Whole Foods' Organic Texas BBQ Sauce Fails To Live Up To Its Bold Texas Claims

We love barbecue sauce over here at The Takeout, and this isn't our first rodeo when it comes to BBQ sauce smackdowns. As such, I was pleased to get in on the action when presented with the chance to sample the Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce. I adore barbecue sauce and love clean, wholesome, organic ingredients even more. Finding a barbecue sauce that isn't riddled with high fructose corn syrup and additives isn't easy -– especially when you're also looking for one that packs good flavor. And while Sweet Baby Ray's might be Mark Zuckerberg's favorite barbecue sauce, I don't particularly appreciate the ingredients contained in that brand.

Given its title, I fully expected Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce to contain the flavors that make Texas barbecue so unique. Texas barbecue sauces often pack bolder flavors than other regional varieties like these Carolina barbecue selections found on Amazon, but they also tend to sport a thinner consistency. As a fan of tangy and sweet sauces, I was interested in how the Whole Foods version would stack up against other varieties I'd sampled.

So, how was it? Stick around. I'm dishing the details on the Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce, and giving my thoughts on whether it's worth the buy.

As much as I love barbecue sauce, I'm a stickler for ingredients. As such, I was interested to see what was in Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce. Considering its organic label, I knew the usual high fructose corn syrup wouldn't be lurking within, but I was still curious about its other ingredients. Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce contains organic tomato puree, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, various spices, and vinegar. It also contains organic caramel color, which I wasn't too pleased to see, but overall, this sauce's ingredients look like the kind I'd use to whip up my own barbecue sauce recipe at home.

As far as cost goes, Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce costs $4.26 for an 18-ounce bottle on Amazon, which is about 24 cents per ounce. I recently covered the highest-rated barbecue sauces on Amazon (many of the brands you've probably never heard of) and was inspired to sample Blues Hog barbecue sauce, one of the most expensive bottles of barbecue I've purchased at 47 cents per ounce. I was happy to see that Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce is much cheaper. Still, I was curious to find out whether I'd like Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce as much as I did the Blues Hog Champions' Blend barbecue sauce.

I cracked open my bottle of Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce and gave it a whiff. Its smell was a mixture of tangy and smoky, but it wasn't the most intoxicating barbecue scent I've ever put my nose to, if I'm honest. Wanting to taste the sauce on its own before sampling it over meat, I poured a little onto a plate. The sauce appeared chunky -– it had flecks of garlic in it, and I could definitely tell it was made with tomato puree. Its consistency was medium -– not too thick and not too thin. I gave it a quick sample and realized it tasted exactly as it smelled: tangy, smoky, and sweet with a slight hint of spice. Not bad, I thought.

Of course, I can't exactly follow The Takeout's guide for a backyard barbecue in the middle of a cold Wisconsin winter. So instead, I fired up my oven and cooked up a few sauce-covered bone-in chicken thighs before slathering on more sauce at the very end. This is where I'd come to my final conclusion: Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce isn't my favorite. Though flavorful when savored on its own, the sauce doesn't stand up to meat. I found myself dumping more and more sauce on my plate, trying to add more flavor to my chicken. But as soon as the sauce hit my tongue, the barbecue flavor would mellow out, and all I could taste was chicken.

Overall, I believe Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce is worth buying but with caveats. If you're approaching the sauce expecting it to rival the likes of all your favorite store-bought high fructose corn syrup-containing barbecue sauces, don't. When compared with more popular options like Blues Hog and Sweet Baby Ray's, the Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce's expectedly "bold" flavors aren't bold at all. Though tangy, smoky, and sweet, its flavors fail to shine at times when it matters most — and that's when applied over the rich savoriness of meat.

Having said that, I do think this organic barbecue sauce would work well for adding a light and natural sweetness to dishes without going overboard. Applying this tangy barbecue sauce over chicken salad or using it as a simple dip for homemade chicken nuggets might work, but it definitely wouldn't be my go-to for handling the robust and charred flavor of grilled meat.

Ultimately, if you're in the market for a cleaner barbecue sauce with minimal ingredients, Whole Foods' Organic Texas True Barbecue Sauce might be worth a shot. As for me, this isn't one I'd reach for again. I want a barbecue sauce that can stand up to whatever I put it on, and sadly, this organic sauce from Whole Foods comes off a bit too wimpy for my taste buds.