Review: Shipp's Barbeque Sauce

Hey Foodies, time for another sauce review on The Last Bite.

Tax time is finally behind us but gas is up to $4 a gallon. Luckily barbecue season is in full swing; so save some cash by staying home for some great BBQ instead of eating out. We’ll try to point you in the right direction with some product reviews.

Today I tried “Shipp’s Barbeque Sauce”. I checked out their website where you can buy their sauce using paypal. It had the following information to share:

“Shipp's BBQ sauce has been a big hit with family and friends for many years (since 1968) and now it's available to the public. It's great on hamburgers, steaks, ribs, chicken, just about anything! Give it a try - it's time you tried a new barbeque sauce anyway!”

Initial Impression: When I got the bottle of Shipp’s Barbeque Sauce in my hand I sort of had mixed feelings. I was excited about having a sauce from a family owned business all the way from Arkansas, but the plastic bottle and the wrinkly label had me questioning the quality before I ever got to the contents.

Appearance: I really liked the way this sauce looks. It has a deep reddish brown color with little black flecks; my guess is coarse black pepper. The consistency of this sauce is a bit thin but it would do well as a mopping sauce near the end of cooking. I would expect to use a lot of napkins if you are using it on a sandwich. Now I’m getting excited about tasting it!

Aroma: The aroma is very tangy, almost vinegar like with most dominant scent being tomato. Not too unusual for a barbecue sauce. I get a little garlic and black pepper in the bouquet, but you really have to get a big snoot full to get past the tangy tomato scent.

Taste: I always like to have a taste before trying any sauce on food. Sometimes the incredible complex flavors surprise and amaze you. Well, I was surprised but not amazed in this case. Celery and black pepper are the flavors that jump out up front. As a matter of fact I’m sure I have never tasted a barbecue sauce that had that much of a distinct flavor up front. It’s as if the sauce was built around the black pepper and celery. I found it to be somewhat out of balance. Sweetness was a bit of an issue for me as well, I found this sauce to be very sweet.

The Food Test: It just so happened that on this particular day my smoker has been stocked full of dry rubbed beef brisket. What better test for a BBQ sauce than this? I must say Shipp’s BBQ Sauce is better applied to a well seasoned and smoked brisket than it is out of the bottle. The overpowering flavors and sweetness seem to be absorbed by the meat. Other than the bite of the black pepper there is no detectable heat. As I predicted earlier it is a bit thin for sandwich application, maybe as a dipping sauce?

Conclusion: “Shipp’s Barbeque Sauce” is ok in my books. I enjoyed it on my brisket sandwich and on my shirt and on my jeans! If you want a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce with plenty ‘o’ black pepper you have found it. Their friends and families have been lovin’ this sauce since 1968 and now you can too.

Packaging 3/10 – Wrinkled Labels
Aroma 6/10 – Tangy, Tomatoey
Appearance 7/10 – Color, Black Flecks
Taste 6/10 – A Bit Out of Balance
Heat 1/10 – No Heat.

Overall 5/10