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Recommend a barbecue sauce

tarnoktarnok Registered User regular
I have to cook for my weekly get-together and time is short. I've decided on grilled barbecue chicken and while I'd normally try to make my own sauce I need to trim some prep time so I'm planning to buy a sauce to marinade the chicken in and baste it with during the grilling. Can anyone recommend a barbecue sauce that would be good with chicken and reasonably likely to be available at the average grocery store?

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Posts

  • DjeetDjeet Registered User regular
    If the sauce has a lot of sugar in it and is thick then I wouldn't use it for a marinade; you will get a lot of char. Best to make your marinade, and then use a store bought BBQ sauce as a mop sauce for last 3-4 minutes of grill (I'm assuming you're grilling and not smoking).

    For marinade you want salt, acid and aromatics. So a weak vinegar (like ricewine vinegar), maybe some mirin, soy or ponzu, garlic minced, green onion (scallion) slice thin, ginger, and sliced chillies for marinade (I like Asian marinades, but you could use coke/dr pepper for a slightly acidic solution that isn't a vinegar). Your marinade should be thin, but full of aromatics. For chicken do not marinade in acidic solution too long (an hour or 2 for boneless breast, a bit more for dark meat) as that'll start cooking the chicken.

    Mop with your store bought once it's mostly cooked to prevent too much char. I always make my own, but Stubbs is pretty good in a pinch.

  • jefe414jefe414 "My Other Drill Hole is a Teleporter" Mechagodzilla is Best GodzillaRegistered User regular
    I know many people on this board will recommend you make your own but if that's something you aren't interested in doing, I recommend Stubbs

    It's available in stores.

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  • GafotoGafoto Registered User regular
    I actually came in here to recommend anything but Stubbs. If you want your food to taste like skunked Coors Light, Stubbs is the appropriate sauce. I've never had a BBQ sauce that even compares to how bad Stubbs is.

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  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Good ol' JR has a range of sauces available? http://www.jrsbarbq.com/store

  • DjeetDjeet Registered User regular
    edited February 2013
    Skunked Coors? Really?

    Generally I think BBQ sauce is there to cover for poorly cooked BBQ (chicken somewhat excepted given there's not much taste to chicken and it cooks pretty fast) and if you're going to roll your own keep it thin like a thick jus as opposed to a ketchup affair, but stubbs isn't bad for what it is, which is largely a ketchup and mustard base with adulterants.

    Djeet on
  • iMattiMatt Registered User regular
    I quite like the Paul Newman sauce!

  • EggyToastEggyToast Jersey CityRegistered User regular
    Most anything will work for cooking. I advise... cheating!

    Buy a sauce that sounds good. I like Sweet Baby Ray's for something that tastes like a solid BBQ but is also cheap. Take your chicken, stab it with a fork in a couple spots so the juice gets inside, and then adulterate the BBQ sauce with vinegar. White will do, cider is better. Maybe add some extra things you like, maybe some ground pepper for example. Marinade in the wetter, less thick BBQ that you've adulterated!

    Then when you're grilling, you use the BBQ sauce straight from the container as a finisher.

    I do this all the time with sauces and other things that can be annoying to whip up in a pinch. I will use a pre-existing thing that's close, and then just modify it to work for the situation.

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  • tarnoktarnok Registered User regular
    Thank you for all the suggestions, I think I'm going to give Stubbs a shot, I know I've seen it in the grocery stores around here.

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  • KarrmerKarrmer Registered User regular
  • CogliostroCogliostro Marginal Opinions Spring, TXRegistered User regular
    Stubbs is awesome and it's also a tangy vs sweet. BBQ sauces high in vinegar/low in sugar are a favorite of mine as they grill very well.

