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We are a condiment-obsessed nation. That’s not a atrocious thing, though! Sure, we tin get gluttonous and douse our fries successful excessively overmuch ketchup oregon overdo it with the mayo. But if we question retired sauces whipped up by radical who give themselves to the craft, we person the accidental to adhd a batch much excitement to our plates.
Subscriptions are a bully mode to immerse yourself successful the satellite of trade barbecue and blistery sauces. There is simply a wider array of originative and experimental ingredients than ever, and trying funky combinations is simply a amusive mode to play astir successful the kitchen. I amazed myself astatine however overmuch I liked immoderate out-of-the-box flavors. Most of these companies are beauteous tiny operations, truthful the radical down them are putting a batch of thought into the sauces and rubs they privation to astonishment their customers with. Subscriptions are besides a large gift—for a loved 1 oregon adjacent yourself. (Check retired immoderate of our different hand-picked gift guides portion you're here.)
Generally, you bash not prime precisely which sauces you privation to person successful your subscription boxes but alternatively surrender to the adept condiment masters, who enactment to nonstop you the champion and newest small-batch sauces. The magnitude of flavors they travel up with is impressive. The subscription boxes I included present chiefly see curated sauces and rubs, with exceptions for including tiny accessories similar tools oregon swag. If there’s a vessel that you go obsessed with, you tin acquisition much individually done astir of these services.
Updated November 2024: We've added subscriptions from Kinzie Foods, HI Spice, and Bradshaw Sauce Co., changed immoderate rankings, and updated links and prices.
- Best Sauce Box for Beginners: Grill Masters Club
- Best for Barbecue Rubs: Boost Your BBQ
- Best for Texas Barbecue: BBQ Distro
- Best Hot Sauce Customization: Scovilled
- Most Interactive Hot Sauce Box: Heatonist
- Best Hot Sauce Box for Gifting: Fuego Box
- Best Barbecue Sauce Box for Gifting: Kinzie Foods
- Best for Hot Sauce Fanatics: Heat Hot Sauce Shop
- Other Great Options
How We Tested
When testing, I considered variety, price, the breadth of subscription options, the benignant of packaging, and lawsuit service. “Subscription options” includes the fig of bottles that customers tin prime to person per container positive the frequence options available, similar monthly oregon quarterly. When it comes to the assortment of brands, I included accusation connected whether the subscription container includes bottles from brands that the institution curates, oregon if you’re getting a container of sauces that the institution itself makes. Finally, immoderate services let you to customize what you privation to receive—primarily the vigor level of each sauce. Others are a implicit astonishment each clip you unfastened your box.
Best Sauce Box for Beginners
The Grill Masters Club is curated by nonrecreational pitmasters who dainty barbecue condiment and hitch combos similar an creation form. Its boxes typically incorporate much experimental sauces and rubs. For example, I inactive deliberation fondly of the Smokey Horseradish Sauce from Torchbearer Sauces erstwhile I deliberation backmost connected each the sauces I tried for this article. It has that horseradish footwear that opens your sinuses, but it’s simultaneously saccharine and goes good with everything. It’ll marque you rethink everything you erstwhile thought astir horseradish. One caller container included Torchbearer’s Coffee and BBQ Sauce, Blackbeard Spice Company’s Triton Ancient Greek Spice Rub, and PS Seasoning’s Chicken and Waffle Wing Rub.
Each container includes 2 sauces and 2 rubs. Many of the rubs travel successful smaller, astir 3.5-ounce sizes, truthful you get to effort your manus astatine a wider assortment of flavors. The boxes travel with a tiny booklet with recipes by the pitmasters, including ways that they urge utilizing the condiment and hitch combos connected antithetic types of meat.
Additionally, you volition person immoderate benignant of tool. The tools tin scope from a brace of tongs to a spatula oregon a brush. I was pleasantly amazed astatine the bully prime of the tools. These travel successful useful for newbies who whitethorn not already person the indispensable grilling tools.
You person the enactment to person boxes sent to you monthly, bimonthly, oregon quarterly. Whichever you pick, you besides person the enactment to prepay for up to 12 boxes. So if you take to acquisition 3 boxes bimonthly, that means you volition person a container each different period for the adjacent six months. Grill Masters Club besides provides the enactment of paying month-to-month for $50 a box. If you bargain 12 boxes for bimonthly delivery, you wage $444.
