The 10 Best BBQ Sauces For Pork

Although barbecue doesn't play an important role in every family's traditions, it's rare to meet someone who doesn't appreciate the smoky, saucy, and often potluck-style cookout events. If you live in the barbecue belt, your barbecue preferences may be pickier than most. For you, a barbecue might host a slew of Carolina vinegar-based sauces, while Memphis natives might be used to a sweeter, tomato-y barbecue sauce. However, no matter where you're from, there's a good chance your barbecue event serves pork.

Though Texans tend to prefer beef at a barbecue, the tradition of using pork goes back centuries, to a time when pigs were much easier to maintain than cattle. Smoking a whole hog was common in Virginia and North Carolina, and different regions developed their own takes on BBQ sauce as the tradition took hold in American culture. As such, there's a vast world of flavor profiles when it comes to barbecue sauce; different sauce brands utilize everything from tangy vinegar and jammy berries to mellow, almost-nutty mustard. 

I tried 10 different barbecue sauces (all embodying different barbecue traditions) with hickory smoked pulled pork, paying particular attention to how the sauce and the pork elevated each other — I wanted to try sauce that brought out the pork's smoky sweetness, and I also wanted the clean base of the pork to let the sauce shine. I can pretty safely say these are among the greatest. Best of all, you can get any of these on Amazon. 

When I first tried Porkosaurus' Memphis Original BBQ Sauce, admittedly, I wasn't sure what to think. It had a flavor profile I've never tasted in a bottle of BBQ sauce before, and while it wasn't unpleasant, it confused my palate for a minute. Why was it slightly reminiscent of my favorite Chinese takeout? Then, it hit me: Porkosaurus' sauce is fairly similar to a sweet and sour sauce, but it adds a whole lot of smoky flavor into the equation.

I feel like I have a decent understanding of what Memphis natives prefer in their barbecue sauce after trying this. Despite its subtle uniqueness, I think it would be pretty palatable to a wide audience. It's mild enough not to turn off those who are peculiar about their flavors, but it's interesting and yummy enough to satisfy barbecue connoisseurs. The sweet and sour quality in this sauce even made it taste slightly of citrus, though it doesn't contain any. Its sweet and sour smokiness worked well to complement the fullness of the smoked pork I ate it with, and though both the pork and the sauce had their own distinct flavors, they made a very nice couple here.

Bone Suckin' Sauce's Sweet Southern BBQ Sauce was indeed just that: sweet. But before those of you who are sugar-averse eschew this sauce, hear me out. This sauce (which also happens to be a gluten-free barbecue sauce) is probably one of the most versatile spreads on this list. If you have picky family members, are feeding a diverse crowd, or need something palatable for the kiddos, this should be a no-brainer buy. Not because it's simple — rather, its flavor profile is full and smooth, and it would work well paired with whatever meat you serve at your barbecue.

If you're feeding some fellows who aren't too fond of spice, this would also be a great sauce to turn to. It hardly boasts any heat. Plus, the sauce isn't sickeningly sweet, but it does sit on the back of your tongue and lends itself to a full umami flavor that will linger in the best way possible. This is a great sauce to pair with pork simply because both components enjoy what the other one has to offer. If you choose to slather the sauce on, the pork won't mind; it's happy to take a slight backseat and elevate the sauce's depth. If you instead use the sauce as a baste or a light condiment, the pork will appreciate being enhanced and the sauce will be proud to sit alongside it. 

I've never had a barbecue sauce even remotely similar to The Tailgate Foodie's White Lightning Alabama White BBQ Sauce before, and I must admit, I'm a little upset about it. It took me a few bites to start to get the hang of what this sauce wanted to be. Once I understood, I found a new, welcomed barbecue sauce flavor profile that I'll probably be slathering on absolutely everything at the next cookout I attend. If you want a unique sauce that will wow your guests, this is the one you should grab. 