  • PantshandshakePantshandshake Registered User regular
    I like Sweet Baby Ray's in a pinch.
    Also, anything from these guys has treated me quite well: http://www.dennymikes.com/
    Lastly, a real quick, and delicious, marinade: Soy sauce, honey, ginger. I don't tend to measure things, other than by eye, but enough soy to turn the honey into a liquid is 'enough.'

  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    If you are in a part of the US that has a Wegmans, their store-brand sauces are pretty amazing for what they are. Memphis is pretty sweet and Kansas is a bit less sweet, but I know there's a range.

    It should be noted that I am not a barbecue expert even a little bit, I just really, really like the Memphis sauce.

    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
  • Mego ThorMego Thor "I say thee...NAY!" Registered User regular
    I'm shocked, Shocked!, to find there are folks that don't like Stubbs.

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  • BowenBowen Sup? Registered User regular
    ceres wrote: »
    If you are in a part of the US that has a Wegmans, their store-brand sauces are pretty amazing for what they are. Memphis is pretty sweet and Kansas is a bit less sweet, but I know there's a range.

    It should be noted that I am not a barbecue expert even a little bit, I just really, really like the Memphis sauce.

    Yup, wegmans makes killer marinades and BBQ sauces. McCormick also makes good ones.

  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    Are the marinades good too? I'll have to look into that. I mean really I like most of Wegmans store brand stuff, so I probably should have figured.

    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    I love Bull's Eye BBQ sauce.

    If you love sweet sauce, I'd recommend it. If you dislike sweet sauces, avoid.


    Also you might want to avoid it anyway, because it's basically just a bunch of brown sugar. But... YUM!

    With Love and Courage
  • BowenBowen Sup? Registered User regular
    I mean they're no Gordon Ramsey thing, but makes a good marinade with minimal effort.

  • DjeetDjeet Registered User regular
    edited February 2013
    Backing myself out of any expressed loyalty to store-bought, it's dead simple to make your own and usually you have all the base ingredients in your pantry (ketchup, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt/pepper, cayenne/chili powder, and spices (your rub goes here), and your hero ingredients [pan drippings, or rendered fats, or heck grate chocolate or instant espresso]). And then cooking it down to desired consistency. That way if you like it thin and vinegary, or thick and sweet, or ketchuppy vs mustardy, you can tailor it the way you prefer and no preservatives that you get from store-bought to make it shelf-life-stable.

    Similarly marinades are usually easy to make with stuff you got, like a vinaigrette with more aromatics and heat. Mainly a thin acid base (vinegar or a soft drink or beer or wine), sodium source, heat (cayenne or fresh chillies), and a lots of aromatics (fresh herbs, onion/scallion/garlic/shallot, minced or crushed to increase surface area, citrus rind).

    Djeet on
  • CowSharkCowShark Registered User regular
    edited February 2013
    Reading this thread made me hungry for barbecue. I had some last night, but also bought a pound and a half of lean brisket that I could use as sandwich meat for work lunches all week.

    Score.

    I'm a fan of the central Texas regional style, I guess. Non-sweet, vinegary sauce (like Stubbs) is what I dig.

    CowShark on
  • Natas_XnoybisNatas_Xnoybis Registered User regular
    just my 2cp, don't ruin chicken by slathering it in bbq sauce.

    allrecipes.com is a great place to check out.

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  • Mego ThorMego Thor "I say thee...NAY!" Registered User regular
    I never would have thought that a mustard based barbecue sauce would be any good, but they're delicious!

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  • lazegamerlazegamer The magnanimous cyberspaceRegistered User regular
    I like Sweet Baby Ray's in a pinch.
    Also, anything from these guys has treated me quite well: http://www.dennymikes.com/
    Lastly, a real quick, and delicious, marinade: Soy sauce, honey, ginger. I don't tend to measure things, other than by eye, but enough soy to turn the honey into a liquid is 'enough.'

    By far the best option in stores.

    I would download a car.
  • jefe414jefe414 "My Other Drill Hole is a Teleporter" Mechagodzilla is Best GodzillaRegistered User regular
    Mego Thor wrote: »
    I never would have thought that a mustard based barbecue sauce would be any good, but they're delicious!

