Yes, Dear BBQ - Competition Sauce (3-Pack)
We spent years at competitions mixing sauces like cocktails — adjusting ratios, testing batches, chasing something that hit every note without letting any single one dominate. One batch made it into a juice jar labeled "Not Juice" so no one would mistake it for a drink. We sent it out to our most trusted people in the BBQ community. The feedback came back unanimous. That sauce went on to win 1st Place Overall at the 2026 BBQ News Sauces of Honor. The name stuck. The recipe didn't change.
Yes, Dear BBQ Competition Sauce. 2026 BBQ News Sauces of Honor — 1st Place Overall. Find out what #notjuice is all about.
Flavor Profile
Yes, Dear BBQ Competition Sauce is savory, smoky, sweet, and spicy — in that order, in that balance. Apple cider vinegar opens with a clean, bright tang. Molasses and honey pull things deeper and richer. Ketchup rounds the body, and apple juice keeps it from sitting too heavy. At the finish, there's a low, steady warmth — present, but never aggressive. It's the kind of layered, complex sauce that earns its place on a competition table and works just as well on a Tuesday night cook.
Best Uses & Application Tips
This sauce was built for the finishing stage. Apply it in the last 15–20 minutes once your meat has already developed its crust and smoke ring — that's when the magic happens.
One coat gives you flavor. Two gives you depth. Three gives you a finish worth talking about.
Ingredients
SUGAR, WATER, APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, WHITE VINEGAR, KETCHUP (TOMATO CONCENTRATE, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, VINEGAR, SALT, NATURAL FLAVORS, ONION POWDER, GARLIC POWDER), TOMATO PASTE, CORN SYRUP, HONEY, MOLASSES, TAMARIND, APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE, WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (DISTILLED VINEGAR, MOLASSES, WATER, SUGAR, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, SPICES, ANCHOVIES, TAMARIND EXTRACT, NATURAL FLAVOR, GARLIC POWDER, SULFITING AGENTS), SOY SAUCE (WATER, SALT, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, CORN SYRUP, CARAMEL COLOR, POTASSIUM SORBATE [PRESERVATIVE]), SALT, HICKORY SMOKE FLAVOR, MUSTARD POWDER, VANILLA EXTRACT, SPICES, BLACK PEPPER, ONION, GARLIC.
Already reaching for Yes, Dear Red BBQ Sauce on weeknight cooks? Add the Competition Sauce when the stakes are higher and the smoke's been running all day. Prefer something mustard-forward and bright? Yes, Dear Yellow BBQ Sauce rounds out the set. Each sauce stands on its own — together, they cover every protein, every cook style, and every crowd.
