Pork is a dish that originated from Southern American barbecue cooking which has a rich history you can read about here. It works by slowly cooking – what is usually a shoulder pork joint – for a few hours, although some cooking methods cook for much longer.
The result is a teder, melt-in-the-mouth pork that pulls apart easily.
One of the most popular ways to prepare pulled pork is with a barbecue sauce which gives it that authentic smoky sweet flavor. The question is, which sauce should you slather on your juicy joint?
This article will review the best bbq sauce brands for pulled pork on the market and other factors to consider when buying bbq sauce for pulled pork.
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Best BBQ Sauce for Pulled Pork Comparison
[wptb id=5122]Best BBQ Sauce for Pulled Pork Reviews
Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce
Mouth Watering Sweet Tangy Sauce For The Perfect Pulled Pork
Sticky sauce lovers rejoice, Blues Hog have the product for you. This delicious original barbecue sauce is packed full of spicy and sugary goodness to slather your pulled pork in a rich flavor that elevates your barbecuing to a new level.
Customers will love how thick the sauce is, ensuring it easily coats your meat with ease. It’s benefits go far beyond consistency of course.
With brown sugar as the first ingredient, this sauce is very sweet, giving an authentic sweet Memphis style flavor.
Vinegars, onion powder, paprika, Worcestershire sauce anchovies and tamarind give the sauce rich and tangy layers beyond the sweetness. The result is a moreish, powerful sauce that will have your guests coming back for more of your pulled pork well beyond seconds.
Even better, it’s so strong in flavor you can easily use it alone or as a base for your own culinary creations at home.
Why We Like It:
- Thick, sticky consistency
- Authentic Memphis taste
- Perfect used alone or as a sauce base
- Recognisable ingredients without nasties
What We Don’t Like:
- May be too sweet for some customers
- Could be considered more of a ketchup
Guys Award Winning Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce
Delicious Sugar-Free Sauce For Gorgeous Garlicky Pulled Pork
Guys sugar-free barbecue sauce has taken the market by storm, opening up sticky pulled pork deliciousness to customers avoiding sugar.
As most barbecue sauces use molasses or brown sugar as their base, this product really is a blessing for those missing their favourite saucy barbecue meals.
Customers will love the yummy flavor of the sauce on their pulled pork. Instead of sugar being the main driver of taste, garlic is the strongest flavor in this sauce.
It’s combined with warming cinnamon and cayenne, some tangy vinegars and lemon juice, and a deeper layer of hickory smoke, which gives it a really authentic kick.
Customers trying to be healthier, lose weight, or avoid high-sugar meals will love this alternative to the traditional sugar-filled barbecue sauces.
It means not having to miss out on pulled pork dishes with yummy barbecue sauce, keeping your diet interesting for long-term health goals.
Why We Like It:
- Sugar-free
- Garlicky & smoky
- Great for healthier diets
- Sauce is thick and coats meat well
What We Don’t Like:
- May be too different from traditional sauce to suit some tastes
- Not very spicy, which some people prefer
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Sensuous Slathering Sauce
All-natural, Gluten-free Barbecue Sauce For Delicious, Healthier Pulled Pork
If you value the recognisability of your food ingredients and prefer natural products, this delicious Dinosaur Bar-B-Que sensuous slathering sauce could be the product for you.
It’s packed full of flavor, without all the nasties, helping you enjoy your favourite pulled pork dishes covered in yummy sauce, without compromising on the quality of your meals.
Customers will love that the sauce has easily recognisable ingredients that create its sweet, tangy taste. The main ingredient is crushed tomatoes, which are naturally flavorful. It also contains sugars, spices, garlic, green bell pepper and lemon oil, plus natural smoke flavor and mustard flour for heat.
Another great point of this barbecue sauce is the fact that it has a slightly different consistency to standard barbecue sauce. Instead of being very thick and sticky, it is more saucy and even has real chunks of fresh ingredients in.
This gives it a really fresh homemade texture that is likely to make your guests think your pulled pork sauce was made right at home in your kitchen.
