From Austin, TX
Terry Black’s
Central Texas BBQ Sauce
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Boost your backyard cookout
with these bottled family recipes
While Southern purists might say homemade is best, you can’t go wrong with a quality bottle of barbecue sauce. Many of these old school sauces are made from family recipes, in small batches, by dedicated people who put a lot of love into the finished product. They come from third-generation pitmasters and entire families of meat-lovers who perfected the art of smoking, seasoning and saucing ribs, brisket and assorted pork products. We've rounded up seven of the best-reviewed BBQ sauces from across the country. Whether you go for something sweet or spicy, tangy or smoky—or maybe some combination of them all—these will suit your dipping, drizzling and basting needs.
From Austin, TX
From Austin, TX
While lines of tourists bloat the wait times at Franklin, Austin locals head to Terry Black's for quintessential Texas barbecue. Their classic sauce is just sweet enough with a shot of vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and chili powder to give it a slight kick.
$8 at Terry Black's Barbecue
From Kansas City, KS
From Kansas City, KS
You might've seen this pair of sisters on Netflix's Queer Eye, but their chops are real. They've been tending the pit of their family-run smoke-shack for three decades and the family's secret BBQ sauce lives up to the sweet and tangy name.
$6.99 at Jones Bar-B-Q
From Memphis, TN
From Memphis, TN
This Tennessee rib spot has expanded throughout the South, but still makes their sauce the old fashioned way. The thick, sweet sauce (made with a heavy shot of molasses and tamarind) sticks to your meat and finishes as a caramelized lacquer with just a touch of spice and smoke.
$10.98 at Amazon
From Kansas City, MO
From Kansas City, MO
For over 70 years, Gates has been serving up Kansas City-style barbecue and offering a slew of sauces to top it all. But any local will tell you to reach for the bottle of Extra Hot. This tomato and vinegar-based sauce packs plenty of heat thanks to a peppery combination of spices.
$20 (for two bottles)
at Gates Bar-B-Q
From Decatur, AL
From Decatur, AL
If you haven't tried a tangy Alabama-style mayonnaise-based sauce yet, it might be time. The creamy, horseradish kick is particularly great when layered with another sauce on top of a pulled pork sandwich. And the one from this award-winning joint, which has been smoking up meats since 1925, is the best.
$4.75 at “Big Bob” Gibson Bar-B-Q
From Goldsboro, NC
From Goldsboro, NC
If you prefer a Carolina-style vinegar based sauce, this one took over three years to get just right and remains a secret which is passed down through the Scott family of Goldsboro, North Carolina. Because it's thinner, it's a great “mop sauce” to keep your meat moist while it cooks.
$9.23 at Amazon
From Charleston, SC
From Charleston, SC
Mustard-based BBQ sauce is tied back to the Germans who populated South Carolina in the 1700s. This hot mustard BBQ sauce has Gullah influences from the low country cooks on the outskirts of Charleston. The sweet tang gives ways to an impressive heat.
$8.98 at Amazon
A Texas barbecue institution for five decades, Austin-based Salt Lick now sells their original dry rub to help you get that authentic flavor in your own backyard.
$10.99 at Amazon
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