12 Grocery Store-Brand BBQ Sauces, Ranked Worst To Best

I'm as big of a BBQ fan as the next guy, but I never really have been brand loyal. I tend to gravitate toward whatever happens to be on sale that week at the grocery store, be that Sweet Baby Ray's or the occasional Kinder's (when I can find a bottle for under $6). But there's a whole world of BBQ out there waiting to be discovered: the store brand.

Some stores use clever private label names to disguise the generic nature of their products, such as "Simple Truth" (from Kroger) or "Good and Gather" (from Target). Others let their reputation proceed them, including Trader Joe's. Still, they each offer a wholly unique BBQ sauce, and some are just as good as more expensive name brands. In line with Christopher Nolan, I created an odyssey of my own to find the best — and worst — BBQ sauces that grocery stores have to offer. Here's what I found on my journey.

This is one Kroger brand product to keep out of your shopping cart. I consider myself a big fan of honey BBQ, but Kroger's Honey Sweet BBQ Sauce missed the mark for me. There's not a ton of flavor to it besides the one-note sweetness from the titular honey, and it lacks any smokiness or heat that constitutes a good BBQ sauce. Even the smell is almost sickeningly sweet. Heavy on the honey and light on the BBQ, Kroger's sauce is almost reminiscent of a Hawaiian-inspired glaze. It tastes fruity and rich, but doesn't have much depth of flavor beyond that.

One thing Kroger's Honey Sweet BBQ Sauce has going for it is it's exceptionally thick, even compared to some of the better-tasting sauces on our list. It's probably best used on a dish with more complex flavors, like a big plate of BBQ nachos; salty chips, spicy salsa, and creamy guacamole would definitely elevate this less-than-stellar bottle of BBQ sauce. It can be found at Kroger-owned grocery stores, such as Ralph's, Dillons, or Smith's. This bottle came from a Food 4 Less in Los Angeles for just $1.25.

Walmart's Great Value Original BBQ Sauce left a bad taste in my mouth before I even opened the bottle. Compared to the rest, it felt poorly manufactured, with soft plastic and a seal that peeled off completely when I cracked it open. Once I did, I wasn't that much more impressed.

This BBQ sauce has a pretty tangy taste, letting the vinegar play a forward role along with the high fructose corn syrup listed first in the included ingredients. It's a bit too sweet, and not nearly savory enough, missing that smoky flavor I so long for. The sauce has a nice consistency, though; it's thick and hearty, making it a decent choice for basting. It probably would work pretty well on a meaty pork roast. Walmart's Great Value brand is also true to its name: It can be found in stores around the country or online for just $1.72.

Despite not being high up in this ranking, Albertsons' Signature Select has quite a few good things going for it. First, it's the only store-brand BBQ sauce that has a squirt top as opposed to an open lid. That's especially useful considering Signature Select's second redeeming quality: it is, by far, the thickest sauce of the group.

Unfortunately, the pros more or less end there. It has a pretty underwhelming flavor; the sauce is on the sweet side, but has a muted taste all the way around. It's not particularly salty or smoky or sweet, and doesn't stand out in any meaningful way compared to its peers. It certainly has more of a BBQ flavor than the other sauces named so far, but doesn't go above and beyond to stand out. Still, a particularly thick BBQ can go a long way, which makes me think it's best used as a dipping sauce. Just make sure whatever you dip is well seasoned to get some actual flavor. Albertsons also owns Pavilions, where I found this BBQ for $1.99.

Great Value's Honey BBQ Sauce was noticeably better than its Original counterpart. Despite the addition of honey, this sauce is somehow slightly less sweet, letting the BBQ flavor speak for itself. The honey seems to cut through the excessive tartness of Walmart's Original BBQ sauce, leaving behind a significantly better flavor.

While not excessively sweet, the honey still plays a key role. It's a nice balance, but doesn't leave me wanting more. While nice in a pinch, I'm not going out of my way to buy this. The sauce is also rather runny, and while not as thin as some other sauces, Great Value still lacks the heftiness I'm looking for. The package says this sauce would be good on steak, but I think that would cheapen an otherwise decadent meal. No doubt it would be a nice sauce to toss your favorite fried chicken wings in, though. Like the Original, it's also $1.72.

