We Got an Early Sample of Sweet Baby Ray’s New Wing Sauces

Sweet Baby Ray’s has been holding out on us. Last month, I went to Pizza Expo Columbus to see if there was anything worth writing about. While the event was focused on foodservice, there were a few innovations worth covering from familiar names. I found out Smucker’s is tiptoeing into the hot honey game, and I also learned there are two new Sweet Baby Ray’s sauces that are currently exclusive to foodservice.

I was gifted two sample jars of Sweet Baby Ray’s Lemon Pepper and Spicy Peach wing sauces to review—which I’ve already disrespected by picking up Taco Bell chicken tenders as my test dippers. Let’s see if these new wing sauces take flight or just fly too close to the sun. Brand representatives told me they’re open to bringing the sauces to retail if the demand is loud enough. If you want to see these at grocery stores, make some noise in the comments!

Lemon Pepper!

Sweet Baby Ray’s Lemon Pepper Wing Sauce

Sweet Baby Ray’s

Pros: This checks all the boxes; the tart citrus, vinegar, and pepper come together for a bright, kicking sauce. I could down a dozen wings tossed in this without even blinking. I’m actually surprised it took this long for Sweet Baby Ray’s to launch a lemon pepper wing sauce, but I’m glad they took the time to do it properly. (Now if they could just get to work on a tikka masala or butter chicken sauce…) 

Cons: This is a little thick for some of the recipes they recommend on their website. It is absolutely great to toss wings in—but maybe not for pasta.

Credit: Liv Averett / Sweet Baby Ray’s

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Spicy Peach!

Sweet Baby Ray’s Spicy Peach Wing Sauce

Sweet Baby Ray’s

Pros: Hallelujah. Anyone who’s had Sweet Baby Ray’s Mango Habanero sauce already knows this will be a winner. I’m very tired of mango and I’d die for peach any day of the week, so this is heavenly stuff. The peach shines at first with a strong, authentic flavor that’s followed by a pleasant heat that would really build up after a few wings.

Cons: I feel like a broken record, but my biggest issue with this sauce is that I can’t buy more. Unless I want to buy two gallons at a time, I won’t be able to get more than my single sample jar’s worth for quite a while.

Credit: Liv Averett / Sweet Baby Ray’s

Rating:

9/10

Sporks