Review: Annie’s Original BBQ Sauce

Original

Original

Last summer, Scott and I decided to cut HFCS out of our lives as much as possible.  This resulted in us realizing that a lot of our favorite products and condiments were now on the banned list and thus got tossed.  I found myself having to restock my fridge and pantry.

One thing I need on hand at all times is BBQ sauce. You just never know when you need some BBQ goodness, it can strike at any moment.  Taking the time to read labels, I realized that most sauces had HFCS in the ingredients and typically it was the second or third ingredient.  This sort of made me cranky because I thought, “If Bob is sitting at home looking to make some BBQ sauce, something tells me he doesn’t have HFCS sitting around in his cupboards and it probably isn’t the first thing he’s gonna grab to make some sauce with.”  Am I right?  Jeesh.  So why the smaller label sauces had HFCS in them boggled my mind.  I was sort of edging on a BBQ rage when I was searching for a new sauce.

I will tell you right now that I’m picky about BBQ sauces.  I like them thick with a nice smoky aroma.  It must be sweet at first with a nice tangy finish.  I am not a Carolina BBQ sauce fan because I prefer not to drink straight vinegar.  I prefer my BBQ sauce to have a thicker consistency, like I want to be able to spread it.  I don’t want them too sweet but if there is no brown sugar or cane sugar to be had, then that’s bad too.  See?  I said I was picky.

I tried the Annie’s Original BBQ sauce because it seems that Annie’s products and Food bloggers have a special kind of love going on.  If so many people like it, it can’t be too bad right?

Annie and I don’t get along very well.  I know all the food bloggers are probably passing out of their office chairs and gasping for air right about now but it’s true.  I’m sorry food bloggers, don’t hate me.  How Annie chooses to flavor her products does not please my very picky palate.

I opened this jar and gave it a sniff and sort of reeled back trying not to cough because that wouldn’t be polite.  I had to give Annie a fair shake.  Just because I found her Sour Cream and Onion bunnies (which I tried months before) to taste like cardboard someone ran over five times with sludge encrusted tires, does not mean that her BBQ sauce would taste the same way.

And I was right!  It did not taste like that at all!  However, it did sort of taste like how sometimes you burp a little, and some bile comes up and hits the back of your throat?  Yeah like that.  But I tried again because I apparently don’t mind punishing myself.  And again I was struck with the burning bile taste in my mouth.  I may or may not have yelled, “Hot damn, I don’t know what the hell this is but it’s not BBQ sauce.”  It’s debatable as that doesn’t really sound like something I would say, does it?

I asked Scott to try it before I dumped it and he agreed it was, “Ew”, to quote him directly.  He did not have such a strong aversion to it like I did, but he did not like it.  I dumped the contents and the bottle hit the recycling bin, never to be seen again.

But all is okay because my favorite brand of BBQ sauce has since gone HFCS free (or at least all the sauces I like from them are HFCS free) and I’ll do a review on them at some point in the future.

You are free to try Annie’s Original BBQ sauce and see what you think.  Me, I think it’s probably for the best that Annie and I just go our seperate ways.

11 thoughts on “Review: Annie’s Original BBQ Sauce

    • Caitlin, ha! It just did not sit right on my tongue and sort of had a weird burning taste to it. I’ve tried a few of her products and nothing has wowed me. I’m actually afraid to try the dressings because I fear I won’t like those either.

  1. haha hm anything that brings up the phrase, “burning bile taste”…i am steering CLEAR! I got the Masterpiece (I think?) or whatever BBQ sauce w/o HFCS u recommended, love it!!

  2. Wow and here i thought Annie’s could DO NO WRONG. Bile smell cannot be a good sign at all. I’m sorry it turned out being such a failure of a product, HOW DO YOU MESS UP bbq sauce??? jeeeez!! Thanks for the heads up!

  3. emily says:

    I use bulls eye. They have a new formula with no HFCS and its not too expensive. I don’t know if it would please your picky palate :) but i like it .

  4. I completely agree with your description of how BBQ sauce SHOULD taste, but I don’t think I could have ever explained it that well! I’m glad I read this!! Some Amy’s products I like and some I haven’t been too impressed with.

  5. I so absolutely agree with you! I did not care for Annie’s one bit. We use Bullseye – their entire line became HFCS-free last fall. Stubbs also isn’t bad, but it isn’t my favorite.

  6. Frank Gelman says:

    Debuting next week at the NASFT Food Show in NY City is Chef Hymie Grande BBQ Sauces with no HFCS, No processed sugars, is vegan friendly, all natural with organice worchestershire sauce & is sweetened with agave syrup

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