subject: What Is The Cost Of The Barbecue Sauce You Use? [print this page] For so many people the barbecue sauce they use is an afterthought to their grilling event. While initially you look at the sauce as a mere condiment, but it is actually vital to how good your food will actually taste. Once you think about the cost of all the meats you are going to be cooking, it is insane to think about using a cheap and lifeless sauce to cook with. Glorified ketchups do not do justice to what could be a great cookout. Sure, if you merely cooking up a few hotdogs and burgers for the kids, maybe, but if you are serving ribs, steaks, tri tips or poultry, don't go with the ketchup and sugar mix.
Barbecue sauce and its components are more important than many people think. Ones with higher Brix ratings will avoid burning for a longer period of time, and require less sauce to be used. These are often higher quality sauces, but well worth their seemingly higher price tag. Over the long haul, these types of sauces will cost you less than the cheap stuff, and provide a much better overall grilling experience. The cheap sauces with less fresh ingredients and more pure sugar elements will burn quickly and require a lot more sauce to do the same job.
Never underestimate the ingredients used in your barbecue sauce. Is it a product of local ingredients that are fresh and flavorful, or mass-produced with larger amounts of processed sugars and salt? Believe me, fresh peppers, actual onions and garlic, and local honey or molasses taste better than huge amounts of salt. Peek at the labels and you will start seeing the differences between the good and bad sauces.
No matter how expensive your meats are, and how good your cooking techniques are, a lifeless sauce will ruin your food. Would you put on designer clothing, expensive jewelry, have your hair professionally done, and then put on a cheap pair of old sneakers for your night out on the town? Absolutely not, yet many people will put the equivalent of old sneakers in the form of lousy barbecue sauce on their expensive cuts of meat.
It is more insane than you first think, and more common as well. The smartest move you could make, even as a beginning griller with minimal experience, is to get yourself a quality grilling sauce, test it out on your own before a big party, and make sure the quality is what you expect. This will save you a lot of heartache and embarrassment as well.
