This Pantry Staple Will Rescue Overly Sweet Bottled Barbecue Sauce

Bottled barbecue sauce can be convenient, but for the most part, you're stuck with what's in that bottle. And one of my complaints with a lot of bottled barbecue sauce is that it can be overly sweet (I'm looking squarely at you, Sweet Baby Ray's). That's because many, if not most, mass-market barbecue sauces, heavily feature corn syrup in them as a sweetener. Personally, I don't want my grilled drumsticks tasting as if they're dipped in melted candy, but that could just be me.

There's an easy way to balance the sweetness in your store-bought barbecue sauce that's hiding in your pantry, however. Next time you're faced with a sauce you're not quite a fan of due to its sugariness, try reaching for some vinegar. Vinegar helps brighten the sauce a little while distracting you from its sweetness, and if you add it in a tiny splash at a time, you should reach a point where you like the sauce at least a little bit better. Apple cider vinegar is a good place to start (and is sometimes unexpectedly touted for its health benefits), since it's fruity and complements the other ingredients of barbecue sauce well, but if you favor something slightly more neutral, you can reach for all-purpose distilled white vinegar, or rice vinegar, which also has a fairly delicate flavor that won't alter the sauce's final flavor too much.

You're going to have to hear me out on this next one, but sometimes when I find a barbecue sauce too sweet for my own liking, I add a good dose of yellow mustard to it. I don't add enough to completely change its profile, just enough to add both that vinegar kick (since yellow mustard's heavy on the vinegar), along with a touch of sharp mustard flavor. I find that this counterbalances the sugar well, plus it gives the final product a South Carolina vibe, where people prefer a yellow mustard-based barbecue sauce that's particularly good with pulled pork.

Really, the strategy is to add an ingredient that doesn't contain as much, if any, sugar at all, along with some volume to thin out the sweetness. Feel free to get creative with anything in your pantry; freshly squeezed citrus juice, fish sauce, hot sauce, or even a teaspoon or two of water should do the trick (just not ketchup, as it contains a lot of sugar too). At some point you'll find a combination you really enjoy, plus the experimentation's part of the fun. There's no reason you should feel like you're stuck with barbecue sauce you don't like, just try tinkering with it a touch with some vinegar, mustard, or anything to cut that sugar and you'll find a way to make your sauce taste much better, if not exactly how you want it.