While convenient, store-bought barbecue sauces are often too sweet and thick. To fix this, add a splash of neutral vinegar to balance and brighten, and customize with your favorite seasonings.
I love barbecue enough to have devoted years of my career to cooking across styles and studying the regional variations that make the American tradition so rich. I’ll happily spend an entire weekend tending a smoker, coaxing a pork shoulder to perfect tenderness, and whisking together my own sauce from scratch. And I love it enough to know that no single style of sauce owns the title of “real” barbecue—whether it’s the vinegar-sharp sauces of North Carolina, mustardy South Carolina gold, Alabama white, or the molasses-rich Kansas City classic, each one has a rightful place at the table.
But even as a griller and pit lover, there are times when I just don’t have the luxury of making sauce from scratch. A weeknight chicken cookout, an impromptu rib session, or a last-minute backyard burger spread calls for speed. That’s when I reach for a bottle from the grocery store shelf. And while we at Serious Eats have taste-tested and approved several good bottled sauces, there’s a universal truth: Most store-bought barbecue sauces lean toward the sweeter Kansas City–style.
Kansas City sauce is famous for being tomato-based, sweetened with brown sugar or molasses, and thick enough to cling to ribs or brisket. Done well, it balances tang, spice, and just the right amount of richness. However, in bottled form, it often tends to be too sweet, too thick, and unfortunately, one-dimensional. Brush it onto a smoky chicken thigh, and instead of enhancing the meat, it can drown it.
The solution, you may be glad to hear, isn’t only to make all barbecue from scratch—you can and should improve the bottled stuff. All you need is some vinegar.
Why Vinegar Works
Grilled and smoked meats are inherently rich and fatty. Pork shoulder, brisket, and ribs rely on fat and collagen to stay moist during long, slow cooking, but that same richness can coat the palate and mute flavors. Vinegar slices right through that fat. It brightens, balances, and brings your taste buds back to life so you actually taste the smoke, the spice rub, and the meat itself.
Most bottled sauces lack sufficient acidity to perform this task. But adding a spoonful (or more) of vinegar to a jarred sauce fixes that. It balances the flavor, while also loosening the sauce’s syrupy texture so that it brushes and clings to meat lightly, instead of glooping on like a candy glaze.
How to Make Store-Bought Barbecue Sauce Better
My base ratio is simple: For every cup of bottled barbecue sauce, start by whisking in just one teaspoon of vinegar. A teaspoon might sound like nothing, but remember that vinegar is a potent ingredient, and you can always add more, but you can’t take it out. Next, taste, adjust, and add more if you want extra tang. The exact amount will depend on how sweet your particular brand is, but in my experience, the sauce usually needs more vinegar than you expect—because once it hits smoky, fatty meat, that sharpness softens and mellows.
Also, make sure you’re using the best vinegar for the job. Stick with something neutral and not overly assertive, like apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or plain distilled white vinegar. Avoid stronger, more complex options like balsamic or sherry vinegar, which can clash with the sauce’s flavor.
Tips for Customizing the Flavor Further
The addition of vinegar alone will transform most overly sweet bottled sauces, but your spice cabinet can take it even further. A pinch of cayenne or chile powder adds heat. A dash of smoked paprika adds a hint of barbecue flavor. A spoonful of mustard or Worcestershire deepens complexity. None of this is required, but all of it is welcome.
The key is that you don’t need to start from scratch. You’re not crafting a sauce so much as just enhancing one. Vinegar rebalances what’s already there, turning a too-sweet bottled sauce into one that’s bright, tangy, and dynamic. With just this one upgrade, store-bought barbecue sauce goes from passable backup to something you’ll actually be excited to use.
