1 yr. ago • 92%

I'm too stressed out to function and pissed at the world. What's the best bbq sauce to put on chicken legs?

I'm at a shitty point in my life where I'm just close enough to rock bottom to smell it but far enough that I still have something to lose.

One thing I still have control over is what I'm going to have for lunch. I decided on chicken legs. I'm going to smoke them with Applewood and score the legs so they can hold bbq sauce. I'm going to the store soon but don't have a favorite sauce, and I'm looking for recommendations. What bbq sauce is best to cook onto the chicken legs?

85 comments

Kikkoman makes a teriyaki sauce with garlic and green onions and it is my new favorite sauce after Aldi's parmesan garlic. If you're dead set on bbq, you can't go wrong with a sweet Baby Ray sauce.

58
- Are you me?
  
  The green onion teriyaki sauce is fantastic. I mix it into ground turkey and make burgers on the grill.
  
  On the sauce tip we’ve gravitated to SBR. It’s dark and smokey like bulls eye but sweeter.
  
  For chicken I really like grill mates sweet and smokey rub
  
  9
  
  Aw man, i wish i would've seen this earlier, I'm not happy with how the chicken came out. I think Teriyaki might've been the way to go. Something sweet when I'm feeling bitter would've been good
  
  5
  
  Bro this sauce is something to everyday carry. I could eat anything with it!
  
  2
Not sure if anyone cares to know but i decided to go with stubbs bbq sauce. First i put on a dry rub of Pappys dry rub and cooked to 160 internal. Then i followed up with stubbs bbq sauce and finished at 170 degrees internal.

I didn't get down with the apple jim beam so i decided to do shots of Makers Mark cask bourbon. Might have a white claw and long Island iced tea later. Catch me on my plummet to rock bottom over on !cocktails.lemmyworld or occasionally! Cocktail.MidwestSocial

Unfortunately I think I might just have to go back to therapy because even bbqing doesn't cheer me up anymore.

Edit: the chicken has clashing flavors only fixed by getting blind drunk. Don't mix Pappys dry rub and stubbs bbq suace.

57
- Stubbs is the shiiiiit, good choice. Therapy is also a good choice, everybody should go. It always helps, even if you don't think you need it.
  
  16
- You may think no one cares but you'd be surprised how many people are happy about this update.
  
  Also never really heard of stubbs before 0_0
  
  11
  
  As far as i can tell its just a generic sweet bbq sauce.
  
  6
- Came here to say to go with Stubb's, but the jalapeno one. It's SOOO good!! Dude. So good...
  
  Also, therapy is amazing, and you should totally return. It's a step to you getting better. Feeling this way sucks balls, but the world isn't as bad as it seems, and sometimes, it takes a therapist to help you see that. If doing the things you love doesn't cheer you up, even a bit, you may benefit from a psychiatrist that can prescribe an antidepressant and work with you on your recovery. Saved my best friend's life. Like everything, there are bad ones and good ones and great ones (psychiatrists and antidepressants), but keep fighting so you can find one that will help you. Good luck, my dude. Hang in there, and know that an internet stranger is rooting hard for you!
  
  6
  
  Thanks homie. I actually quit therapy the last time because my issues were caused by me being broke, alone, and working long hours. My therapist said that my money would be better put towards my bills than therapy. That no amount of coping skills would make me not poor and alone.
  
  Well I got a better job, made friends, and and I'm lightyears ahead of where I used to be, but still i find myself thinking about ending it. Personally I think my past depression kinda fried my brain and I'm permanently broken and probably need meds to be halfass happy.
  
  I don't have enough enough money to move into my own place, and even though that's my goal, that's what I'd define as success, I'm not sure that'd make me happy. I know myself and I know if i lived by myself I'd be lonely and probably overdependant on my work friends. Also I've been trying to date but only halfass sending likes on the apps and just a little bit of flirting with my coworkers. In fact there's this one coworker I have that's i am just illogically attracted to. Only problem is she's out of my league in looks, economical standing, has degrees and she's also older. She's so different from me though, in almost every way. I thought i leaned right politically but jeez she really showed me what it's like to be conservative in Asia.
  
  Idk i think that's just the bourbon talking though. I think about her more than i should, that's for sure. I'd give her everything if she asked even though I know it'd be wrong.
  
  Anyway I'm going to try to sign up for BetterHelp. Honestly I'll have to lie because they reject certain people but i just can't afford anything else rn.
  
  I appreciate you friend. Hope to see you around lemmy soon on a more happy post.
  
  6
- I'd skip the sauce. Legs are, to me, too fatty. They do much better with a. Rub and keeps the skin nice and tasty.
  