The addition of mayonnaise has always been the best way to give barbecue sauce a creamy, Alabama-inspired upgrade, and The Tailgate Foodie does it impeccably with its White Lightning sauce. When I first tasted it, I was mad I didn't have any roasted potatoes to drizzle it on. It's a light, creamy sauce that boasts a decent amount of heat, while the mayo keeps any element from being too overwhelming. Plus, the mustard offers a welcome tang. The one thing I'll say is that it has a fairly strong vinegar flavor. If you're planning on adding it to pork sliders, I would opt for a sweet topping rather than a briny one. This is a better sauce for pork than other meats simply because the sweet notes in a smoked pork will help balance out the sharp acidity of the sauce, rounding out each forkful so that it's full and flavorful without being overpowering. 

Head Country Apple Habanero Bar-B-Q Sauce is easily one of my favorite on this list. This is the sauce I will be hiding in my bag as inconspicuously as possible for when I visit another barbecue, simply because I don't want to share it. When it comes to this barbecue sauce, I'll let selfishness reign unashamed. Apple habanero is by no means an unheard-of combination, but Head Country got the balance of flavors just right. It's a perfect bottle, in my opinion. 

This sauce manages to be incredibly sweet, without being the least bit saccharine. The apples hit you upfront — they're gorgeous, crisp and fruity, and offer a delightful complement to pork's natural sweetness. On the other hand, the habanero adds the slightest bit of spice to the sauce's finish. I will say that this sauce doesn't boast as much spice as others on this list, so if you need your barbecue sauce to be hot, you may be slightly underwhelmed by it (though I still encourage you to try it anyway). This sauce has layers of flavor, and different profiles hit you at various points throughout each bite. It's multi-dimensional and never boring, and in case it wasn't clear by now, I'm a huge fan of it. 

If you've ever made homemade barbecue, you may be familiar with Stubb's Original BBQ Sauce. This Texas-inspired sauce may be prolific on store shelves, but don't think that makes it standard or plain. This well-known, classic brand always delivers — whether you put it on pork, beef, baked beans, mashed potatoes, or just everything on your plate. 

Similar to Head Country's apple habanero sauce, Stubb's' will take you on a journey. First, you'll get an incredibly smoky flavor that almost feels sharp. But before it can become unpleasant, it mellows out with some sweetness at the end of the bite. This was a welcomed change from so many other sauces that hit you with sweetness first and leave spicy notes at the end. This sauce is subtle enough to let the pork do the talking. Plus, the sauce has an unmatched smokiness that manages not to be too heavy. This is an easy pick for fans of Texas barbecue who are looking for a sauce that will complement any number of dishes at their next get-together — including pork, of course.

While Guy Fieri's Flavortown Kane Brown's Tennessee BBQ Sauce is quite similar in profile to Porkosaurus' Memphis barbecue sauce, each capitalizes differently on the tangy, sweet-and-sour-style sauce that the region is known for. Whereas Porkosaurus' version infused the tangy sauce with a heavy smokiness, Fieri's sauce is more vinegar-forward in its flavor profile, which makes its tang all the more prominent. I could see this sauce being somewhat polarizing in its appeal, but trust me, try it with pork at least once. 

The apple in the apple cider vinegar comes through very strong at the beginning in a way that makes it slightly-sweet, while also pucker-inducing. A hit of spice lingers in the back of your mouth, while the tang of vinegar sits at the front, making this a relatively strong sauce that, to be honest, I didn't love on its own. However, it all made sense once I put it on some pulled pork — the duo works absolutely beautifully together. The sauce's flavors, which are rather intense on their own, are smoothed out by the pork, which gives depth and meaning to what I first thought was a somewhat disordered, chaotic barbecue sauce. The result is a well-rounded, full flavor profile that even those unaccustomed to Tennessee barbecue are sure to love.

I'll start here by saying that while Head Country Raspberry Chipotle Bar-B-Q Sauce didn't blow me away as much as its apple habanero take did, I still enjoyed this sauce. I would bring it at a barbecue to show off without hesitation (though I wouldn't be smuggling it in my pocket). I would consider it to be one of the most unique barbecue sauce flavors, too. While it takes a page from the book of other popular sweet-and-hot pairings, this sauce dials it up to 11. 

