When I reviewed the
Carolina Gold Barbecue Sauce, I wrote, "It's straight down the middle in terms of overall flavor, sweetness, heat, etc. It's just what I would expect from a grocery-store BBQ sauce, really."
I wish to retract that, and instead apply it to this one. I blame the misattribution on too many years having elapsed since I had purchased and used barbecue sauces. My memory was warped.
Since writing that, I've found something I like, and now eat frequently, that cries out for good barbecue sauce:
Morningstar Farms fake pulled pork. I've been using the Carolina Gold almost exclusively, despite having originally written that I wasn't sure whether it would become a staple.
Now I have tried the Carolina Gold and this new one side by side--literally on the two halves of the same plate of food--eight times. It has become clear to me how mistaken I was in my sense memory to see the Gold as the standard product. Compared to this, the Gold is quite a bit sweeter, tangier, and spicier. This one is the down-the-middle, traditional BBQ sauce--less sweet and spicy than the Gold, but with much more smokiness. It's also quite a bit thicker; it comes out more in globs, whereas the Gold is fairly thin and pours easily.
Which one do I like better? I spent a good portion of eight meals pondering that, and couldn't come to a definitive answer. I think if you put a gun to my head and made me pick one of them to use for the rest of my life, it would be this one. But I found that I really, really liked having both of them on my plate of food, side by side, and switching between them several times in the course of one meal. I had originally done that just for comparison-testing purposes, but I think I'm going to keep doing it, even though it seems like a bit of an odd practice. The contrast just works really well for me.
I guess you could say I discovered co-champions.
Will I buy it again?
Yes, definitely. I'm going to include both this and the Gold in my list of staples, because I anticipate keeping both of them on hand permanently.
