Tried and true wins again

• By CAROL ANNE BLITZER
• Advocate Food writer
• Published: Jul 2, 2009

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Once again, the old reliable ruled the day.

In a blind taste test of commercial barbecue sauces conducted by guest taste testers for The Advocate Food section, Kraft Original came in first. The top ranking of the Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce came as a surprise to the five “barbecuers” who judged 16 different tomato-based barbecue sauces.

Because there are so many different varieties of commercial barbecue sauce, the Food staff selected the sauce in each brand that was considered its “original” or simplest variety.

“In professional barbecue competitions, the sauces are very important,” said Stanley Braud, a certified Kansas City Barbecue Society judge and one of five judges participating in the blind taste test. “For professional cooks, the sauce is one of the biggest secrets they have.”

Braud judged the 16 sauces with Tracie Boyd Comeaux and her son, John David Comeaux, members of the family who owns Goodwood Hardware, which specializes in barbecue grills and equipment; Robert Levy, who enjoys barbecuing and cooking; and Dr. Mark Waggenspack, a gourmet cook and self-proclaimed ‘foodie.’”

The judges were asked to grade the sauces from 10 to 1 with 10 being the best score.

After the judging was complete, the Food team tabulated the scores and ranked the sauces according to their scores.

Braud liked the Kraft sauce for its “good texture and taste,” but he actually preferred the second-place winner, Sal & Judy’s Original BBQ Sauce. 

Almost every judge  commented on the smoky flavor of the Sal & Judy’s, a company based in  Lacombe.

KC Masterpiece took third-place honors. “It was smoky and sweet, but not too,” Levy said. Waggenspack liked its brown sugary taste.

Coming in fourth was Sticky Fingers, which John David Comeaux liked for its peppery taste.

Fifth-place was a tie between Jack Miller’s, which Tracie Boyd Comeaux liked for its chunky, onion flavor, and Stubbs, which Braud liked for its tartness.

Surprisingly, the barbecue sauces with the lowest scores were Budweiser, which John David Comeaux thought tasted like hot sauce, and Jack Daniel’s,  which Braud described as “bland.”