Best for Barbecue Rubs
Boost Your BBQ sends boxes of the latest and top sauces and rubs from the barbecue contention world. It’s curated by 1 man, Chris Kossman, an award-winning barbecue competitor. Each container comes with 3 full-size products, 2 rubs, and 1 sauce. The products wrong are matched precise intentionally. One of the boxes I received from Boost Your BBQ contained Elk Creek Bar-B-Q Co.’s Hog Knuckle Honey Chipotle Rub, DB 180’s Sizzlin’ Steak Seasoning, and SmokinGhost’s Spooky Sweet BBQ Sauce. Kossman enactment these 3 unneurotic due to the fact that helium felt they would beryllium astonishing arsenic a blend. I tried this combo connected chickenhearted breasts, which gave them a saccharine and smokey profile.
Kossman besides attempts to marque his boxes seasonally appropriate; my archetypal container was successful October, truthful I got the SmokinGhost condiment arsenic an homage to Halloween. In November, the container included a flavorful Hardcore Carnivore fried turkey seasoning. Kossman prides his institution connected coming up with atypical spirit combos, though each can, of course, beryllium utilized individually arsenic you please.
Boxes are $34 with $8 shipping and with the enactment of transportation each month, 3 months, oregon six months. You tin subscribe monthly oregon motion up for three, six, oregon 12 months, but dissimilar astir different companies, there’s nary discount for signing up for a longer subscription.
Best for Texas Barbecue
BBQ Distro is the pridefulness of Grand Prairie, Texas, and it’s the cardinal to making the champion Texas-style barbecue successful your backyard. BBQ Distro is tally by pitmaster and main fume serviceman Joe Zavala of Zavala’s BBQ, an award-winning barbecue joint, and it distributes sauces and rubs from Texas Monthly’s Top 50 Texas Barbecue Joints, which is regarded arsenic the Oscars of Texas barbecue. You are receiving the champion of the champion Texas-style barbecue sauces, which includes Zavala’s—his Sloppy Juan BBQ Sauce is the champion condiment I tried for this list.
There are 2 size options for a BBQ Distro subscription. You tin take the “Fatty” box, which includes 2 superior products (say, a condiment and a rub), oregon the “Lean” box, which includes conscionable one. To get your smoker going (if you person one), each monthly container besides includes tumbleweed occurrence starters from Nomad Grills. Many pitmasters see Nomad to marque the best-quality tumbleweed. Boxes besides see a tiny container of authentically smoked murphy oregon maize chips from Dallas-based Low and Slow Snacks. They besides person swag, similar keychains and koozies from partners similar Topo Chico.
However, a rank with BBQ Distro is overmuch much than the container you person successful the mail. It gives you entree to full-length videos of Zavala and different pitmasters providing invaluable acquisition astir grilling and smoking, including a three-hour brisket smoking people led by Zavala. This is in-person astatine Zavala’s BBQ, and yes, radical question from crossed the state to attend. This typically costs $200, but you tin be 1 clip for escaped with a subscription.
The Fatty container costs $39 for 1 month, $109 for 3 months, oregon $399 for a twelvemonth (saves you $6 per month). The Lean container costs $24 for 1 month, $64 for 3 months, oregon $229 for a full twelvemonth (saves you $5/month).
Best Hot Sauce Customization
Scovilled is the lone institution connected this database from which you tin get some barbecue condiment and blistery sauce. It’s besides the champion work for customizing your subscription, due to the fact that you reply questions astir your preferences. You tin prime your preferred vigor level, flavors (like blueberry oregon garlic), and your nutrient pairings (like burgers oregon chicken). I besides requested barbecue sauce.
I was amazed astatine the accuracy of what I received, which included a delicious Chipotle Blueberry BBQ Sauce. Being capable to customize your preferences means that you're little apt to beryllium surprised. However, you are much apt to bask the sauces, due to the fact that you supply guidance connected what you cognize you like. If you don’t care, you tin ever take the “Surprise me!” option.
Scovilled gives you the enactment of subscribing to 3 bottles oregon 1 vessel per box. If you take to wage arsenic you go, the subscription costs $30 oregon $12, respectively, whether you take to person a container sent to you each period oregon each 3 months. You tin besides take to wage for six months astatine a time, which saves you 5 percent, oregon 1 twelvemonth astatine a time, which saves you 10 percent.
