Look No Further Than Blues Hog Tennessee For A Perfect Blend Of Sweet And Spicy Bbq Sauce

One walk down the condiment aisle at the grocery store, and it's easy to be intimidated by all the different barbecue sauces on the shelf. How do you know which one will be best for the barbecue dish you're preparing? Finding the perfect balance of heat and flavor to pair with your favorite grilling hacks is never easy. When I heard about the Blues Hog Tennessee Red and Raspberry Chipotle Barbecue Sauces, I was immediately intrigued. Based on their names, these two sauces sounded like they had the potential to deliver that ideal mix of sweetness with a little kick that is lacking in so many other sauce options out there.

I had to find out for myself, so I ordered the combo pack of both Blues Hog sauces from Amazon, slow-cooked a pork loin with a brown-sugar rub, and did a little taste test. I wasn't sure what to expect; while I do like barbecue sauce to deliver a bit of a kick, I know I'm also a lightweight when it comes to overly spicy foods. After completing the taste test, I was a bit surprised by my findings — particularly when it came to which sauce I liked the best.

Full disclosure, I almost always choose a tomato-based barbecue sauce over a vinegar-based one, so I didn't have super high hopes when I tried the Tennessee Red Barbecue Sauce from Blues Hog. However, I was pleasantly surprised by its taste. As a vinegar-based sauce, I was expecting it to be overly tangy and extra runny. It had a little heat, but less than you might guess based on the name. When you look at the sauce on a plate, you can see some flecks of spices, but they don't overpower the flavor.

I sampled the sauce with my husband and two young children. After the first round of sampling, everyone asked for more of this sauce. I was surprised that the kids asked for more of it because I was certain that they were going to say that it was too spicy and ask for a milder option. My husband also liked the flavor of this barbecue sauce, though he did note that it tasted a bit saltier than the other Blues Hog flavor we sampled and the sauce we typically use. When we compared the nutrition information on the back of the labels, his observation made sense. The Tennessee Red Barbecue Sauce has 490 milligrams of sodium per serving, compared to the 80 milligrams of sodium per serving for the Raspberry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce.

If you had asked me before I tasted either sauce, I would have predicted that the Raspberry Chipotle would have been my favorite. Between its thicker consistency and the sweet promise of the raspberries in the name, I was convinced that it would better match what I look for when choosing a barbecue sauce. However, my predictions were inaccurate. I actually preferred the tangier vinegar-based Tennessee Red over the Raspberry Chipotle.

When the Raspberry Chipotle sauce first hits your tongue, you definitely taste the sweetness from the raspberries and brown sugar in it. However, that sweetness is quickly followed by the heat of the chipotle, which was just a bit too much for my general intolerance of overly spicy foods. My husband has a slightly higher heat tolerance than me and found the sauce to be a good blend of sweet with a hint of savory spice. He felt it was a truly versatile sauce that could pair nicely with grilled chicken breast or roasted beef, or as a marinade to add flavor to a mild white fish. The kids dipped a few pieces of pork in the sauce to give it a try. However, once they had fulfilled their tasting "duties," they switched back to either the Tennessee Red or our normal, blander tomato-based sauce.

The Tennessee Red and Raspberry Chipotle barbecue sauces from Blues Hog each offer very different textures and consistencies, making them each better suited to different types of dishes. I think that the thinner consistency and vinegar-based flavor of the Tennessee Red would pair nicely with chicken, pork, or even a smoked brisket.

The Raspberry Chipotle barbecue sauce is much thicker and could lend itself nicely towards making a glaze when grilling salmon, chicken, baby back ribs, or spareribs. Depending on your flavor preferences, I could also see pairing these sauces with grilled vegetables or serving them on the side as a dip for your next backyard barbecue. You could even use a muffin tin to prepare for your barbecue and fill each well with these two sauces, along with other flavors from Blues Hog and the additional condiments your guests will be looking for.