For most of the United States, barbecue doesn’t just mean the art of live fire outdoor cooking, but the sauce that goes along with it. Rich meats like brisket and pulled pork need acidity to balance their fat, and sweet ketchup and molasses help tame a bitter char. As barbecue styles vary not just between countries or states, but even counties within those states, there are just as many different brands of barbecue sauce on the shelves. Homemade barbecue sauce will nearly always beat store-bought versions, but for the pit master who needs to shave a little effort off their cookout, there are some supermarket sauces out there up to the competition. Unfortunately, G Hughes Sugar Free Original BBQ Sauce is not one of them.
Chowhound took on the exhaustive task of ranking 19 store-bought barbecue sauces, and found G Hughes’ sauce to be the most disappointing on every level. It was thin, watery, and smacked of artificial flavoring, perhaps because of the sucralose (also known as Splenda) trying to trick our reviewer’s taste buds into detecting sweetness without adding carbs. The labeling was confusing too. The sauce distinctly tasted of mustard, but it was not listed as an ingredient. And despite the sauce’s bottle touting in a large typeface front and center that it was sugar free, the ingredients list admits to containing “a trivial amount of sugar.”
What to try instead of G Hughes Sugar Free Original BBQ Sauce
If sugar is not a concern in your diet, you could try any of our top ranked barbecue sauces. We gave high praise to Kinder’s Mild BBQ Sauce, Sweet Baby Ray’s, and Traeger ‘Que. Several others that didn’t quite place in the top three are still worth tasting. But if you are committed to avoiding added sugar in your condiments, consider trying a style of barbecue sauce that was never intended to be sweet in the first place.
Alabama White is a mayonnaise and vinegar-based BBQ sauce that can be basted on grilled chicken to give it a lusciously brown and crispy skin. East Carolina-style sauces similarly rely on vinegar and spices to keep barbecue moist and well flavored. Florida’s Old Sour ferments lime juice with salt and spice, and tastes awesome brushed on all things seafood. Texas mop sauce is typically built from beer or stock, vinegar, and the drippings from the roasting meat itself. Any one of these will lend moisture and flavor to your barbecue, all without added sugar or artificial sweeteners. For more sauce ideas, check out this list of 11 sauces rooted in Southern history.
