Fabulous Gluten-Free BBQ Sauce!

Photo courtesy of Triple Crown BBQ

Barbeque sauce is a staple in the South. Up North, the term barbeque is often used as a verb as in “we’re going to barbeque some steaks this weekend”. What that really means is that the person making the statement is going to grill some steaks. Here in the South, where I was born, raised and have lived most of my adult life, the term barbeque refers to sauce. Grilling something might be involved – or not. In any case, barbeque refers to the sauce, plain and simple. According to Webster’s Dictionary, barbeque can be spelled three different ways (also barbecue and bar-b-que) and can be used the way both Southerners and Northerners refer to it.

Four years ago when I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I was shocked to see the word “wheat” in so many bottled barbeque sauces. Malt vinegar made from barley was an understandable ingredient to me, but wheat? I just didn’t understand why wheat was everywhere but then again, I did not know back then that wheat is a highly subsidized grain in the U.S. Many of the companies that used wheat and/or malt in their sauces in the past have quietly started removing gluten from their products. Most companies don’t make a fuss about it so they don’t scare off their gluten eating customer base. That’s only fair, of course.

There are some things I’m willing to make from scratch, but barbeque sauce is not one of them. As far as I’m concerned, barbeque sauce should be left to the professionals. When I got the chance to try a new product - Triple Crown Gourmet BBQ Sauce – I jumped on it. Everyone has their own favorite type of barbeque sauce – tangy or sweet or smoky – or some combination thereof.  At our house we like a sauce that’s not too sweet, not too tangy with just enough smoke flavor. Luckily for us, Triple Crown sauce met all our picky criteria!

For our test taste, we picked up undressed pulled pork from Shane’s Rib Shack. The sauce there is actually gluten-free but we ordered plain meat so we could use the Triple Crown sauce on it. From just smelling the sauce, I knew it would not be too tangy. After mixing the sauce into the meat, the true test began. The smoky flavor of the molasses sweetened sauce was really divine. The inclusion of both sugar and molasses in the ingredients gave me pause that the sauce might be a bit to sweet. Surprisingly it wasn’t too sweet at all – just perfectly sweet. The sauce really has a lovely flavor and texture. It’s not too thick or thin – it’s just right.

Another thing that I loved about this sauce is that there is no added MSG in it. Again, many companies are getting rid of MSG which is a very good thing. Though MSG is gluten-free, it isn’t known how much of it is actually healthy to consume. There is a reason that some countries don’t allow it to be added to foods. There are natural spices and hickory smoke flavor in Triple Crown as one would expect, but anchovy paste is something I’m not sure I’ve seen in barbeque sauce before. There was certainly no fishy taste to the product which was a relief. Triple Crown Gourmet BBQ Sauce is truly a delicious sauce that is worthy of any Southern kitchen, grill and meat. Check here to see if a store near you sells Triple Crown or order directly online. Please note that the company also makes sauce with gluten in it so when purchasing or ordering, you want to choose the clearly marked gluten-free sauce.

Special thanks to Triple Crown Gourmet BBQ Sauce for sending us their great sauce. We are looking forward to making some barbeque chicken – on the grill – when the weather turns warm here!