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When it comes to summer condiments, barbecue sauce stands alone. Ketchup and mustard have their place all year, but smoky, sweet, and tangy barbecue shines when the grills come out; over ribs, on wings or straight from the bottle when no one's looking.
I tested more than a dozen small-batch and mass-produced sauces and found a few clear winners out of 17. David Watsky/CNET
The real challenge is picking a sauce from the grocery store aisle: a smoky, spicy sprawl of big promises and regional pride. The bottles worth buying are the ones that get the balance right, whether that means hitting the sweet spot between tang, smoke and sweetness or doubling down on heat or molasses depth. The only way to find your favorite is to taste your way there -- and that's a pretty good problem to have.
To find the best BBQ sauces available, I gathered more than 15 bottles of sauce and some hungry friends to help me taste. It took a lot of napkins to find the best barbecue sauce in 2026.
Best BBQ sauces for 2026
Full Moon Photo Gallery 1/1 Full Moon Best overall barbecue sauce Full Moon Bar-B-Que sauce Full Moon is a regional chain of barbecue restaurants in Alabama and Mississippi that's been in operation since 1986. You likely won't find Full Moon's incredible sauce on store shelves, but it can be purchased online for $7.49 a bottle. Thank goodness for that, because this classic-style sauce has a near-perfect balance of sweetness, smokiness, tang and spice. ... Show more Get it now $25 at Amazon $7 at Full Moon
Stubb's Photo Gallery 1/1 Stubb's Best grocery store barbecue sauce Stubb's BBQ sauce If you prefer to scoop your barbecue sauce up from the store, Stubb's stuff can be found in most supermarkets and it's an excellent alternative to Full Moon. Like the winner above, Stubb's has a good balance with no single flavor taking over. This one is thick but not gloppy and gets its sweetness from brown sugar (no corn syrup) with a good kick from lots of black pepper. ... Show more Get it now $20 at Best Buy $4 at Walmart
Bachan Photo Gallery 1/1 Bachan An umami bomb worthy of a taste Bachan's Japanese barbecue sauce I've been on the Bachan's bandwagon for some time now and I don't plan on hopping off. Bachan's is atypical compared with classic barbecue sauces in that it's laced with Japanese flavors, giving it a huge umami punch. You'll notice soy sauce immediately, along with sesame, ginger and a delicate sweetness. This is one of the thinner sauces so it might not adhere as well to ribs and chicken or caramelize as others do, so it's probably best used as a finishing sauce. Bachan's is also pricey for one bottle, but you can save a few bucks when you order multiple at a time. (Trust me, you'll want more than one bottle.) ... Show more Get it now $6 at Amazon
Tamarind Heads Photo Gallery 1/1 Tamarind Heads Best BBQ sauce for hot heads Tamarind Heads BBQ sauce If you like your sauce with warm spice and fiery heat, Tamarind Heads' sauce will scratch both itches -- and then some. This sweet and spicy sauce is made from a tamarind base with no tomato or vinegar. The recipe doesn't slouch on chili and even the "medium" will have you loosening your collar after a few bites. Despite its higher Scoville score, the tamarind spice and chili heat are balanced nicely with some sweetness from brown sugar and toasted notes from sesame. ... Show more Get it now $13 at TikTok Shop $13 at Tamarind Heads
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