Most Interactive Hot Sauce Box
If you’re a instrumentality of the wildly fashionable YouTube bid Hot Ones, you whitethorn beryllium inclined to prime Heatonist arsenic your blistery condiment subscription container of choice. Heatonist has a concern with First We Feast, the institution that produces the show, truthful you tin movie your celebrated (or not-so-famous) friends with the full 10-sauce lineup arsenic their throats drawback occurrence and their eyes go waterfalls. You tin adjacent bargain bottles from erstwhile seasons.
I received a monthly subscription container that included Butterfly Bakery of Vermont’s Cucumber Jalapeño Chermoula blistery condiment (native to Morocco), Seed Ranch Flavor Co’s NashSeoul Hot (with a gochujang base), and Chili Lengua de Fuego’s Me-So Hot (with a miso base). I loved the inclusion of planetary flavors and fusion that made up this unthinkable assortment with spirit combos that I didn’t cognize I needed. (My favourite present is the cucumber jalapeño—a coagulated footwear that cools connected the mode down.)
With the monthly subscription, you get a three-pack of sauces that are connected the existent play of the show. That’ll outgo you $30 a month, with three-, six-, oregon 12-month options. With the yearly subscription, you’ll get the afloat 10-bottle lineup 3 times a twelvemonth (yes, the existent season’s container includes Da Bomb, though it’s a somewhat altered mentation from the 1 connected Hot Ones). The container ships retired astatine the opening of each caller play of Hot Ones and costs $330, which saves you $30 compared to buying 3 idiosyncratic 10-packs.
Best Hot Sauce Box for Gifting
Fuego Box has the champion packaging. The sauces get successful amusive reddish boxes that get your sensation buds ready. While it’s not portion of the subscription plan, you tin besides acquisition a one-time acquisition that comes successful a rustic-looking woody crate. Fuego Box besides has a “Tame to Insane” situation container that resembles the Heatonist Hot Ones 10-pack for the aforesaid price, though this is simply a one-off container and not portion of a subscription.
One of the champion blistery sauces I tried from Fuego Box was Down to Ferment’s That’s What Shishito Said. Yep—a shishito-pepper-based blistery condiment that’s mild, with a footwear that dissipates quickly. It allows you to truly admit the saccharine and savory features of the shishito pepper. If you’re looking for blistery condiment that’s going to acceptable your lingua ablaze, Fuego Box has the “Pain Seeker” subscription option.
Boxes of 1 vessel of blistery condiment outgo $16 to $18, depending connected whether you wage arsenic you spell oregon prepay for six oregon 12 months. For boxes of 1 bottle, you lone person the enactment to subscribe to a monthly box. The modular Sauce Lover box, which includes a assortment of sauces astatine a assortment of vigor levels, costs $28 to $30. You tin person this container monthly oregon quarterly and prepay up to 12 months. Shipping is $5.
Best Barbecue Sauce Box for Gifting
Kinzie Foods was founded by Walter Kinzie, who is simply a unrecorded lawsuit and performance shaper but has expanded his emotion for bringing radical unneurotic with his enactment of barbecue sauces. These recipes are household recipes that helium would marque for the artists astatine the concerts, and they kept asking for much and much of it to the constituent wherever helium conscionable decided to marque it a business. I find this subscription container to beryllium the champion for gifting due to the fact that of the packaging—it stands retired from each the others successful this guide. First, the bottles themselves are compression bottles. When it comes to condiments, who doesn’t emotion a compression bottle? And the packaging of the subscription container itself is upscale—sleek and elegant, and it displays the sauces nicely.
Kinzie has a enactment of 5 modular barbecue sauces, including immoderate experimental flavors similar espresso and pickle. The subscription container takes you further into the marque by including sauces that aren’t yet acceptable to acquisition individually. That could see a jalapeño ranch dressing, a spicy lime mayo, oregon a smoked ghost-pepper-cinnamon-plum jelly—aka condiment heaven. This work auto-renews, truthful you person to marque definite to cancel it erstwhile you're acceptable to halt the shipments. Kinzie’s barbecue condiment subscription boxes are brand-new to the market, truthful you person the accidental to beryllium 1 of the archetypal to try! You tin take 3 oregon six bottles each one, two, oregon 3 months. Three-bottle options are $56, six-bottle options volition outgo you $110.
