Yes, You Can Freeze Sweet Baby Ray's Sauce. Here's The Best Way To Do It For Maximum Freshness

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One little-known fact about Sweet Baby Ray's is that the brand sells it in a massive five-gallon pail. Whether you need that much sauce because you're in the food industry, you barbecue constantly, or you just really, really love Sweet Baby Ray's, you might wonder how on earth one keeps that much sauce from going bad before you can use it all. The brand claims on its website that you can't freeze it, but you actually can. The warning has nothing to do with the sauce itself. It's the pail, as well as the bottles, that can't be frozen. 

Generally, you don't want to freeze anything in a container that's too large, as the food within will freeze too slowly, possibly affecting the freshness and quality. Additionally, if the packaging says do not freeze, it's likely not made of a material designed to be used in the freezer. That means it may crack or burst, leaving the sauce to spoil and get freezer burn.

The USDA advises that almost any food is freezeable, including barbecue sauce. However, you need to make sure the container you're putting the sauce in is freezer-safe. It needs to seal tightly and be resistant to moisture, be leakproof, and be made of a material that won't crack at the low temperatures of a freezer. Your best bet is to buy containers made just for the freezer.

Both freezer-safe bags and containers work well for barbecue sauce. The best hack for freezing sauces in a bag is to first freeze them in a sheet pan. This can be easily portioned and placed in a bag. Just make sure you squeeze any air out and lay it flat in the freezer. It's also a good idea to write the date on the bag of when you first placed the sauce in the freezer. The USDA notes that liquids, like soups and stews, generally can stay frozen and high quality for up to three months. However, a sauce such as barbecue, if stored correctly, may last about six months.

Since you don't want to store your sauce in anything too large, these Hometall Food Storage Freezer Containers are 32 ounces and come in a pack of six. They're made of food-grade plastic, and the lids are supposed to be watertight. You can also go the baggie route, which may take up less space. Ziploc Gallon Food Storage Freezer Bags have a stand-up bottom, so it's easier to pour the sauce in with no spills, plus they are microwave-safe. Considering a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's sauce is good for only six months after it's been opened, it's good to have an option should you be coming up on that "best by" date and there's still plenty left.