Though I wasn't blown away by the first Bandana's sauce (Chicago Sweet) that I used, I decided to give them another try when I smoked ribs for the family last week. This time I chose their St. Louis Sweet & Smokey sauce. According to the Bandana's website, the sauce was made for the Midwestern palate and is their best seller.

Since I was smoking St. Louis cut spareribs for a crowd of native Michiganders, it seemed like a safe choice. I tasted the sauce before actually putting it on the ribs and was pleasantly surprised. The thick sauce is exactly as described. The flavors are both sweet and smokey, but mild in both regards. It's not quite as sweet as Sweet Baby Ray's, but it did have a similar flavor profile.

After tasting Bandana's St. Louis Sweet & Smokey sauce it's easy to see why it has become their best seller. It's the type of sauce that won't wow anybody, but just about everyone will like it. It definitely has mass appeal and is undeniably a step up from the Chicago Sweet sauce.

Much like the Chicago Sweet, this sauce was quite thick. It worked well for glazing, producing fingerlicking sticky ribs. If you wanted to use it for pulled or chopped pork, I would suggest cutting the thickness significantly with apple cider vinegar. The extra vinegar tang would be a nice boost to the flavor as well.

Check the Product Reviews page to see how Bandana's St. Louis Sweet & Smokey sauce rates.