Honey Sriracha Barbecue Sauce

Honey Sriracha Barbecue Sauce by Stonewall Kitchen, sweet and spicy

Honey Sriracha Barbecue Sauce by Stonewall Kitchen is a sweet and spicy tomato-based barbecue sauce where honey meets Thai Sriracha chili paste. Molasses and a hint of hickory smoke provide a dark foundation for the sweetness, upon which the heat slowly builds.

Honey Sriracha Barbecue Sauce is the fiery barbecue sauce from Stonewall Kitchen in York, Maine, made for ribs, chicken wings, and burgers. Tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar form the base, while Sriracha and cayenne pepper provide the heat. This makes it the bolder sister of the Honey Barbecue sauce from the same maker.

Sweet tomato, dark molasses, building heat

A dark red, medium-thick sauce flows from the bottle, smelling first of tomato and honey, and only then of chili.

Tomato paste and apple cider vinegar create a fruity, tangy foundation; brown sugar and honey layer sweetness on top, while molasses pulls a dark, slightly bitter thread through it all. The Sriracha only makes its presence known after a few seconds, with the garlic-forward chili heat for which the Thai paste is known. Cayenne pepper follows, causing the heat to build throughout the entire bite.

Soy sauce and a dash of liquid smoke remain in the background, giving the sauce a savory depth that elevates it beyond simple fire. It is thick enough to cling to meat and thin enough to be brushed on easily.

Barbecue sauce for ribs, wings, and burgers

It shines on anything that comes hot off the grill and can handle a sticky glaze.

Chicken wings and ribs get their shine from it, it serves as a red streak beneath the patty on a burger, and it brings significantly more fire to pulled pork. Brush it on only in the final minutes so the sugar caramelizes without burning.

It works just as well as a dip for sweet potato wedges or grilled corn, and a spoonful can season a quick pan of chicken and rice. If you want to make a marinade, thin it out with a little oil and lime juice to let it soak into chicken drumsticks overnight.

Molasses gives the sweetness its dark foundation

Molasses is the dark syrup left over from cane sugar production once the crystals have been separated.

It has a bold, slightly bitter taste with a hint of licorice, and that is exactly what keeps the sweetness of a barbecue sauce grounded. Stonewall Kitchen uses it twice here: once pure and once in the brown sugar, which itself consists of sugar and molasses.

The liquid smoke comes from hickory wood, with its smoke captured in water, allowing Stonewall Kitchen to bring the smoker into the bottle. Pure cane sugar follows honey on the ingredient list, rounding out the edges brought by the molasses.

First the honey, then the fire

When the wings are gleaming on the grill and smoke is drifting across the garden, its moment has arrived: first the sweetness, then the heat that lingers. A cold beer on the side takes the edge off, and for those who are serious, a second spoonful is in order. Once opened, the bottle will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

For something milder, try the Honey Barbecue Sauce. More bottles for the grill can be found under Grill and BBQ Sauces, and the entire range is in the Stonewall Kitchen collection.