the most popular barbecue sauce brand in history.”
Eastern North Carolina Vinegar Sauce
The spicy and acidic African flavor profile was readily adopted in eastern North Carolina. Considered the mother of all American barbecue sauces, it can be traced back several centuries in North Carolina, where whole hog cue reigns supreme. Unlike many modern sauces, the eastern-style uses no tomato, relying instead on a tart combination of vinegar and added spices like cayenne, black pepper, crushed red pepper, hot sauce , salt, and sometimes water. Author and chronicler of North Carolina barbecue Bob Garner notes that some original recipes even utilized coastal ingredients like oysters. This thin, watery wash is used to soak pork as it cooks over the flame.
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How To Make Your Own Sweet Baby Rays Bbq Sauce
This Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce copycat recipe really does taste just like Sweet Baby Rays Original sauce! I did a side-by-side taste test to make sure! This sauce is perfect for grilled chicken, barbecue chicken pizza, ribs, beans, dipping nuggets, pulled pork, salad, and basically whatever you desire.
Kosmos Q Peach Habanero
The “Kind of Different” OneYou should know this right up front: this is not going to be for everyone out there. It is different. But if there’s anything the late great Prince taught us, it’s that being different is more often than not, a great thing. As its name betrays, Kosmos Q’s sauce blends the distinct sweetness of peach with a kick of habanero pepper. And while so many sauces have that spicy, sweet dichotomy, this one in particular delivers it with a haymaker to the taste buds. You’ll get compliments on this one from your guests — and the best part is, you can tell them it’s a “Secret recipe.” You won’t be lying. It just won’t be your secret recipe.
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Who Is The Owner Of Sweet Baby Rays
. Also question is, who created Sweet Baby Rays?
Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce was developed in the early 1980s by Chicago brothers Dave and Larry Raymond. They named the sauce after a nickname Dave had earned as a basketball player. In 1982, the brothers entered their sauce in a Chicago barbecue competition for the first time.
Furthermore, where is Sweet Baby Ray’s manufactured? Sweet Baby Ray`s is processed and bottled in Chicago by a sauce manufacturer. A food broker helped the product gain entrance into the major grocery store chains.
Likewise, what is Sweet Baby Ray worth?
Stubb’s, according to a 2012 story in the Austin American-Statesman, posted annual sales of $20 million in 2011, and the largest barbecue sauce retail brandChicago-based Sweet Baby Ray’shad an estimated sales figure of $151 million, according to the website Statista.
What kind of BBQ sauce is Sweet Baby Ray’s?
Sweet Baby Ray’s Variety 3 Pack-Honey Barbecue Sauce-Hickory & Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce–Sweet
Sweet Baby Ray’s Is Da Stuff Dot Com
I heard a lot of friends raving about Sweet Baby Ray’s products, so I thought I’d give them a try. Am I ever glad I did! I started out with the Original Barbecue Sauce and said, “Now is the way it’s done.”I’ve never been a big fan of most commercial barbecue sauces. They’re usually too sweet for my taste. Sweet Baby Ray’s is a very nice balance of sweet, sour, and spice– just the right touch that doesn’t overwhelm the taste of the meat. I’ve used it with pork and beef. I’ll bet it’s twice as good on chicken. Who knows? The next time I buy lamb, I’ll slather on some Sweet Baby Ray’s Original to see how that works.The consistency of Sweet Baby Ray’s is really good. Too many bottled sauces are thick as glue. This one is different. It’s thick without blorting out in big messy gobs. Sweet Baby Ray’s adheres to the meat nicely and doesn’t slither off into the coals.I like the price of Sweet Baby Ray’s 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, I’ve found.
Gottin
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