Why We Like It:
- All natural ingredients
- Homemade consistency
- Sweet and tangy
- Great as a condiment or sauce
What We Don’t Like:
- Sometimes chunky consistency may not be liked by some customers
- Not exceptionally sticky, so may not stick to meat as well as other brands
Lillies Q-Smoky BBQ Sauce
Authentic Gourmet Barbecue Sauce For Authentic Sticky Pulled Pork
If you’re looking to invest in the best of the best when it comes to your pulled pork sauce, you might want to consider investing in some Lillies.
Originating in Chicago, the sauce is packed with high-quality ingredients that add an incredible depth of flavor to any dish, especially pulled pork which it truly brings to life.
Customers will feel reassured to know that the sauce only contains natural ingredients with no MSG, no high fructose corn syrup, gluten or artificial colors.
Instead, it has rich, tart vinegars, sticky molasses, spices, liquid smoke and even cayenne straight from Memphis, along with other warming, tasty ingredients that make it deliciously authentic in sweet stickiness.
Lillies Q-Smoky sauce is perfect for use on pulled pork, as well as other dishes like smoked chicken, wings, ribs and as a base for homemade barbecue sauces.
Why We Like It:
- No nasties
- Memphis style sweetness
- Versatile
- Recognisable, high-quality ingredients
What We Don’t Like:
- Some customers may find the product too sweet
- Could be considered a higher-budget product
Hughes Sugar-Free Original Barbecue Sauce
Delicious Sugar-Free Original Barbecue Sauce From An Award Winning Pit Master
G Hughes is an award winning pit master, and so he really knows his barbecue flavors inside out.
He has a range of sauces expertly designed to delight the taste buds of barbecue lovers across the land.
Even better, this original barbecue sauce is sugar-free, opening up the world of delicious barbecue flavor for even more people to enjoy.
Customers will love the sticky, warm, smoky flavor of the sauce which uses a crushed tomato base. It’s definitely thick enough to slather on your pulled pork, but saucy enough to use as a condiment too.
If you love your sweet barbecue flavor and worry you won’t get that with a sugar free sauce, you can be assured that isn’t the case with Hughes.
The sucralose gives it a sweet base for that authentic sticky barbecue yumminess you may have missed out on before because of molasses or sugar. You really don’t have to miss out on any pulled pork deliciousness with this sauce.
Why We Like It:
- Sugar-free & naturally low-carb
- Sweet and flavorful
- Versatile
- Saucy consistency
What We Don’t Like:
- Some customers may pick up on the taste of sucralose
- Could be considered a higher-budget product
Montgomery Inn Barbecue Sauce
Totally Free From Nasties Barbecue Sauce
If you’re the kind of person who enjoys a barbecue sauce that comes without all the extra ingredients you never asked for, Montgomery Inn could be the sauce for you. It is free from: gluten, fat, peanut, soy, dairy and tree nut. Instead, it’s jam packed full of flavor, and makes the perfect pairing or your juicy pulled pork.
You might be wondering how a product with so much missing can possibly have any flavor.
Luckily, this barbecue sauce is absolutely packed full of great ingredients to make it taste great. Its base ingredient is tomato, which makes it tangy and sweet.
Add things like garlic, distilled vinegar and tamarind, and you’ve got a smoky, salty barbecue treat to slather all over your meat.
Why We Like It:
- Free from nasties
- Salty, smoky flavor
- Perfect for smokers & barbecue pits
- Great as a sauce alone, and sauce base
What We Don’t Like:
- Not as thick as other brands
- Vinegar flavor may not be to the taste of some customers
Open Pit Original Barbecue Sauce
Luscious Barbecue Sauce Made By Experienced Pit Masters
Open Pit have over 50 years pitmaster experience, which means their sauce was always going to be something special, and special it is.
Its saucy, sticky, sweet and moreish – the perfect pairing for pulled pork.
If you like a traditional barbecue sauce, then you will love the taste of Open Pit.
Its first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup, which means it is sweet, just like authentic Southern barbecue sauce.