Whole Foods provides a pretty simple BBQ sauce in a pretty simple package. One major benefit is Whole Foods was the only brand that had freshness seals on its bottles, which helps put my mind at ease with some shelf-stable condiments.

365 Whole Foods Market Original Barbecue Sauce has a unique flavor compared to the rest. Molasses and brown sugar stand out more than anything, making a sauce that's too sweet. It isn't an unpleasant taste, but it's not one I would reach for when looking for a BBQ sauce. There's no smokiness, which dashed my high hopes of the Whole Foods brand.

It was also incredibly thick — one could say thick as molasses. I couldn't ignore it once I noticed the prevalence of the typically backseat ingredient. Still, the distinct flavor likely tastes pretty great on a luxuriously hearty meal, such as some of my favorite Korean BBQ. It's not a bad sauce for just $2.49 at Whole Foods.

As someone who's had BBQ in Memphis before, I had high hopes and high expectations for Whole Foods' Organic Memphis Madness Barbecue Sauce. Unfortunately, there wasn't much of anything mad about this sauce. There wasn't much that excited me about either this, or the Original 365 sauce, but the Memphis Madness tasted slightly better and had more of that traditional smoky BBQ flavor. There's a nice tanginess that rounds out the taste, and there are hints of onion, garlic, and mustard throughout.

365 Whole Foods Market Organic Memphis Madness BBQ Sauce is a bit less thick than its Original counterpart, and would be an excellent marinade for chicken breasts or drumsticks. It's not at all a bad sauce; it's bright, flavorful, and rather red in appearance. As an organic option at Whole Foods, it costs slightly more than the Original at $3.29.

Private Selection — Kroger's "elevated" private-label brand — is supposedly a step up from the normal Kroger store brand. It attempts to prove that with some of its more creative variants on a traditional BBQ sauce. The Applewood Smoke Honey Maple BBQ Sauce is one of those. It's a decadent sauce that plays with the idea of what BBQ should be.

More than anything, the Private Selection Applewood Smoke Honey Maple BBQ Sauce reminds me of Thanksgiving. It's heavy on the maple, with hints of wildflower honey that give it a sweet, autumnal flavor profile. It's an interesting flavor, but there's a bit too much going on for an everyday bottle of BBQ. It would pair well with a roasted turkey, or as a base for baked beans. A salty slab of bacon would really round out the sweetness surrounding this sauce. It's probably the thinnest of all the sauces sampled, and more like a BBQ marinade (though the bottle did not advertise itself as such). Private Selection's bottles of BBQ were some of the most expensive at $4.39 across Kroger-owned grocery stores.

This is honey BBQ done right. Albertsons' Signature Select Honey BBQ Sauce is far superior to its Original counterpart. Where that sauce is muted, this puts both ingredients front and center for a beautiful combination of flavors. Sweet honey and smoky BBQ hit your tastebuds hard and fast. It's immediately evident that you're eating honey BBQ without even seeing the label. There's also a tangy scent to the sauce that hits your nostrils before you even take a taste, but that tanginess is covered up by the noticeable honey flavor and oaky BBQ.

The flavor can be bit overwhelming, admittedly, as it's not subtle. It would make an excellent addition to top a bacon cheeseburger, where the sauce would meld well with other ingredients with big personalities. While slightly less thick than the Original BBQ, the $1.99 Signature Select Honey BBQ Sauce is one of the best honey BBQs around.

It felt almost unfair to rank Trader Joe's Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce in this list. It's the only gold BBQ of the bunch, and a true purist might consider gold BBQ a separate condiment. But Trader Joe's only has two year-round types of BBQ sauces, so, in the name of fairness and journalistic integrity, I bravely persisted.