    It's awesome when smoking pork shoulder for pulled pork sandwiches.

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  • DjeetDjeet Registered User regular
    While we're on pulled pork: finishing sauces.

    A basic one is vinegar, salt, pepper corns, red chillie flake, and aromatics. Very thin and acidic. Tart. Really offsets a slow cooked fatty pork shoulder. Although I'm a Texan I learned this from Carolinians (we know cow, but those guys know pig). You could also do BBQ sauce as well, but try it with just a finishing sauce too.

  • Irredeemably IndecisiveIrredeemably Indecisive WisconsinRegistered User regular
    I will put in a vote for Sweet Baby Rays. It is the only BBQ sauce I will purchase

  • Mad JazzMad Jazz gotta go fast AustinRegistered User regular
    Austin's Own is my favorite, but it's a local brand that's (obviously) not available to everyone. I'm also surprised by the Stubb's hate...it's not my favorite, but it's way better than a lot of other stuff out there. Honestly though, the type of sauce you want depends on your own tastes and on the meat you're cooking. Since you're grilling, don't use something with too much sugar, and don't cook it too hot or you'll dry the chicken.

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  • CowSharkCowShark Registered User regular
    edited February 2013
    Not so, Mad Jazz. With the magic of the internet, you can get central Texas BBQ sauces from wherever, whenever.

    http://www.austinsown.com/buy_online/

    Hell, the Rudy's chain of stores will ship you a whole cooked brisket packed in dry ice for you to heat and eat (priced kind of like a Smithfield ham though).

    edit: International!

    CowShark on
  • CogliostroCogliostro Marginal Opinions Spring, TXRegistered User regular
    CowShark wrote: »
    Reading this thread made me hungry for barbecue. I had some last night, but also bought a pound and a half of lean brisket that I could use as sandwich meat for work lunches all week.

    Score.

    I'm a fan of the central Texas regional style, I guess. Non-sweet, vinegary sauce (like Stubbs) is what I dig.

    This

  • frijolefritofrijolefrito Registered User regular
    edited February 2013
    http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=bbq+sauce+

    Any of these work. Pick the one seeming less complicated or more complicated if you want. If not I like jack daniels bbq sauce.

    frijolefrito on
  • Vater5BVater5B Registered User regular
    If I am in a hurry, I always use Stubb's. I don't understand the hate.

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  • CowSharkCowShark Registered User regular
    Maybe the haters only believe in sweet barbecue sauce?

  • Mego ThorMego Thor "I say thee...NAY!" Registered User regular
    Isn't there enough room in this world for all the barbecue sauces?

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  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    Barbecue sauce is basically directly tied to regional tribalism. God knows if I'd really love sweet bbq sauce so much if I hadn't grown up in Memphis.

    Mustard-based bbq sauces are unfathomably vile no matter what, though.

    What is this I don't even.
  • firewaterwordfirewaterword Satchitananda Pais Vasco to San FranciscoRegistered User regular
    edited February 2013
    I dig Stubbs too, but I'm pretty sure it has MSG in it, if that's a turn-off for you.

    firewaterword on
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  • CowSharkCowShark Registered User regular
    edited February 2013
    Mego Thor wrote: »
    Isn't there enough room in this world for all the barbecue sauces?

    Generally assume barbecue to be delicious unless proven otherwise.

    CowShark on
  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    Another vote for Sweet Baby Rays.

    So Cook's Magazine rated Taco Bell's Refried Beans as the best canned beans. Surprisingly national brands are actually sometimes good.

  • RikushixRikushix VancouverRegistered User regular
    I'll echo what someone said before about Bullseye. I'm partial to the Guinness variety. But I've heard that Sweet Baby Ray's is pretty much the goddamn best BBQ sauce on the planet

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