With barbecue season upon us and the long weekend fast approaching, grilling is definitely high on everyone's minds. The right barbecue sauce can make or break your baby back ribs but with all the "secret family recipes" and "award-winning sauces" out there it can be impossible to choose. To lend a hand, we decided to kick off our new "Taste Test" series with an old-fashioned barbecue sauce show down. 

Our esteemed judging panel was made up of myself, recipe tester Eshun Mott, fashion & culture writer Nancy Won, nutritionist & recipe developer Susan Ho and recent graduate of George Brown's culinary program, Julie Verbos. We pitted seven sauces against one another and these were the delicious results.

These sauces are available at many Loblaws stores, Pusateri's and other up-market grocery stores across Canada.  Some butcher shops also carry them.

The Good:

Stubbs Original Bar-B-Q Sauce

The overall favourite, this sauce was a winner at first glance thanks to its simple, home-made look--and the flavours within definitely didn't disappoint. With a sophisticated peppery taste that was more vinegar-y than sweet, this sauce boasts a tangy kick that keeps you coming back for more.

PC Smokin' Stampede Fume, Beer & Chipotle Barbecue Sauce, $3.99

This monster 1 litre bottle of sauce may be a little tricky to fit in your fridge but at a mere $4 you just can't go wrong. Especially since this inexpensive sauce was a favourite with all of our judges, coming in a close second, with a bolder, smokier flavour that's not too sweet and not too hot.

Bourbon Q Classic Kentucky Bourbon Barbecue Sauce, $7.99

If you like a nice smokey sauce with a subtle hint of booze, this is the one for you. It comes in an elegant-looking bottle you can leave on the table and has plenty of spices you can actually see. Flavours and heat are even and well-balanced.

Bone Suckin' Sauce, $9.99

The sweetest sauce we tried, we all like how it tasted although we thought it was more plum sauce than barbecue sauce. If you have a sweet tooth this is a great option for chicken (plus you can keep it out for your spring rolls), and while most of us preferred the bolder sophisticated sauces above, the parents in the group agreed it would be a hit with the little ones.

The Bad:

Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce, $4.59

We all agreed we would have rejected this sauce on sight based on looks alone. Resembling a cheap salad dressing bottle, this is definitely not one you'd want to keep out for guests. And unfortunately we weren't swayed by the taste. The sauce was overly sweet with just a hint of smokiness and definitely not enough kick.

Kincades Ancho Gold #5 BBQ Sauce, $7.95

A completely different sauce from the others we tested, this one had a flavour reminiscent of Jamaican jerk chicken. There was plenty of heat but not a hint of sweetness. Definitely not a great all-purpose barbecue sauce. It also left us with an unpleasant after-taste, putting it in the bottom two of everyone's list.

Cattle Boyz Original BBQ Sauce, $7.99

Coming in last was a bottle that won points for its old-fashioned look but couldn't back it up with the sauce inside. The flavour was overwhelmingly sweet and fell short in every other qualification for a great barbecue sauce. There was no depth of flavour...all we could taste was molasses.

Keep an eye out for our next Taste Test where we'll give you the scoop on Toronto's best croissant.