I was a judge at a local non-official just-for-fun and charity BBQ rib competition yesterday and got to taste and score 9 different teams. actually went to an official KCBS training class a few years ago to become a certified BBQ judge so we used their criteria of appearance/taste/tenderness.

While some were perfect as far as tenderness with the perfect bite, others were just falling apart overcooked and some were a little on the tough side the thing that really stood out to me overall it was how SWEET they all were. Just way too much sugar and not balanced with acidity like vinegar or citrus. The winning rib actually was balanced way more than the others, as far as the sweetness and acidity, and was perfectly cooked.

I just don’t get this propensity to load ribs up with sugar, pork is already a sweetish meat, so you really don’t need all that. But if you are going to do that, you should be balancing that with vinegar or something.

Are they doing this because they think that’s what people want to taste?

Agreed but (Americans) like their sweetness. I'm to the point of just a dry rub most often. But I do like the vinegar/citrus varieties.

I agree with you 100% and have no idea why the sweetness of these sauces. I'll go a step farther as I haven't used any sauce on my ribs in 20 years. I use a self made rub or Oakridge BBQ Secret Weapon which already has some sugar and I always spritz with apple cider vinegar a few times. I've never had a complaint from family or guests on my St. Louis cut ribs.

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I just don’t get this propensity to load ribs up with sugar, pork is already a sweetish meat

I despise sweet & thick BBQ sauce. My mother would make the same sweet & thick sauce as her Sicilian father which I did not like. For pork BBQ I like a vinegar & pepper sauce AFTER it is cooked. For ribs a dry rub & NO sauce is best.

I love a thick sweet molasses BBQ sauce.

When I make ribs I use very little sauce, sometimes none at all.

It's all in the sauce, what one, how much.
I make all my ribs fairly dry and only a splash of sauce in the the final stage.
A balance of sugar and vinegar is key.

I dropped all the extra sugar from my BBQ recipes several years ago. We just don't need all that sugar. If the rub is good we don't need all that sauce in my opinion.I have been using John Henry pecan rub for years and we are happy with it.

There seems to be a fair amount of regionality in taste profiles, think NC pulled pork vs. KC pulled pork translated to the sauces/seasonings involved. To my taste most BBQ sauce recipes are far too sweet, especially the commercial products, but Mrs. A. likes them that way. She objects when I add vinegar to a sauce mix. Thank goodness she doesn't mind the pepper sauce so much.

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Originally posted by arabiancowboy:
I love a thick sweet molasses BBQ sauce.

Yes please! My favorite ribs are the KC style ribs from a local place that has a delicious molasses based sauce, but they do also spritz with some apple cider vinegar while smoking as well. I think they’re delicious.

Hand me a rack of ribs and I'm happy! I don't care what kind of sauce/cooking method.

Candied meat is bad, but everything is packed with sugar or other sweeteners.

BBQ tastes are very regional with Kansas City being one of the sweeter styles. I like mine dry (i.e. just the Memphis style rub) but the GF likes hers sauced so I brush hers with sauce near the end.

The Memorial Day ribs I made were mixed genre with a Memphis style rub and the last 10 minutes a NC style mustard sauce. Quite a tasty combination.

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tenderness with the perfect bite, others were just falling apart overcooked

This is the part that always puzzles me with ribs. It takes zero skill to turn ribs into a pile of mush (e.g. crockpot ribs), but it takes skill to make ribs with bark, a smoke ring, and that perfect bite (each bite to leave the bone clean, and have the bite marks in tact in the meat on either side).

In the BBQ world, convincing people that the falling off the bone is desirable was quite the coup for low skill DIY and chain BBQ joints.

We usually buy our ribs at Costco. They come with 3 racks. We start off with a homemade rub, Then after they get taken out of the paper wrap after 3 hours, two racks get bbq sauce, and the one I eat doesn't get any sauce. I like them with just a rub.

I don’t like ’em sweet either.

I dislike sweet BBQ in general, not just ribs.

Which is why I tend to prefer dry-rubbed BBQ, since while some dry rubs can be sweet, it seems like just about every wet sauce is sweet. Plus, folks can try to disguise crappy overcooked BBQ with sauce, whereas dry rubbed BBQ is less forgiving and demands higher quality.

Personally, I'm a major believer in the traditional Texas BBQ mindset, which holds that the meat should speak for itself, with minimal additives. So just salt and pepper in most cases (especially beef) and sometimes a simple dry rub in other cases (mainly pork or chicken) should be more than enough "dressing up", beyond the smoke and the natural flavor of the meat.

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Originally posted by rtquig:
We usually buy our ribs at Costco. They come with 3 racks. We start off with a homemade rub, Then after they get taken out of the paper wrap after 3 hours, two racks get bbq sauce, and the one I eat doesn't get any sauce. I like them with just a rub.

Does your Costco have St. Louis cut spares already dry rubbed ? If they do you should try them sometime, it's actually a pretty tasty rub and not sweet at all.

There aren't very many things that people cook that don't have some degree of personal preference in it's ingredients or preparation .

Very little sugar on this Texas Style, great on beef or pork.

The best barbecue in Texas is brisket, pork, ribs, chicken and sausage slow cooked in a smoker-cooker.


Traditionally, Texas barbecue is served with a homemade barbecue sauce, usually served warm. Below is a simple recipe for a Texas style barbecue sauce. This type sauce is usually a table condiment as opposed to a sauce used to bast the meat while cooking. When you make a batch, play with the seasonings and their amounts until you get the recipe to your liking. There are as many recipes for barbecue sauce as there are cooks. Having grown up on Louisiana cooking, I like to use a fair amount of garlic and some Tobasco hot sauce.
Ingredients

16 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup (4 oz) water
1/4 cup (2 oz) vinegar
2 tbs brown sugar
1/2 fresh onion - pureed,
or 2 tbs onion powder
2-4 fresh garlic pods
or 1 tbs minced garlic-pureed,
or 1 tbs garlic powder
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs coarse black pepper
1 tbs Paprika
1 tsp Tobasco sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp salt or cajun seasoning mix (homemade, Chachere's or Zatarain's)
Mix and Simmer:

Puree the fresh onion and garlic, if using fresh.
Add all ingredients to a thick walled pot.
Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add water or simmer longer to achieve the desired thickness; I do not like it too thick.
Makes a little over a pint , depending on how much you cook it down.
Keep refrigerated. The sauce is acid enough to store for several weeks in the refrigerator.
Comments:
The sauce is best served warm for either dipping or poured over the meat.
The sauce is also good to mix with diced brisket to make chopped brisket sandwiches.
It is best to make the sauce a day early, cool in the refrigerator, then re-warmed the next day. It seems like cooling and storing the sauce smoothes out the flavors.

Stopped at 3 different Buc-ee’s yesterday and at one, my son got a pulled pork sandwich. He said it was way too sweet. He’s used to my BBQ and I don’t do sweet.