What Is The Difference Between Sweet And Honey BBQ?
Last updated on September 11th, 2023 at 02:13 pm
We use barbecue sauces as a marinade, basting, condiment, or topping for various foods. Barbecue sauces bring grilled foods to life.
There are tons of BBQ sauces to choose from with exciting flavors ranging from tart-sweet to rich savory and a spicy, peppery hot zing.
The Sweet and Honey BBQ are two homemade favorite barbecue sauces that taste similar because they share many common ingredients.
The difference between the Sweet and Honey BBQ sauce is the honey in the Honey BBQ sauce. The honey gives the Honey BBQ a better and sweeter flavor than the Sweet BBQ sauce’s non-existent flavor. The honey also makes the Honey BBQ sauce richer and coats the barbecue better.
What is Sweet BBQ?
Sweet BBQ sauce is a thick and rich sauce with a zesty apple cider vinegar taste but lacks an exact flavor.
It is perfect both for grilling or dipping. Sweet BBQ is an excellent sauce for burgers, pork chops, pizza, chicken ribs, and wings.
You can get the Sweet BBQ sauce at any local grocery store or order it online.
You could also whip up some of your Sweet BBQ sauce in a saucepan. So you can season it to your taste. After all, nothing can beat a homemade dish.
These are the ingredients you can use to make a Sweet BBQ sauce:
- 1 ½ cup of brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp molasses
- 1 ½ Tbsp dry mustard
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- ½ Tbsp black pepper
- Two dashes of hot sauce
These are the easy steps to making your homemade Sweet BBQ sauce.
- Add all your ingredients to a saucepan and whisk them till they are well blended.
- Boil it over medium heat for about 20 -30 minutes to marry all the flavors.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer, and allow it to cook for 15 minutes. Ensure to stir it until smooth as it continues to bubble. You can add more vinegar or seasonings to suit your taste.
Store it in an airtight glass container to preserve it for two weeks. It can even last a month in a refrigerator.
What is Honey BBQ?
The Honey BBQ sauce is a barbecue sauce that tastes like the Sweet BBQ sauce.
It is a mild barbecue sauce with a sweet taste and a hint of spiciness. It has a fantastic flavor because of its honey ingredient.
Many people appreciate the Honey barbecue sauce for its rich color. Another remarkable thing about this bbq sauce is how well it coats food.
The Honey barbecue sauce can serve as a topping and dipping on burgers, pizza, chicken ribs, and wings.
You can easily buy it at any local grocery store or order it online.
You could also whip up some of your Honey barbecue sauce at home in a saucepan to your desired taste.
These are the ingredients that you can use to make a Honey barbecue sauce:
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup molasses
- One teaspoon of liquid smoke flavoring
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
These are the easy steps to making your homemade Honey barbecue sauce:
- Add all your ingredients To a saucepan and whisk them till they are well blended.
- Boil it over medium heat for about 20 -30 minutes to marry all the flavors.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer, and allow it to cook for 15 minutes. Ensure to stir it until smooth as it continues to bubble. You can add more honey or seasonings to suit your taste.
Store it in an airtight glass container for two weeks. It can even last a month in a refrigerator.
Sweet BBQ vs. Honey BBQ taste
Although Sweet BBQ and Honey BBQ sauce have a common characteristic of being sweet, they do not entirely taste the same.
The honey barbecue sauce is widely believed to taste better than the sweet bbq sauce.
Here are some differences between the taste of the Sweet bbq sauce and Honey bbq sauce:
- The Sweet BBQ is a little less savory than the Honey BBQ. The Honey BBQ has a caramel sauce taste but not pure sweetness; it’s more of a deeper browner sweet taste.
- The Sweet BBQ lacks a distinct flavor, unlike the Honey BBQ sauce’s rich, unique honey flavor.
- The Sweet BBQ sauce has a tangy taste, while the Honey BBQ sauce does not have an exact sweet or sour taste.
- The Sweet BBQ has a wetter texture than the Honey BBQ.
Both sauces have inspired a lot of dishes with their sensational tastes.
Some dishes that go well with the sweet BBQ sauce and the Honey BBQ sauce are:
- Tacos, tostadas, and Nachos
- Pizza
- Salads
- Pork chops
- Chicken wings, Chicken pot pie, and even meat loaves.
There are even potato chips that adopt their flavors.
Is Honey BBQ Sweeter Than Sweet BBQ?
The Honey BBQ sauce and Sweet BBQ sauce have a similar sweet taste since they contain a lot of molasses.
However, The Honey barbecue sauce is not sweeter than the sweet barbecue sauce.
The Honey barbecue sauce is a bit more savory than the Sweet BBQ sauce but certainly not spicier.
Many people choose the Honey BBQ sauce over the Sweet BBQ sauce. Both the Honey BBQ sauce and the Sweet BBQ sauce contain significant sugar.
Here are tables of the average calories in both sauces.
Honey bbq
Serving Size: 2 tbsp
Serving Weight: 34g
| Nutrient | Value |
|---|---|
| Calories | 50 kCal |
| Total Carbs | 11 g |
| Net Carbs | 11 g |
| Fiber | – |
| Starch | – |
| Sugar | 10g |
| Sugar Alcohols | – |
| Protein | – |
| Fat | – |
| Calcium | 40 mg |
| Sodium | 510 mg |
| Vitamin A | 0 mcg |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg |
Sweet bbq sauce
Serving Size: 2 tbsp
Serving Weight: 0g
| Nutrient | Value |
|---|---|
| Calories | 80 kCal |
| Total Carbs | 19 g |
| Net Carbs | 19 g |
| Fiber | – |
| Starch | – |
| Sugar | 16 g |
| Sugar Alcohols | – |
| Protein | – |
| Fat | – |
| Iron | 0.7 mg |
| Sodium | 380 mg |
| Vitamin A | 60 mcg |
| Vitamin C | 1.2 mg |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg |
Honey BBQ Vs. Sweet BBQ cooking duration
You can easily make your barbecue sauces at home since their recipes are easy and do not take much time to make.
It takes 15 – 25 mins to cook Honey BBQ and Sweet BBQ sauce. However, some recipes do not even require cooking.
You have to replace the ketchup base with tomato paste. The barbecue sauce recipe that uses ketchup as a base requires you to cook the ketchup to make it thicker.
Which is More Expensive; Honey vs. Sweet BBQ?
An average bottle of 18 oz of Honey BBQ costs around 1-4 dollars, while the average 18 oz bottle of Sweet BBQ costs about 1-3 dollars.
They also come in packs of 3 for about 9-13 dollars. So none is exactly more expensive than the other.
And since different brands charge their respective prices differently, you have the advantage of choosing the most affordable option.
The best option is to either buy the sauces at a local store or order from an online store closest to you, so you slash an outrageous shipping fee.
You can incur an extra cost if you ship the sauces from another country.
It is cheaper to make your sauces right at home since most ingredients are easy to find, and the recipes require minimal cooking.
Conclusion
The difference between Sweet BBQ sauce and Honey BBQ sauce is the rich honey flavor in the Honey BBQ sauce.
Both sauces are all-time favorites and go well with a lot of dishes. Most people would pick the Honey BBQ over the Sweet BBQ.
You can easily make both sauces at home since their recipes require minimal cooking.