  1
  
  I scored the legs down to the bone hoping to get some crispy corners and a place to hold some sauce. It had mixed results. I was 6 drinks in by the time the chicken was ready so I wasn't able to really appreciate my own culinary genius.
  
  3
- Great choice. I was going to recommend Sweet Baby Ray’s, but Stubbs is pretty similar.
  
  1
I always end up going back to Sweet Baby Ray's. Every once in awhile I'll try something fancier but I always end up going back.

19
- SBR seems to be a very good all around sauce universally available. A lot of the others mentioned seems to be a specialty or regional sauce.
  
  3
- Heres my trick. I use a braising brush and brush it on the chicken (or ribs, or turkey) BEFORE i cook it.
  
  The brown sugar one especially. Ill also add a little of my own seasoning if i want.
  
  Just a thin coat makes a glaze. Its all you need. Cook and eat.
  
  2
Seems like you could use a kick start for something different. Let me suggest Alabama White Sauce. Tangy, a little heat, and some lip sweat.

Alabama White BBQ Sauce: 1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt

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- I've never heard of this, but now I want to try it on the spatchcocked chicken I'm grilling tonight. How important is the horseradish, and can it be substituted since it's the only thing I don't normally buy?
  
  6
  
  It would take away a lot of the zing... But it's cooking, you do you!
  
  5
  
  Ground white pepper should do the trick if you have some. It's 99% heat and 1% pepper flavor so it would be a good stand in for horseradish. My brain first went to ground ginger but it won't really be a good sub for horseradish. Though it may taste good given the other ingredients. If you don't have white pepper, I'd just up the cayenne. It doesn't have that nostril burning quality to it but it'll be spicy nonetheless
  
  5
- this looks delicious
  
  6
- I just cannot take part in any mustard based “bbq” sauce.
  
  0
  
  Alabama white sauce is hardly "mustard based." One teaspoon per cup of mayo is nothing; you'd barely taste it. It's Carolina-style sauce you have an irrational hatred for, not Alabama-style.
  
  1
- This goes great with sister fucking.
  
  -2
  
  How do you know this?
  
  2
I'm wheezing at the amount of existential dread in your question about BBQ sauces. Sorry man, life may be shitty right now but at least you've got a good sense of humor.

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- Im drowning and bbq sauce is my life raft
  
  10
  
  Godspeed! And may the the bbq sauce life raft carry you safely across these treacherous waters.
  
  1
What a coincidence, today I stumbled upon just the right book for situations like this.

15
- I think tomorrow might be the fried noodles one. I already have a good spicy sweet and sour sauce, and I'll pair it with some fried chicken thighs if I'm not too drunk to drive to the store tomorrow.
  
  Thanks friend, i think this is a good cookbook. I appreciate it
  
  2
Sweet Baby Ray’s. Can’t ever go wrong with Sweet Baby Ray’s.

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- SBR’s hasn’t been the same since they swapped out the cane sugar for HFCS.
  
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You said you feel down? Then toss the BBQ sauce, use whiskey. Just whiskey. Toss the chicken as well, tastes like crap with whiskey.

8
- But don't forget to smoke the whiskey with the apple wood first.
  
  We do have some culture here
  
  6
  
  Too much work, I just bought some smoked bourbon
  
  Anyone want a pour of some Balcones Brimstone?
  
  3
- Funny story i picked up a bottle of jim beam apple and am smoking my chicken with Applewood. Now ive got the rest of the bottle to keep me company until the end of the day.
  
  2
I really like Stubbs Sweet Heat ("Ladies and Gentlemen I'm a Cook")

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- Stubbs is decent sauce. Haven’t tried this one, but it’s likely solid.
  
  4
- Original Stubb's is good too. Bit more vinegary.
  
  3
  
  I'm a big fan of vinegar flavors but moreso with beef than chicken. I unapologetically use A1 sauce with my bigger steaks. Then again I eat lots of steaks and I feel like A1 just provides a little bit of a flavor difference for it to feel like I'm not eating a whole pound of the same thing.
  
  Then again I recently started pan frying my steaks with butter as opposed to grilling them on a propane grill and i think it's better that way imo.
  
  1
It's less about what sauce you pick and more about making sure to finish them on the grill on high heat so that sauce caramelizes and chars. That's where the flavor lives.

6
- Maybe thats where i went wrong. Next time I'll crank up the heat.
  
  3
Everybody's suggesting some great bbq sauce, I say come join us on the rock bottom!

5
- Trust me friend, it's in my nature to to fuck up. I'll be at the bottom soon enough. And once I hit rock bottom I'll take the cowards way.
  
  Seems like nothing I do is right. Like everything I do is detrimental.
  
