Popular Types of Grill Sauces And When To Use Them

Grilling is one of the most loved cooking methods around the world, which boosts its wide variety and versatility. Saucing grilled food adds a great flavor enhancing experience to grilled meat, vegetables, and seafood. From hot and smoky to sweet and mouthwatering, dry rubs and sauces come in many varieties. Let’s get one thing straight though, there are many types of marinades and each goes great with a different meat. Below are a few grilled foods and the marinades that go best with them!

1. Barbecue Sauce

Starting with the popular type of sauce, barbeque is ideally the go-to sauce for ribs, brisket, burgers or even while topping off some pulled pork. The rich taste barbecue sauce can be coupled with slow roasted meats whether it be beef, chicken, or pork. As is the case, the sauce is made from brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar and numerous spices.

• Best for: Ribs, brisket, burgers, and pulled pork
• Flavor Profile: Sweet, smoky, tangy
• When to Use: BBQ is best when brushed on during the final 10-15 minutes of grilling.

Barbecued meat becomes more delicious thanks to the sauce that turns sticky and glistening black due to the smoke during the grilling.

2. Chimichurri Sauce

A bright and zesty Argentinian sauce with herbs, Chimichurri can be made with a combination of parsley, cilantro, garlic, red wine vinegar and olive oil, and is often served with grilled meats.

• Best for: Steak, lamb, chicken, and grilled veggies
• Flavor Profile: Tangy with herbal notes and a hint of heat
• When to Use: It’s ideal to use before grilling as a marinade or apply post-cooking as a spread.

Chimichurri works best with grilled meats which otherwise have dominating flavors thanks to its unique blend of herbs.

3. Buffalo Sauce

Made from chicken wings, hot sauce, butter and a dash of vinegar, Buffalo wing sauce adds great zest to grilled chicken, especially the wings.

• Best for: Chicken wings, shrimps, drumsticks and thighs
• Flavor Profile: Tangy and spicy
• When to Use: After grilling, toss the chicken with some buffalo sauce and serve, or to enhance flavor, use during the last minute of grilling.

Buffalo sauce is one of the most appreciated sauces and adds a very strong and hot flavor at the barbecue.

4. Teriyaki Sauce

Teriyaki is a Japanese dressing that combines soy, mirin, sugar and occasionally ginger and garlic into a savory and sweet dish. This dressing contributes that awesome taste to the grilled dishes.

• Best for: Chicken, pork, beef, salmon and grill vegetables
• Flavor Profile: Sweet, Salty and Tangy
• When to use: To grill meat, first marinate it in teriyaki and then baste while it’s at the end of the cooking process.

Most people know that teriyaki sauce has a wonderful taste on meat as it becomes caramelized on the grill.

5. Honey Mustard Sauce

This sauce is mild, tangy and sweet and is created by combining honey and mustard. This is perfect regardless of whether it is used as a dip or a glazing.

• Best for: Chicken, pork chops, sausages and vegetables
• Flavor Profile: Sweet with a tangy and mildly sharp touch
• When to use: Apply on the chicken in the final minutes to have a caramelized effect.

Along the same parameters, honey mustard sauce can give a balancing sweetness to the grilled dish.

6. Garlic Butter Sauce

To say it is garlic and butter flavored sauce is an understatement to the influence it has on grilled seafood and vegetables. Garlic butter is ideal when one intends to give a hint of rich flavor without bringing too much focus on it.

• Best for: Shrimp, scallops, lobster tails, and corn on the cob
• Flavor Profile: Buttery, garlic
• When to Use: Baste the fish with garlic butter while grilling or drizzle it over the fish after it has been fried.

Seafood has its own sweetness, which comes alive with garlic butter sauce, and can give some additional class to the fish.

Tips for Pairing Grill Sauces with Different Foods

• Match Flavor Intensity: Pair strong sauces (such as BBQ) with rich meats (such as ribs) while using lighter sauces (such as garlic butter) with delicate seafood.
• Apply Sauces Late: Apply all the sauces that contain sugar (BBQ, honey mustard) in the last 2-3 minutes to prevent blackening of the sauce.
• Serve Extra Sauce on The Side: Dipping is a fun way to eat. Provide more sauces on the side for additional flavor.

Through these popular grill sauces, you get to season lots of meals with different great tastes and this, no doubt, makes every other grilled dish interesting. Play around with various combinations to discover ideal matches, and enhance the productivity of your next cookout!