Best BBQ Sauce

[Gonzo]

Id like to get into it and experiment just as a weekend hobby. I dont eat pork but turkey, chicken, and beef are fair game. I also don't want to **** up an expensive cut of meat. Is brisket the best thing to just have some fun wth?

No. It's very expensive and very finicky and very time consuming. You also need to know how to trim it which can be tricky. Then there's the stall midway through that you need to be prepared for. I'd highly recommend avoiding brisket as a starting point.

It's kind of a shame you're not into pork because pork shoulder/butt is a very forgiving cut and a great place to start with smoking. But, in place of brisket you could start out with chuck roast. Kind of a poor man's brisket. Not nearly as daunting, or expensive, but similar process although shorter and a little more forgiving. You could also start with chicken thighs. Any time I have a couple pork shoulders going on my smoker I make it a point to throw a batch of chicken thighs on for the final few hours. Brine them for 24 hours, dry off and apply a dry rub, and you're good to go. At 225 shouldn't take more than 3 hours.

 

[deadeyededric]

actually, speaking of great bbq places in otherwise sketchy towns, there's a place we tried in Muscatine a few months ago. Skinny's BBQ.
highly recommend - and get the armadillo eggs

You see great places in surprising places sometimes. The best pizza joint I've ever been to was a Chicago brick-oven place in Billings, MT. The place looked like it was about ready to fall in honestly. Total hole in the wall place. They're usually the best though.

 

[deadeyededric]

No. It's very expensive and very finicky and very time consuming. You also need to know how to trim it which can be tricky. Then there's the stall midway through that you need to be prepared for. I'd highly recommend avoiding brisket as a starting point.

It's kind of a shame you're not into pork because pork shoulder/butt is a very forgiving cut and a great place to start with smoking. But, in place of brisket you could start out with chuck roast. Kind of a poor man's brisket. Not nearly as daunting, or expensive, but similar process although shorter and a little more forgiving. You could also start with chicken thighs. Any time I have a couple pork shoulders going on my smoker I make it a point to throw a batch of chicken thighs on for the final few hours. Brine them for 24 hours, dry off and apply a dry rub, and you're good to go. At 225 shouldn't take more th

Its certainly way cheaper. I just don't eat pork for a multitude of reasons and religion isn't one of them. Its a mix of health, ethical, and environmental mainly. I gave it up about 10 years ago and don't regret it. I do realize it would be a way better starting point for some experiments in cooking though.

 

[TruClone]

If you like bbq sauce with a big kick, look no further!

 

[DJSteve]

I like the bite in Devils Spit

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I've always thought Famous Dave's sauces are pretty solid across the board. Texas Pit is probably my favorite (it's somewhat similar to devils spit but less spicy) however it's less common to see on the shelf at retail. Sweet and zesty or whatever the purple label one is called is also decent as a mild/sweet option that's generally inoffensive for guests.

My go to recently has been Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet n Spicy, which may partly be laziness / ease of procurement. It has a bit more kick than their original but not a ton (our 2 year old was eating it regularly a few months ago) and works well for things like meatloaf, turkey burgers, grilled pork loin that are my main applications for BBQ sauce at home recently.

 

[12191987]

Mostly I use it on burgers and fries (dry rub for ribs, hot sauce + butter for wings).

Most of the time that means making it from a ketchup base because I forgot to buy it.

It is really simple to do and you can make it to your own taste.

 

[NATEizKING]

I don't use BBQ except for this on pork chops, ribs and pork belly burnt ends.

 

[CyGuy5]

Joes KC

 

[1UNI2ISU]

Blues Hog Raspberry Chipotle

Cookies is my cheap go to when I time have Blues Hog on hand

 

[BWRhasnoAC]

I got this blackberry jalapeno stuff from Lazy Toad that I really like.

 

[ISUTex]

Sonny Bryan's

 

[MuskieCy]

Sweet Carolina from https://www.smokinmikessauceco.com/...axwz7228Mvd3JK5cJJE9jsc2CVZVuEWp90Abkn-s3XQtw

A very local business doing good things.

 

[demoncore1031]

Cookie's is the shiznit!

 

[coolerifyoudid]

Joes for traditional.

Slaps if I want a sweeter sauce.

 

[ghyland7]

Des Moines Bacon & Meat Company makes a surprisingly good sauce; I hadn't seen it around before, but the last year or so it's been at HyVees in the metro and it's REALLY good. I like it a lot better than cookie's or sweet baby ray's.

 

[demoncore1031]

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I actually like Kraft's bbq sauce, especially the honey bbq. It's cheap and tastes great. I but a bottle every time I get groceries and use it when I run out of Cookie's sauce.

 

[mkadl]

Mix these two for ribs. Just wonderful! Sweet and spicy. Just add tonys to your taste.

 

[Helser 83]

I don't use BBQ except for this on pork chops, ribs and pork belly burnt ends.

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Killer Hogs "The BBQ Rub" has been my go to for quite a long time. I try a lot of others but none have seemed to beat it for me. Probably because its pretty basic and it doesn't have cinnamon in it. For some reason I can't stand cinnamon in bbq rubs. I buy it in the 5 lb. bags.

 

[Al_4_State]

My wife's been getting the Lillie's Q line for awhile and I like everything I've had from them.

But I never actually smoke meat with sauce, so I can't speak to how it works there. Always dry rubs for red meat, and then I either butter rub or butter baste poultry. I use BBQ sauce as a condiment on leftovers.

 

[clones_jer]

Best on meatballs and/or a loin of pork. Have had guests pour it straight from the bottle onto their mashed potatoes...also makes an incredible "gravy".

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I'm pretty certain this is the company that will sell you "self-label" products, so you may see the same "Vidalia Onion Fig Sauce" sold in 100 different retail shops across the country with their logo in place of the Stonewall label. When we ran a retail store it was a popular trend, especially with their jams and dips. It still might be a good sauce!