Best for Hot Sauce Fanatics
Heat Hot Sauce Shop is wherever the die-hard chili heads store for their blistery sauce. Cofounders Dylan and Becky Keenen are progressive members of the blistery condiment community. From the r/spicy subreddit to Facebook groups similar For the Love of Hot Sauce, they interact with their customers and instrumentality feedback precise overmuch into consideration. Their website has unbelievably circumstantial filters. Looking for a condiment with a Scotch bonnet capsicum basal with blackberry and bulb but nary sodium? Perfect—sounds similar Chile Lengua de Fuego’s Rosalila Fire is the 1 for you.
While the monthly subscription boxes, known arsenic the Hot Sauce of the Month Club, travel arsenic is, the store takes dietary restrictions and allergies into consideration. You tin scope retired straight to enactment immoderate allergy you whitethorn have, and the Keenens volition marque definite that your restrictions are met. If you’re looking for a circumstantial flavor, they volition besides enactment to cater to your request. You person the enactment to person 1 oregon 3 bottles sent successful your container and tin customize your vigor preferences. The store besides carries prime barbecue sauces and seasonings, though those volition not travel successful the subscription box.
A container of 1 vessel costs $15 to $17, depending connected the duration of your subscription (every one, three, six, oregon 12 months). A container of 3 bottles costs $30 to $32. You tin person either container sent to you monthly oregon quarterly. For an other $2 per bottle, you tin take to person other blistery sauces sent to you. Boxes vessel for free!
Other Great Options:
• Pig of the Month Sauce and Marinade of the Month Club: Pig of the Month is simply a broad barbecue subscription tract for everything you could perchance request to grill. Most notably, it sells meat, and you tin adjacent subscribe to get caller cuts of bacon sent to you connected a monthly basis. To supplement each that meat, it makes immoderate truly delicious barbecue sauce, too. What’s truly cute astir its enactment of sauces successful its Sauce and Marinade of the Month Club is that they’re mostly tied to a definite region’s barbecue culture. So you whitethorn get a vessel of citrus Key West sauce, smoky Texas sauce, oregon possibly a tangy Memphis sauce. You whitethorn besides person 1 of its quirky limited-time sauces similar a cherry cola, peach sriracha, oregon hazy IPA barbecue sauce. It makes for a truly amusive astonishment erstwhile you unfastened it each month. One vessel a period for 3 months costs $60 oregon six months for $115. Shipping is free.
• HI Spice Sauce of the Month: If you person a loved 1 who took a travel to Hawaii and ever talks astir going back, they’re going to emotion this container of blistery sauces and volition beryllium saying mahalo to you for a while. HI Spice makes small-batch, trade blistery sauces utilizing section ingredients that bespeak the quality of the islands. For example, the marque makes Kiawe Smoked Sriracha, Papaya Guava, Pineapple Ginger, Lilikoi Lava, and Molten Mango blistery sauces. You person the enactment to acquisition a container of 4 oregon a container of 8 bottles. For each of those options, you tin take to subscribe month-to-month, oregon perpetrate to 2 oregon 3 months. Prices scope from $35 to $77. You tin take to person a assortment of vigor levels oregon specifically low, medium, oregon precocious heat.
• Bradshaw Sauce Co. Subscription: Most radical I cognize bargain vino based connected however chill the statement looks. You mightiness bash the aforesaid with the bottles of blistery condiment from Bradshaw Sauce Co. Sauces person names similar El Tigre, Spooky Wagons, Arghandab Promise, and Scarlet Snake. Each of those names matches a statement that brings those names to life. I truly emotion Bradshaw's Trail Sauce, which isn’t excessively blistery but precise savory and casual to usage connected truthful galore foods. For each box, you are capable to prime which ones you privation to receive, but you’ll besides person Bradshaw’s astonishment monthly release, which could see seasonal staples similar themed ones for holidays. I received a “Spooky Wagons” condiment for October starring up to Halloween. While the subscription boxes are lone for blistery sauce, Bradshaw besides sells BBQ condiment that you tin bargain individually oregon successful multi-packs. You person the enactment for boxes each period for a year, each 3 months for a year, oregon each period for 3 months.