Best BBQ sauces in 2024 from hot and spicy to sticky sweet

Proving you don’t have to fork out megabucks for close-your-eyes-delicious flavour, Sweet Baby Ray’s honey barbecue sauce has a cult following - and just one drop will reveal why.

Try it as a marinade, for basting or as a sauce (dipping pizza crusts into it is some kind of heaven and it works well on potato wedges too). It’s sweet with a slightly spicy kick and lovely smoky flavour.

Brownie points for the retro diner-style packaging too.

Find Sweet Baby Ray’s Original BBQ sauce and a Sweet ‘n Spicy version, £8 on Amazon.

This American-import is a hit on both sides of the Atlantic for fans of the sweet, sticky brown sauce. It’s an excellent addition to dishes like Hunter Chicken and is addictive enough to try on everything, from pizza to pies as well as the usual barbecue line-up.

There’s barely anything we don’t like about this BBQ sauce from Tracklements, apart from the fact that the bottle is made from glass - it makes getting every last drop out incredibly challenging.

Thick and sticky, the sweet brown sauce is given brightness with chipotle chillies and honey from Mexico, working its magic best on ribs. Pour lavishly (and keep the kitchen roll handy).

A kitchen cupboard staple for fans of flavour, Kikkoman’s Teriyaki BBQ Sauce will allow you to transform plain old chicken skewers and lamb chops into dishes packed with Oriental flavour. Use the thick sauce as an easy salmon marinade or swipe with a brush over meat before grilling for a moreish soy BBQ flavour that will have you licking your plates clean.

This brand has gone from strength to strength ever since it caught the nation’s attention on Dragon’s Den (founder Levi appeared before investors on the show in 2007). This jerk BBQ mix has joined the traditional roundup and is perfect for drizzling spicy flavour over all sorts, from grilled chicken to veggies. It’s got scotch bonnet as an ingredient, so use it with caution - unless you can handle the heat.

If it feels like the UK is currently in the grip of K-everything fever: you’re not wrong. Along with K-Pop and K-Beauty, we’ve cultured a taste for the cuisine too; and top of the list is Korean BBQ.

Now you can enjoy the flavours of the famous dish at home thanks to Sun Hee’s Korean BBQ Sauce. Best enjoyed as a marinade or a glaze, although of course, there’s nothing to stop you - willpower aside - from slathering it on all things edible.

Heaping truckloads of flavour onto basic ingredients like chicken and veg is London brand Sauce Shop’s Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce.

The small batch sauces are made with - no surprise here - honey and chipotle peppers, making it perfect on Mexican fajitas and ears of buttered sweetcorn as well as meats (including cold cuts). Try it as a glaze on chicken wings for addictive finger food at your next party.

If you thought there was only one way to enjoy JD: think again.

The honey version of the whiskey is the star ingredient in this sweet BBQ sauce from the brand, which not only works as a delicious dip, but can be used to bind homemade beef patties too, adding a delicious depth of flavour that your friends will be fighting each other for the first bite.

By its nature BBQ sauce is sweet, but if you’re keeping an eye on your sugar intake it doesn’t mean you have to miss out where sauce is concerned. Made with half the sugar content as many other household favourites, this version is sweetened naturally with dates. There are no refined sugars, additives or preservatives, meaning you can enjoy guilt-free flavour on the regular.

This sauce is not messing around. Designed for marinating as well as drenching your bangers, burgers, chops and ribs, it will not only leave you licking your fingers clean, but gnawing at the bones too. Bib recommended.