Salsa verde is made from the green tomatillo
berry, which is not a tomato. Photo by
Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

We’re a nation of salsa lovers; but much of that is salsa roja, red salsa.

In Mexico, the land from which we obtained our love of salsa, it’s the opposite. Only the northern states of Mexico, closest to the U.S. border, have red salsa as their tradition.

Green salsa is based on the tomatillo, which is a distant relative of the tomato (the difference between tomatoes and tomatillos).

We’ve had salsa verde from jars, but only recently experienced the joys of fresh salsa verde, from Chef Gerard & Chuck’s. It made us ask, why isn’t there more fresh salsa verde on the market?

Of course, that’s the very question that got Chef Gerard into the business!

Barbecue sauce can have as much refined sugar as dessert (we call the super-sweet ones “meat sugar”). People on sugar-free diets have limited choices if they want some BBQ.

One manufacturer offering help is Chef Hymie Grande. The company has created a line of all-natural barbecue “glazes” flavored with low-glycemic agave nectar instead of other sugars.

Chef Hymie Grande claims to be the first BBQ sauce [glaze] to carry the American Diabetes Association mark on the bottle’s label; the company contributes 5% of sales to the ADA. The line is also vegan-friendly.

Three varieties are available:

We have no idea what “polapote” means. It’s not in the dictionary.

An BBQ glaze for people on sugar-free
diets. Photo by Katharine Pollak | THE NIBBLE.

All three glazes have a nice texture from crunchy onions. Two tablespoons contain 30-35 calories plus 5g-6g sugars, 7g-8g total carbohydrate and 15mg sodium.

By the way, glaze is a thin sauce. If you haven’t used glazes, the consistency is more like a vinaigrette dressing than a traditionally thick barbecue sauce.

If you’re looking for a sugar-free traditional barbecue sauce, take a look at Bellycheer Grilling Sauces.

Find all of our favorite barbecue sauces in our Rubs, Marinades & Glazes Section.

There’s a big difference in BBQ sauce quality.
Photo by E.Z. Foryu | IST.

We receive a lot of barbecue sauce to taste. In fact, we receive more barbecue sauce than any other product. We joke that if aliens invaded THE NIBBLE offices, they’d think that earthlings lived on barbecue sauce.

However, it’s no joke that most of the sauces we taste are indistinct and overly sweet—a mix of ketchup, molasses and brown sugar, often with high fructose corn syrup.

But every year there are a few true standouts. Check out our favorites of 2010. In alphabetical order they are:

Read the full review. You’ll also learn the difference between Kansas City-style, Memphis-style, North Carolina-style, Texas-style and other types of barbecue sauce.

• See an example of nicely-packaged rubs from Nantucket Offshore.
• Learn the basics of how to make barbecue.

• Discover our favorite yogurts.
• Find more yogurt serving ideas.

Tasty from Texas: BBQ sauce with a strong mustard flavor.

A 16 fl. oz. bottle is $4.95 at TexasTasty.net.

While the world may need a better mousetrap, it isn’t looking for another sauce (…whatever). It’s tough even for spectacular products to survive. Some of our Top Picks Of The Week—the best of their kind we’ve ever had—have been shuttered (and by the same token, some truly mediocre products continue to sell well, year after year—a phenomenon previously noted by H.L. Mencken). In better economic times, we saw someone develop a unique and needed product to make tofu taste great, and the world did not beat a path to her door. Unless a close family member is CEO of a major food chain, getting distribution for a new product is like swimming upstream, without the genetics of a salmon. That doesn’t make us happy, because people who make specialty foods tend to be nice people, and we always want the best for them.

BBQ sauce with a focus on fruit. Photo by Emily Chang | THE NIBBLE.

The puzzler is, why is Oregon Dan selling Hawaiian recipes. Given that the snowy mountain peaks on the bottle labels are not Mauna Loa and the website survey suggests the next flavor will be coming from Oregon (bing cherry, boysenberry, marionberry, peach, pear and raspberry are the options—cast your vote), Dan might want to forget the “taste of Hawaii inside each bottle” and sell “BBQ Sauce With Fightin’ Fruit.” A 12-Ounce jar $5.50 at OregonDans.com. The line is gluten free.

McCormick Grill Mates marinades arrived in exotic, evocative flavors, Hawaiian Luau and Mojito Lime. In other hands, these types of flavors could be overwhelming or sticky sweet; McCormick’s marinades perfectly captured the flavor themes with finesse.

Create a meal in just 30 minutes with Lawry’s Signature Steakhouse and Buffalo BBQ Marinades.

With Lawry’s Buffalo BBQ flavor, initial vinegar sweetness gives way to a nice burn of cayenne pepper and chili. A bite of the Signature Steakhouse reveals a popular taste with an acidic tang of Worcestershire and nice sting of pepper. These are sauces made for all America: they are flavorful but not potent.

On to the marindades. We liked the contrasting, smoky and bright flavors of the Mojito Lime. Peppery heat was backed by a refreshing sugary citrus punch. Hawaiian Luau did not evoke visions of volcanoes or guests in Hawaiian shirts (thank goodness!), but had a nice, even balance of tart pineapple and red pepper.

While all of the products contain high fructose corn syrup and other chemicals that would never get onto an “all natural product” list, as you have probably read, the jury is out as to whether it is the HFCS or all the bad eating habits and the level of over-sweetened food in general that have been responsible for obesity epidemic. We’re not supporting HFCS, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying these products.

• Click for THE NIBBLE’s reviews and articles of Rubs, Marinades, Sauces and Glazes
• Check out Lawry’s website for other products and recipes.
• Discover McCormick’s other spices, sauces and recipes

Diane’s Sweet Heat in Blackberry, Mango and Strawberry.

We’ve tried lots of clear pepper jelly (Aloha From Oregon’s pepper jellies were a Top Pick Of The Week), but these are our first chunky pepper jams, ready to be slathered on toast, biscuits, bagels (great with cream cheese), muffins, pancakes, cookies, pound cake, ice cream, poultry, beef, lamb, pork, seafood, even on breakfast eggs—eliminating the need to sprinkle on hot sauce and redefining the jelly omelet.

The ingredients are pure and simple: sugar, fruit, red bell peppers, habanero chiles, vinegar and pectin. The four-ounce jars are available in six flavors: Blackberry, Blueberry, Mango, Peach, Raspberry and Strawberry. The experience is fruity, hot and exciting.

- Learn the difference between jam, jelly, preserves, marmalade and more in our Jam & Jelly Glossary.

- Have fun with our Jam Trivia Quiz.

- See more of our favorite sweet spreads in our Jam & Jelly Section.

-Recipes: The Grilling Hall of Fame.
-Master the basics of barbecue with our comprehensive BBQ Guide.