I always love to try new barbecue sauces. You know me and sauces, I LOVE them! The saucier and lip-snackingly good the better. I was very excited when I received a bottle of the barbecue sauce that won the coveted Barbecue Cooking Contest World Championship at the International Memphis in May Festival: Bob Evans Wildfire Barbecue Sauce. They also sent me a complimentary barbecue tools set, very cool!
I tested out the barbecue sauce on chicken, for me, the least flavourful meat in my foodie world. If I can slather a sauce on chicken that makes it super tasty, you have won me over. Sadly, it did not. It still tasted like boring chicken, just with the addition of a little sweet and smoky flavour. As I ate the chicken I began to realize that once again, this is going to be another product that is just too sweet for me. Bummer.
I also grilled up some peppers with barbecue sauce on them, I love peppers that way! That is how my parents used to make them when when I was a kid. Again… very sweet. The sauce was so sweet in fact that my grill was completely covered in burned sauce. I could not finish the chicken on the grilled without fear of burning it. I just seared it and then finished it off in the oven. I have never had such a hard time cleaning my grill before and I am pretty sure it is from the sugary sauce burning up on the grill.
I realize chicken is almost impossible to impress me so I made one of my favourites, steak fajitas and my Spanish Rice. Much better but still, too sweet. I did not mind it as much this time because there was the spiciness of some jalapeños with the steak and rice is spicy too but for me, it is still too sweet. I did not tell my husband I had changed the sauce and he stopped eating dinner and spontaneously said, “It’s different tonight. It’s… so sweet!”
That said, I am sure there are going to be many people who love this sauce and I can see why. It really does have a beautiful smoldering heat to it that is wonderful, perfect for the barbecue. If you have a penchant for the sweet side of things, you will love this sauce. I just happen to be someone who does not. Funny, I bake a ton of desserts but when it comes to the savory world I like to keep things, well, savory!
This award-winning sauce deserves respect and kudos for its wildfire essence and does live up to its smoky-sweet description. I just wish they had held back on the sweetness a little. Considering my personal flavour palette, I can only give the sauce three out of five wooden spoons.
Please note: this sauce is not available in Canada.
I’ve noticed that too, Suzie, that a lot of savory sauces are getting very, very sweet these days. It can all just be a bit too much. And that’s coming from someone with a sweet tooth!
I’m with Debra, even with my wicked sweet tooth, if my regular meal is too sweet is just not appetizing. You know there’s just way too much sugary ingredients when it starts to stick and burn on the grill, and yes, super frustrating to clean. Usually a good long soak with hot soapy water and added baking soda does the trick to loosen the grunge a bit.
Hey Suzie,
I saw this post and decided to give the barbecue sauce a try. We tend to like the sweeter sauces. I posted my experience on my blog and put your link there too.
Thanks for posting
Kathiey:-)
I would love to have a source for this. We loved it when we could get it in OH, but in WA it is not available.