Bbq Sauces
About BBQ Sauces
Besides different barbecue styles, BBQ sauce also plays a major role in determining the final outcome of the meat. Like there are a handful of different barbecues styles, there are also at least half a dozen different sauces.
Basically, barbecue sauce is a medium that delivers the flavours to the meat. The liquid in the sauce evaporates when you cook the meat, and the only thing that it leaves behind is the main ingredients that give the meat its flavour. The long cooking time of barbecue meat makes sure that almost all of the juices of the sauce gets evaporated. Because of this, the sauce does not do much to moisten the meat. However, some ingredients in the sauce can affect the protein fibres in the meat and make it feel juicier. Read this article to know more about them.
Different types of BBQ sauces for your backyard party
It is possible to create hundreds of different barbecue sauces using various ingredients. But most of such sauces will vary slightly from each other. However, categorising them by taking the key base of the sauces into account is more helpful. Based on this, one can categorise the barbecue sauces into four main categories: tomato-based, vinegar-based, mustard-based, mayonnaise-based. This article will tell you everything you need to know about them. Having a better understanding of them will help you make the right choices when you are shopping for them.
Tomato-based sauces
Out of all types of BBQ sauces, tomato-based sauces are the most popular type. Not surprisingly, these sauces are called tomato-based sauces because the main ingredient in them is the tomato sauce. And more often than not, the tomato sauce will be ketchup. The rest of the ingredients are added to this ketchup base. Because of this, the overall consistency of these sauces will be very much similar to that of ketchup. And among tomato-based BBQ sauces, the most popular one is the Kansas City BBQ sauce. This sauce has a sharp and pleasant taste to it.
Vinegar based sauces
This type of sauce has a thinner consistency than tomato-based sauces. This is to be expected as the base of these sauces is nothing else than just vinegar. And when you compare them to tomato-based sauces, vinegar-based BBQ sauces are much spicier. This spicy flavour works well with mutton and beef barbecue as the spicy taste can balance out the subtle fatty taste of the meat. Even though vinegar sauces do not generally use ketchup as an ingredient, it is not uncommon for vinegar-based sauces to have a significant quantity of tomato ketchup in them.
Mustard based BBQ sauces
As you can tell from the name, the key ingredient in this type of sauce is the mustard paste. These sauces are predominantly used in the North and South Carolina states of the US. Therefore, people often refer to these sauces as Carolina BBQ sauce. There are three key ingredients in mustard BBQ sauces: mustard, sweetener, and vinegar. Apart from these three, there will be spices as well. However, the amount and ratio of spices vary from brand to brand. These sauces have a sour and tangy taste, and you can use them with almost all kinds of meat.
Mayonnaise based sauces
Even though mayonnaise-based BBQ sauces are an anomaly in the US, they are a staple in Asian cuisine. As you probably know, mayonnaise is mostly an emulsion of vinegar, oil and egg whites. When you think about the ingredients, it is not surprising why mayonnaise-based sauces are pretty common. They are really easy to prepare and are not difficult to get the flavour right. One thing that you will notice about mayonnaise-based sauces is that they are much thinner than the mayonnaise bread spreads. This is because, in the barbecue sauce, there will be more vinegar and lemon juice.
Tips on how to buy BBQ Sauces
Finding the right type of BBQ sauce might be harder than you might think. Because there are so many different brands offering dozens of different BBQ sauces and flavours, it can be really difficult to pick the one that you might like. But having the right sauce is essential for enjoying the BBQ meat. That being said, it will be easier to find the right type of sauce if you know what factors to consider while shopping for them. Here are a few tips that you can follow.
- Choose the type of sauce – Firstly, you should decide what type of sauce is that you want. Not all sauces work well for all kinds of meats. So, select a sauce that works well with the type of meat that you are preparing. Furthermore, some people might not like the taste of a specific ingredient. Like if you do not like the taste of vinegar, then stay away from vinegar-based sauces.
- Select a reputed brand – The easiest way to make sure that you are buying a great quality product is to buy the BBQ sauce from a reputable brand. Cheap products will make compromises in the quality of the ingredients they use. Moreover, they might not follow strict safety guidelines. So, it is always better to choose a product from a well-known brand that costs a bit more than a cheaper product from an unknown manufacturer.
- Look for the list of ingredients – Spend some time to read through the list of ingredients of the BBQ sauce. While you might not find anything unusual most of the time, it will help you stay away from products that contain ingredients that you are allergic to.
- Check the expiry date – This one applies to all food products that you are buying. However, checking for expiry dates while you are shopping online is different from when you are shopping from a grocery. When you are shopping online, look for the expiry date amongst the product details on the website rather than zooming in on the picture of the product.
Another important factors are the price of these sauces, which varies with the ingredients as well as brands. So, have you decided which BBQ sauce you wish to buy? Not yet! Then choose Shops.ae as your shopping partner. We are the best shopping search engine with renowned brands and shops allied with us. And the best thing is you can also compare the prices, ingredients, and quality of the products and pick the best one among them. Finally, don’t forget to check out other amazing products from the food & beverages category.
Question & Answer
Is BBQ sauce vegan?
Even though BBQ sauces are meant for meat barbecues, the sauces themselves are, most of the time, vegan. However, in some cases, you will wind animal ingredients in them. The most common animal ingredients in barbecue sauces come in the form of sweeteners. It is common for manufacturers to use honey as a sweetener because of its unique taste. So, if you are somebody who does not consider honey to be vegan, then you should stay away from such sauces. The best way to check whether the sauce is vegan or not is to check the list of ingredients.
Is BBQ sauce healthy?
BBQ sauce is nothing else than just bottled marinade for preparing barbecue meat. The main ingredients of them are vinegar, tomato sauce, oil, depending on the type and brand of the sauce. All these things are not harmful to a person’s health. Moreover, these can even be healthy if used moderately. However, it is usual for these sauces to contain high amounts of sugar, salt, and other condiments. If you have health conditions that prevent you from having sugar or salt in your food, do not use those sauces. Instead, go for a homemade sauce without sugar or salt.
Can diabetics have BBQ sauce?
Most doctors recommend diabetic people stay away from sauces and ketchup. These include barbecue sauces as well. Even though having a little barbecued meat is generally harmless for people suffering from diabetes, it can be harmful if the meat is dipped in ketchup or any BBQ sauce that contains sugar. That being said, it is possible to find a barbecue sauce that uses sweeteners that are safe. Another option is to prepare the sauce at your home. That way, you can have better control over the ingredients of the sauce.
So, if you are all set to shop for your BBQ sauce online in the UAE, then you have landed in the right place! Browse Shops.ae. It has a mind-blowing collection of sauces from top-notch brands with best-priced in the market. Some of the eminent brands include KC Masterpiece, Jim Beam, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Jameson, Sweet Baby Ray’s, and many more.