Chef Andre Edwards pours on the barbecue sauce in preparation for a panel tasting. CREDIT: John Lucas, The Journal From left, Therese Kehler, Danny Hooper and Richard Helm were among the panel of tasters who rated bottled barbecue sauces with meat and vegetables. Need tasting shots, product shots. I'll be there, we'll hav CREDIT: Judy Schultz, The Journal

Hail the long weekend! Time to do some serious grillin'.

To sauce, or not to sauce? That is the question.

Grilling sauces have a certain sameness in the average flavour profile: Tomato paste, molasses, onion powder, garlic powder, often liquid smoke and usually a great whack of sugar. They rely on macho-type names -- renegade, bonanza, hellfire, raging bull and (my personal favourite) the terminator. I figure this is a hangover from the days when real men didn't eat quiche, but could slop a little sauce on any old hunk of meat, burn it, and feel he-manly as the dickens.

But I digress. If you love a little sauce on your 'cue, the choice is bewildering. There are dozens of sauces on supermarket shelves, and new ones arrive with every new season.

Just in time for the holiday weekend, Bistro assembled a lineup of sauces and a panel of well-honed palates: Therese Kehler and Richard Helm, from Bistro's restaurant beat; our Journal cafeteria chef, Andre Edwards; wine columnist Nick Lees and a genuine cowboy, former steakhouse owner and all-around-barbecue fan, Danny Hooper.

We tasted 10 sauces, including two trendy new ones -- a miso base and a tequila lime -- designed especially for vegetables. Each sauce was tasted with barbecued sirloin steak, a Schneider's Original Grillin' hotdog, grilled zucchini and grilled sweet potato. Nothing was seasoned.

All sauces were rated out of 10.

- ANNIE'S SMOKY MAPLE B-B-Q SAUCE:

The only organic sauce in the bunch, is also the only import, from Vermont.

rating: 6

Lees: Thick enough to chew! Needs a big Barolo.

Edwards: Better with the veggies. I'd use it on thin-shaved meat, maybe pork.

Hooper: No bite. 0verpoweringly sweet; better with hotdog than steak.

Helm and Kehler: Too sweet for meat. Best with the veg.

- BULL'S-EYE BARBECUE SAUCE:

North America's best-selling bbq sauce, now owned by Kraft. The Canadian version is made in Don Mills. Bills itself as the official sauce of the Calgary Stampede.

rating: Bold Original: 6

Edwards: Good with meats, but has a slightly bitter finish. Add a little teryaki and use this as a marinade.

Lees: I sometimes enjoy this with fries and a glass of Shiraz!

Helm: Proves there's no truth in advertising -- it's neither bold nor original.

Kehler: Sweet, vinegary; flavour flattens out fast.

Hooper: Familiar taste -- I eat a lot of this.

rating: Old West Hickory: 7

Edwards: Sweet, very smoky. I'd prefer less smoke, more spice, but it works well with beef.

Lees: Sharpish flavours, good for a bland dish.

Helm: A better bullseye -- not too sweet, touch of smoke, nice little kick in the aftertaste.

Kehler: Very little difference, the hickory flavour hardly evident.

Hooper: Love it! I'd switch to this (from Bold Original).

- CANADIAN CLUB:

Made by Products Ronald, a company that started a sauce business in St. Damase Que. in 1933.

rating: CC Hickory Bold: 7

Edwards: Not for vegetables, but good with steak. I'd also use this on pork ribs or wild birds.

Lees: Spicy, peppery, overkill for subtle meats like chicken or fish; could be a handy camouflage for tripe.

Helm: Lighter, subtle hickory flavour.

Kehler: Spicy, peppery, a change of pace. Good on steak.

Hooper: Good bite, a bit of heat. Yummy.

rating: CC Honey Garlic: 6

Edwards: Lots of flavour under the sweetness. Made for chicken wings!

Lees: Well-integrated spice notes, long, peppery finish.

Helm: Too sweet. Don't need sugar overdose with beef.

Kehler: Not much going on. I'd prefer the hickory bold.

Hooper: Just OK. Better with chicken.

- CATTLE BOYZ:

A real home grown success, this sauce originated in Calgary and continues to win awards.

rating: CB Original BBQ: 6

Edwards: This would be perfect with venison, other wild meat. Good with steak and hotdog; not for vegetables.

Lees: No surprises -- mellow, laid back, rounded flavours

Helm: Molasses overkill. Very thick, too.

Kehler: My all-time favourite, dark, bold, spicy, holds up well on sausage or steak, still works with veggies.

Hooper: Tangy. Kinda jumps at you. Smoky molasses overtones.

rating: CB Honey Hot: 8

Edwards: As predicted, hot and sweet, but lots of flavour. I'd use on chicken kabobs, wings, or in stir-fried vegetables.

Lees: Hot! Long afterburn. Drink a chilled rose with this.

Helm: Chilies! The burn just keeps on coming. Great wing sauce!

Kehler: Would be great on wings with sour cream chaser. Packs a hefty aftertaste.

Hooper: A lot of chili -- I broke a sweat! Might be good on ribs.

- PEPPER HEADS DARK SECRETS:

rating: 9

D'Arcy McCrea's Turner Valley-based sauce company won the Golden Chile Award with this sauce at the 2004 at the Fiery Food Challenge in Fort Worth Texas.

Edwards: Smooth, subtle, this one tastes great on both the steak and the sweet potatoes, and it's an easy sauce to work with -- it could be enhanced to suit the dish.

Lees: A versatile sauce, well-integrated spice and sugar, not overpowering. Will still be able to steal a kiss!

Helm: A real smooth operator. Sweet, but not overpowering. Best overall.

Kehler: Dark, sweet, fresh flavours, no chemical undertaste. Could be homemade.

Hooper: Sweet onion? Fruity overtones, or just tomato? No big deal.

- RENEES GRILLIN' SAUCE:

Hot off the press, the first grilling sauces especially for vegetables.

rating: Garlic Miso: 8

Lees: Interesting texture, but bland as a bbq sauce. Maybe with fish?

Helm: Fresh clean taste, great for kebabs or fish as well.

Kehler: Salty, subtle, very different. Terrific on veggies.

Hooper: Awesome! Very Asian, a welcome change from same-old. Would be good drizzled on salad.

rating: Chili Tequila Lime:7

Lees: No distinct impression of tequilla or lime, but different. I'd use with fish

Helm: Something different, light, kick-ey.

Kehler: Sour. Chemical undertaste.

Hooper: Surprises the mouth! Would be super on chicken or fish as well as veg.

jschultz@thejournal.canwest.com