I do love a good gold BBQ sauce, and Trader Joe's makes one. While TJ's has a smaller repertoire than some of its big box competitors, it was consistently the best brand overall. Its Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce is sweet and tangy, and the only sauce to have cane sugar as its first ingredient. Sugar is followed immediately by yellow mustard, which you can taste in the tanginess of the sauce. It's not an overwhelming mustard flavor, with other notes of vinegar and Worcestershire sauce splashed in. It's also not incredibly thick, but does the trick for a great pile of Carolina gold BBQ chicken wings. You definitely get a nice BBQ sauce at Trader Joe's for just $2.99.

Kroger's Hickory Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce was the biggest surprise of the bunch. I didn't have high expectations after sampling the brand's Honey Sweet BBQ Sauce, which was decidedly my least favorite, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed both the flavor and texture of this highly improved iteration.

This BBQ sauce is pleasantly thick, and doesn't spill easily out of the bottle. It's sweet, but not too sweet, and has a nice woodsy aftertaste from the added hickory smoke flavor that lingers in your mouth for a moment afterward. It reminds me a lot of one of the Wingstop flavors also named Hickory Smoked BBQ. Kroger's rendition is a great choice when looking for a versatile everyday BBQ sauce. This would make an excellent BBQ pulled pork in a slow cooker. For just $2.29 at Kroger-owned grocery stores, I'd happily buy this bottle again any day.

Trader Joe's superiority shines through in another one of its great BBQ sauces, the Organic Kansas City Style. What stood out in this bottle was the consistency: It's not incredibly thick, but instead built like a finely diced salsa, with tiny pieces of tomato, brown sugar, and molasses giving the sauce some heft. It gives the look and feel of a nicely made organic sauce that you can't wait to dig into.

You also get a whiff of an appetizing oaky sauce that betrays the BBQ's flavor before you taste it. The result is a perfectly balanced mix of sweet and smoky BBQ with tastes of chipotle, tomato, onion, and garlic. It's a nice combination of flavors that would work marvelously as part of a savory meatloaf. Unlike Trader Joes's Carolina Gold, the Organic Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce is more of a versatile, everyday sauce that would work well on pretty much anything. It's definitely going on my personal list of top Trader Joe's finds. Grab it for $2.99.

In a crowded field of contenders, Private Selection's Southern Smokehouse BBQ Sauce took the top spot, proving that Kroger's elevated brand really is deluxe. Unlike the Applewood Smoke Honey Maple BBQ Sauce, this iteration doesn't have too much going on. In fact, its a bit more reserved, with a noticeably less sugary taste compared to the rest. The result is a smoky, savory sauce that substitutes sweetness for added flavors.

The bottle boasts "notes of burnt brisket ends," which I didn't believe until I tasted them myself. It's a rich, decadent sauce that doesn't overwhelm the tastebuds. Still, you taste notes of hickory, brown sugar, tomato, and even beef bone broth, which is added to the sauce. While not the absolute thickest of the bunch, the Southern Smokehouse BBQ Sauce still has a nice consistency that would make an excellent baste for a rotisserie chicken or a brisket. Though on the expensive side at $4.39 per bottle, Private Selection's Southern Smokehouse BBQ Sauce is one to keep an eye out for. It's certainly one I'll be reaching for while in the condiment aisle of a Kroger-owned grocery store.

To find out which store-brand BBQ sauce reigns supreme, I tested 12 versions found at stores all across the city of Los Angeles. I visited Ralph's, Trader Joes, Food 4 Less, Pavilions, Whole Foods, and Walmart to gather my test subjects and begin my personal summer showdown.

While some brands had countless specialty flavors of BBQ sauce, I tried to find two of the most common among brands: a honey BBQ, and something as close to "original" as I could find. For some grocers, including Trader Joe's and Private Selection, which don't have an "original" option, I opted for the most traditional-sounding bottles on the shelves instead. For the cleanest test possible, I tried each BBQ sauce plain first, without dipping or dunking.

Generally, I found the BBQ sauces that listed high fructose corn syrup as the first ingredient tended to be lower quality than the ones with tomato paste or other natural bases. Every rule is meant to be broken, though; there were certainly some good BBQ sauces with some not-so-good ingredients.