For balance, and plenty of tang, it also has tons of tasty tomato paste, garlic, spices and onion powder to boost that overall flavor profile and truly enhance any meat, sauce or dip it is added to.
Customers will love the versatility of the sauce which can be used straight out of the bottle, or as a base for your own kitchen creations.
Why We Like It:
- Traditional sweet, tangy, spicy flavor
- Versatile
- Penetrates meat well
- Nice and sauce
What We Don’t Like:
- Some customers may not like high fructose corn syrup being the first ingredient
- Not as sweet as some customers may prefer
Bone Suckin Sauce Original Seasoning & Rub
Yummy Barbecue Seasoning With Tons Of Different Uses
If you want a pulled pork flavoring that is a little bit different, you might want to consider Bone Suckin original seasoning and rub. It’s packed full of tons of gorgeous flavors that make it one of the most versatile seasonings in your kitchen, for many delicious meaty meals ahead.
The seasoning is made of a blend of brown sugar, chilli, salt, paprika, garlic, onion, bell pepper, mustard flour, celery powder and citric acid. That means the magicians in the Bone Suckin kitchen have created a deep, tangy, spicy flavor without using any nasties at all. You get to enjoy the tang, taste and yumminess of a barbecue flavor without compromising on ingredient quality at all.
Customers will love how versatile this rub is. You can use it with pulled pork and any other meats, with veggies, seafood, legumes, pasta or veggies. You can add it to sauces, dips, stews and soups. You can use it in pretty much anything, making it a truly valuable addition to your pantry.
Why We Like It:
- Natural ingredients with no nasties
- Incredibly versatile
- Tangy and flavorful
- Great when used in smokers
What We Don’t Like:
- May be too sweet for some tastes
- Some dishes may require a lot to be used for a thick flavor
How To Choose The Best Barbecue Sauce For Pulled Pork
If you’re still unsure about which sauce to choose to pair with your slow-cooked pulled pork, consider the following before you make your purchase:
Which Flavor Is Strongest?
This is one of the most important considerations for most people buying a barbecue sauce, and quite rightly too.
If you love a traditional sweet sauce, it is important to look for high fructose corn syrup, or ideally, brown sugar or molasses to be high on the ingredient list.
Prefer a hotter sauce? Look for chilli pepper or mustard powder in the spice list.
If you like your barbecue sauce tart, different vinegars can bring that kind of flavor forward.
Consistency Is Key
Consistency is so important when you’re choosing a barbecue sauce.
If you like to literally paint a sauce onto your meat, look for thicker sauces that are more of a glaze.
Molasses in the ingredient list can often indicate this kind of thick, stickiness. Or, look for a seasoning or rub you can mix to your own consistency.
If you like more of a saucy product, look for a ready-to-use ketchup type barbecue sauce.
Nastes Or No Nasties
The kind of ingredients some people consider to be less healthy in barbecue sauce are usually high fructose corn syrup and MSG. Of course, everyone is individual in their views and some people don’t mind those kinds of ingredients.
If you don’t want any ‘nasties’ look for easily recognisable ingredients with a focus on sugar being used, rather than high fructose corn syrup.
Added colorings might also be something you want to avoid.
Sugar-Free – Can It Be Tasty?
If you are trying to lose weight, diabetic or otherwise eat a low-sugar diet you might be happy to know there are barbecue sauces without sugar in them. Some contain sweeteners like sucralose, which can be used as a sugar-alternative.
Some sauces avoid any sweetener alternative and rely on the natural sweetness of tomatoes, and they have more of a tangy, smoky and spicy flavor profile overall.
Do consider the ingredients carefully if you are on a specific diet for medical reasons.
Summary
Choosing the right sauce for your pulled pork is an important choice. You’re cooking that juicy joint for hours so you want the sauce you add to make the most of it, and to impress your guests with the results of your efforts.
Using our tips and product recommendations above you can enjoy the most delicious barbecue sauce for your next pulled pork dish, and hopefully, for many more memorable culinary pulled pork delights in the future too.