Patio Daddio BBQ - Musings of barbecue, cooking, and life -- served hot, fresh and saucy

When I received the sauces the first thing I did was read the ingredients of each. I was very pleasantly surprised and almost shocked to see that they contain no high-fructose corn syrup. That's a small miracle in the world of commercial barbecue sauces these days. The ingredients were generally natural, and each of the sauces is also gluten-free; so far, so good.

Here is how each of the sauces are described on the bottle:

Kansas City Barbeque Sauce
Chef Guy’s Kansas City BBQ Sauce is your traditional, go-to sauce that you’ll dig on just about everything. Sweet, smoky molasses, a hint of apple cider vinegar and a little black pepper heat will rock everything from beef brisket to chicken wings or anything else you can throw on a grill. Gluten free.

Bourbon Brown Sugar Barbeque Sauce
Chef Guy’s sweet, sticky Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce rocks on just about anything. Smoky bourbon, sweet brown sugar and a hint of spicy black pepper create off-the-hook flavor that’s a perfect complement to everything from beef to chicken, pork and seafood.

Carolina #6 Barbeque Sauce & Marinade
Chef Guy’s Carolina #6 BBQ Sauce & Marinade is the perfectly tangy and versatile "mop & slop" sauce. Apple cider vinegar, sweet brown sugar and a little bit of cayenne pepper heat is a rockin’ combination to be slopped right on pulled pork or used as a marinade or baste for any grilled meat. Gluten free.

Pacific Rim Barbeque & Wok Sauce
Chef Guy’s Pacific Rim BBQ & Wok Sauce is great on its own or as an off-the-hook wok sauce. Sweet ginger, some chile heat, nutty sesame and soy sauce are a rockin’ combination for stir fry, pork ribs, salmon or shrimp.

For my review I barbecued some chicken over Kingsford charcoal and cherry wood. I used a simple and fairly neutral dry rub so that it wouldn't unnecessarily muddy the flavors of the sauces.

Here are my unfiltered thoughts that I jotted down as I tasted each sauce:

Kansas City Barbeque Sauce

• Vinegar punch for a KC sauce.
• Not at all sugary.
• Seems more like a Memphis-style sauce.
• A bit thin for a KC sauce.
• Good flavor.

Bourbon Brown Sugar Barbeque Sauce

• Rich and thick, with a pleasant smooth & velvety consistency.
• Mellow & subtle sweetness with a slight bourbon undertone.
• Very nice!
• A 50/50 blend with the KC sauce makes a great combination.

Carolina #6 Barbeque Sauce & Marinade

• Bold cider vinegar flavor.
• Mellow lingering spiciness.
• Slight black pepper flavor.
• Would be great on pork, but probably too spicy for the average person.
• Maybe cut with the KC sauce?

Pacific Rim Barbeque & Wok Sauce

• Bold soy flavor.
• Background flavor of hoisin & ginger.
• Salty.
• A little goes a long way.
• Mildly spicy.
• Thick with lots of flavor complexity.

When I was done I mixed the leftover samples and, through the magic of barbecue sauce alchemy, came up with what would be a killer pork sauce:

• 1/3 cup Carolina
• 1/4 cup KC
• 1/4 cup Bourbon
• 1/8 cup Pacific Rim

I also had my ladies try each of the sauces and the favorite was the Bourbon Brown Sugar.

In conclusion, these sauces are good. They offer clean and generally bold flavors that are a welcome departure from typical mass-market sauces. Whether or not they are true to their stated barbecue regions is an argument with no end.

These sauces are rollin' out nationwide, so keep your eyes peeled and try them if they become available in your area. I think you'll be very glad that you did. In addition to being good out of the bottle they make a great barbecue sauce chemistry set to invent your own signature sauce.

Obligatory Disclaimer: This is not a paid endorsement. The sauces were sent to me free of charge, but the thoughts expressed are solely my own.