  For example I like to speed. I love to hear the roar of my engine on an open road. But also getting a speeding ticket sucks ass. I have a few and they stress me out so bad i struggle to sleep so I'm dog tired at work. I work graveyard so my boss expects me to fall asleep so he can write me up and fite me for cause so he can hire one of his friends and not have to pay me unemployment bc then he'd get in trouble with his boss.
  
  I also like to cook but I live with my parents and they don't like my cooking. Kills my self esteem because I don't actually know if i cook well. I bbq once a week but do other things sporadically. From chicken parm to Chilaquiles. Today i spend $50 on chicken alone, somewhere around 15 lbs and they all went out to lunch today. Breaks my heart truly.
  
  What really sucks is that i finally have some money in my pocket and I finally have some friends in my life, but i don't feel any different. It's like having the carpet pulled out from under your feet. I thought things would be different. I guess the only difference i was destined to make was about bbq sauce. Lol what a joke
  
  2
  
  Honestly, I feel for you. I'm not gonna get into specifics here but there's better ways. I've been known to be somewhat self destructive to put it mildly. I'm probably not gonna be able to tell you something that would make a difference for you, even if we were best friends. You're not alone man and probably don't fuck up as much as you think.
  
  Too bad about the chicken, fuck em. Family can be poison, fuck em.
  
  Use that money to make your life better.
  
  Something something insert life changing fantastic advice here.
  
  1
Maull's classic, a St. Louis BBQ tradition.

5
- Goes great on alligator doesn't it?
  
  3
  
  Never had it on gator, only ever had gator with mustard based sauce.
  
  1
Stubb's is always my go-to for chicken. It's usually a crowd pleaser when I bring it to cookouts

5
Something spicy. You need those endorphins. You can channel your anger into eating the pain food.

4
My favorite bbq sauce is this one: https://www.joeskc.com/collections/sauces-and-rubs/products/joes-bbq-sauce

It won't get there in time but man, what a treat. Think of it for next time! I hope things start to look up for you soon, enjoy your bbq! I'll also be smoking some chicken today, I'm going to be cooking this for the first time so I hope it tastes good: https://howtobbqright.com/2020/02/13/voodoo-wings/

4
- Looks great friend. I definitely want to step up my bbq game and i love spicy food. Today i just just went with simple and easy
  
  2
  
  Hell yeah man, simple and easy is so much better than doing nothing and eating bland fast food! Proud of you!
  
  1
Brine them in Vicker's sauce for 24 hours, place in a bowl or ziplock bag and toss in a heavy dark sauce like Stubb's, Corky's, or Jack Daniels. Smoke and caramelize the bbq sauce. Then, optionally, give a thin coat of BBQ sauce again for messy wings.

Stubb's original is my favorite.

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The blood of your enemies.

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- With some brown sugar and spices of course
  
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- Seattle Isn't known for bbq because it rains all the time. In fact all i know about Seattle is CHOP and that it rains a bunch and that Idaho potatoes are cheap there.
  
  Anyway, do you brush on your hot sauce before bbqinf or after?
  
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- Seattle....wow
  
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- I also live in the seattle, I have never once seen Franks red being used as barbecue sauce.
  
  I feel like most places here are making their own, and they are all coke or Dr. Pepper based.
  
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  0
Hoisin sauce on grilled chicken is pretty awesome

2
A woodsmoke sauce, if you’re in the U.K. I love this one https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=safari&hl=en-gb&sxsrf=AB5stBj_cJvmlBQmv5mErb2DSEoGDMD6QA:1691339809773&q=woodsmoke+sauce&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiY-7jku8iAAxUEQUEAHcefBuEQ0pQJegQICxAB&biw=390&bih=664&dpr=3#imgrc=tYsZdqwe_5X-dM

2
- Bro, didn't you hear the freedom in my voice, see the bald eagles as i entered the room, feel the crack of the liberty bell when you read my name?
  
  I bleed red white and blue, my underwear is the American flag, i have a pet AR-15, and my car sings the national anthem. I am American.
  
  Anyway thanks for the recommendation, i appreciate it friend
  
  5
  
  No worries. Good luck with your search.
  
  2
Spicy Bone Suckin' Sauce. A classic for a reason.

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I would go with Gates, Jack Stack, or Q39. You should be able to find them at your local Price Chopper.

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KC Masterpiece

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If you like sweet BBQ sauces, Blues Hog original is wonderful.

My family thinks I have a secret rib recipe and it’s just a thin coat of Blues Hog original near the end of the cook.

I only found the sauce because a local BBQ place was selling it and I thought I’d try something new.

1
Reggae Reggae Sauce. Really good barbecue jerk chicken sauce.

It's amazing how Levi Roots got rejected on Dragon's Den and then launched the sauce brand himself to big success.

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You know what? Hitting rock bottom happens to the best of us, the good thing about it that from there it can only get better. Send me a PM if you need someone to talk privately, we got you.

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