First, I thought the sauce was incredibly hot — which may be why I found it slightly less appealing than the milder sauces I sampled. Even though I'm sensitive to spice, I didn't mind the heat of this sauce, as it was well-balanced by a jammy sweetness from the raspberries. This sauce is very reminiscent of pepper jelly. I have to mention its color too, which is a gorgeous, deep magenta hue. Overall, its flavor profile was bright, juicy, and spicy. The chipotle hit sooner that I expected it to, but it also left sooner; the raspberry jam lingered at the end of the bite. It's a delightful sauce that will suit especially those in your life who love heat, but I can also see it being enjoyed by people who tend to go for mellower flavor profiles. 

Lillie's Q ENC Barbeque Sauce is about as Eastern North Carolina as they come, and if you're from the region, I highly doubt you'll find anything more appealing. The sauce is gluten-free with no MSG, preservatives, or corn syrup, making it a good barbecue sauce option if you try to stay away from those ingredients. If you've ever wondered what makes North Carolina barbecue different from the traditions of other regions, a single taste of Lillie's Q will make that easily apparent. 

First, this sauce is incredibly thin; it's more like a marinade than a sauce. In alignment with Eastern North Carolina tradition, it's very vinegar-forward, and I found this bottle to be particularly spicy. Though initially I was tempted to thicken it into a glaze, after having a bite, I understood why this was thinner than the more viscous sauces on this list: I don't think you'd want a particularly concentrated amount of this strong sauce. 

Even a tiny bit packs a huge flavor punch, and the heat was nice and strong. I hope it's not sacrilegious to say that I'd very much enjoy eating this sauce in conjunction with one of the sweeter brands I sampled. For North Carolina dwellers who want nothing but this hard-hitting flavor profile, allow me to make one suggestion: Pour this on your pork barbecue a couple minutes before you plan on eating to give it some time to saturate the meat. 

You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be buying PS Seasoning Cherry Bomb BBQ Sauce again; it was one of my favorite on this list. Though I appreciate the company listing the sauce's tasting notes on its bottle, I hardly think that's necessary — each of them comes through absolutely beautifully and will leave even the weakest of taste testers with no doubt as to what this sauce contains. Eat it with pork, but don't limit yourself to just that protein; slather it on chicken and beef as well.

I adored this sauce. The cherries come through very strong at the beginning. I didn't want to swallow my bite, because I didn't want to let go of that flavor. Meanwhile, the brown sugar offers a warm transition into the heat of the chipotle, which hits at the end. This sauce marries sweet and heat together beautifully; both of the profiles work in harmony to bring out the hickory-smoked sweetness of the pulled pork. Though the spice lingers in the back of your mouth, the cherry makes a point to stick around in the front. The experience of tasting this sauce was like a wedding and an afterparty all mixed into one — heartwarming and fun in quick succession.

Admittedly, I don't think I fully understood the hype of the classic pork-and-pineapple pairing until I had Traeger Grills Traeger 'Que BBQ Sauce. I've never gone out of my way to try the duo together (and no, I've never had a Hawaiian pizza), but Traeger's sauce may have just made me a convert. If you want to bring some tropical vibes to your barbecue, this sauce is a no-brainer addition — but I won't blame you if you choose to hoard it for yourself instead.

Traeger's tangy, tropical sauce boasts bright pineapple, and it was simply a match made in heaven for the pulled pork. The tart, sweet pineapple complemented the smokiness of the pork and I immediately wondered why I had never capitalized on the pork-pineapple duo before. This sauce boasts a very viscous texture and you won't need much to make an impact — but I'm guessing that's why the company gave it a drizzle cap. Personally, I'd put this on nearly everything, and I look forward to trying it the next time I make chicken thighs or a barbecue-inspired beef burger. 

To review each BBQ sauce I tried, I ate each one with a few bites of hickory smoked pulled pork. In order to gain a spot on this list, neither could overpower the other — I needed a sauce that stood out on the pork, but also didn't lose it. Each sauce on this list has its own distinct flavor notes, and I gave no preference to smoky sauces over vinegar-based or sweet options. I also included sauces that, though original, were mellow enough to be palatable to even the pickiest palate.

I also wanted to incorporate traditional barbecue flavors from various regions. This list encompasses a wide variety of barbecue cultural expressions — I wished to honor regional particularities without favoring one region over another. Amazon reviews came in handy here, particularly with Lillie's Q ENC sauce, which saw multiple customers attesting to its distinctly Eastern North Carolina flavor profile.