The Underrated Barbecue Sauce That's Absolutely Worth The Money

When it comes to distinctive culinary methods, Americans are no strangers to barbecue. What makes barbecue so unique in the U.S. is the sauce, and while sweet barbecue sauce may reign supreme, there are plenty of others out there to titillate virtually every palate.

As a professional chef, I often tend to gravitate toward the more unusual, underrated barbecue sauces for dousing my ribs or brisket. These are often the ones that are less likely to be found on grocery store shelves, but have that "je ne sais quoi" that keeps me coming back for more.

One such sauce hails from the Full Moon Bar-B-Que restaurant chain. Their signature, award-winning, southern-style barbecue sauce has been featured on a number of "best of" lists, despite the fact that a lot of folks probably have never heard of it.

I was curious to get my hands on this sauce and try it for myself to see if it was worth the money. After picking up a bottle of Full Moon Bar-B-Que Sauce, I slurped, doused, and basted my way through a significant amount of it to get a good sense of the aroma, taste, and overall quality of this sauce. Read on for my honest opinion and to see if you should head off to snag a bottle for yourself.

I taste tested this sauce as-is, drizzled on crackers, and basted onto a boneless chicken breast, which had a mild enough flavor to really benefit from a quality barbecue sauce. This sauce shone in all three instances, being simultaneously complementary while not losing its bold flavor.

The aroma of this sauce was distinctly vinegar-forward, with notes of black pepper tickling your nostrils as you inhale. The sauce itself had a relatively thick texture that was great for dipping or basting. When it came to taste, this sauce was as complex as they come. It was rife with tanginess, but had hints of sweet, spicy, salty, and savory elements to help round out the flavor profile.

If you take a perusal of the ingredients list, which is quite extensive, it is easy to understand why this sauce has so much going on. It contains many of the most important ingredients that make a barbecue sauce great, including vinegar, molasses, and brown sugar. There are also some secret ingredients that really amp up the umami elements, including Worcestershire sauce, which contains anchovies, and a beef base. Additional flavor enhancers include dried spices and natural hickory smoke flavor for that cooked-all-day quality.

The key to a good barbecue sauce is the balance between sweetness, vinegar, and salt. Any of these in excess can overwhelm your taste buds and leave your palate feeling like it has been assaulted, rather than titillated. When in harmony, however, that's where the magic happens. This is what Full Moon Bar-B-Que sauce has mastered.

From the aroma to the flavor, this sauce has layers that peel away, like an onion, revealing distinctive elements that interact with one another beautifully to increase its complexity. While ketchup is a common ingredient in barbecue sauces, it can quickly drown out the other components, yielding something cloyingly sweet and assertively acidic. Though this sauce contains tomato paste and ketchup, neither is enough to overwhelm this product.

While this sauce is great on its own, it would be a fantastic addition to a number of your favorite recipes. Just a hint will take your meatloaf to the next level by adding moisture, flavor, and creating a delectable crust. You can also stir this in to upgrade your next batch of chicken salad. Lastly, if you are feeling bored with plain old mashed potatoes, consider adding some of this barbecue sauce for a much needed flavor boost. However you use it, you are going to want to snag a few bottles of this sauce to keep on hand. I promise it will transform the way you cook and will become your new favorite condiment.