The Supermarket Sleuth | Barbecue sauces
Posted on Tue, Jun. 10, 2008
BY GIGI LEHMAN
Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce 'Original' ($2.09 per 18 ounces)
When it comes to the ''summer grilling season,'' the Sleuth agrees with Miami Herald wine critic Fred Tasker: Why anyone would want to stand outside over a hot fire in South Florida at this time of year is beyond both of us.
But while Fred and I await Thanksgiving turkey grilling time, it seems like the rest of the world is on the patio wielding tongs and brushes -- thus today's tasting of barbecue sauces.
Bull's-Eye brought its product to our attention because its new recipe uses no high-fructose corn syrup. The sweetener has recently been implicated in America's obesity epidemic: A 2007 study at the University of California, Davis, indicated that high-fructose products may play more of a role in weight gain, heart disease and diabetes than other sugars.
Other scientists aren't so sure. In February, the unlikely duo of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Corn Refiners Association issued a statement saying that high-fructose corn syrup is no more damaging to health than other sugars and stating that ``excessive consumption of any sugars may lead to health problems.''
(The FDA sets no ''daily values'' for sugars on nutrition labels, but CSPI has suggested a limit of 40 grams per day of sugars added to foods.)
So, while the science of high-fructose corn syrup isn't clear, we were hoping that the taste issues would be when we tested these three barbecue sauces on grilled chicken.
Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce (Original)
Cost: $2.09 per 18 ounces
The label says: New Recipe! No high fructose corn syrup.
Nutrition: Per 2 tablespoons: 50 calories, 0 g fat; 310 mg sodium (13 percent daily value); 11 g sugars.
The verdict: Despite the lack of high fructose corn syrup, sweetness (from sugar and molasses) was the dominant flavor of this brand, according to our tasters. It wasn't cloying, but it ''lacked character,'' one said.
Grade: C
Cattlemen's Barbeque Sauce
Cost: $2.29 per 18 ounces
The label says: ''Award winning'' and ``world champion.''
Nutrition: Per 2 tablespoons: 60 calories; 0 g fat; 400 mg sodium (17 percent of daily value); 10 g sugars.
The verdict: The unanimous winner for taste, with a nice balance of sweet and spicy-hot flavors. ''I'd keep using this,'' one taster said. But it had the highest sodium levels, at 17 percent of the recommended daily value, and it contains high-fructose corn syrup -- whatever you want to make of that.
Grade: A
Annie's Naturals Organic BBQ Sauce
Cost: $3.95 per 12.2 ounces
The label says: USDA Organic.
Nutrition: Per 2 tablespoons: 45 calories, 0 g fat, 280 mg sodium (12 percent daily value) 9 g sugars.
The verdict: One taster noted nothing but sweetness in this sauce and found it overwhelming; two others noted a pleasantly spicy-hot undertone beneath the sugar (from organic evaporated cane juice). If you want to serve sauce on the table as many barbecue joints do, this was the only one that passed muster -- the other two tasted significantly better when cooked on the meat. Annie's was also the only one that, in the fine print on the back, suggested marinating the meat for 30 minutes before grilling.
Grade: B
The bottom line: No fructose in the sauces? Some will say `Sweet!'
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