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What You Need To Know About Choosing The Best Barbecue Sauce

When it comes to choosing barbecue sauce, where you live will determine what is considered the best sauce. Barbecue is all about the meat but most people will admit that the sauce can go a long way in creating the perfect meal. Opinions are as varied as the different sauce variations and at the end of the day; your taste will determine what you consider the best option.

When talking about barbecue sauce, it is important to find out the main categories. Most sauces can be grouped into categories that are determined by the base condiments- vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup and ketchup-vinegar. Sauces are usually associated with different regions of the South where allegiances are deep and fierce.

Light tomato sauce

There are barbecue eaters who believe that mixing ketchup and vinegar sauce is something akin to heresy! On the other hand, those who love the Lexington-style barbecue tout this as the perfect way to enhance grilled meats. The light tomato sauces have been around for decades and they became even more popular at around the same time that bottled ketchup gained the distinction of being the most popular condiment. For most people, the sweetness from the ketchup is the perfect counterbalance to the acridity form the strong smoke.  

Heavy tomato sauce

While this often brings out the most intense arguments, there are those who consider heavy tomato sauce the perfect barbecue sauce. Admittedly, this is usually for barbecue novices, who have believed all the marketing hype from food conglomerates that have filled grocery aisles with numerous bottles of thick red-brown sauces. For people who love the real thing, homemade versions are a better option as they allow you to create your favorite tastes.

Golden mustard sauce

For people who love mustard, this is the perfect sauce. While it might shock people who expect barbecue sauce to be red and not yellow, the flavor is not too far off from the ketchup-based sauce and you can use it in place of bottled mustard. The golden sauce works perfectly with chicken and pork and it is usually tangy with a subtle sweet taste. The sauce is made with mustard, sugar, vinegar and cayenne or hot sauce. It is important to use the original mustard instead of the new flavored varieties.

White sauce

For people who have been in the barbecue business for long, white sauce is not a sauce! However, while it might be the least popular sauce style, white sauce has some fans and it is perfect with smoked meats. This type of sauce might be limited in where it is found but there are different variations that appeal to different people. The base for this sauce is mayonnaise and the white or cream sauce can be either thick or thin depending on the preference. The vinegary sauce is often used to complement chicken but it can also be used with other meats.

Vinegar-pepper sauce

This sauce is considered by many to be the original barbecue sauce because it allows you to enjoy the taste of your meat with little interference. Vinegar-pepper sauce is simple and elegant, and the fact that it has been around from the beginning when settlers used vinegar and hot peppers to dress their smoked meat, makes it acceptable to most barbecue lovers. The thin yet tart sauce still reigns supreme in many regions but it has evolved to include different ingredients over the years.

If you are new to all things barbecue and sauces, you might need to try out the different options so that you can decide what you prefer. At the end of the day, it is down to individual tastes but you should also consider the type of meat you are preparing. Get the best BBQ catering services any time you want to impress your guests.