Sweet and smoky BBQ is the Kansas City combination: brown sugar or molasses sweetness over hickory or charcoal smoke, finished with a sticky sauce that sets into a glaze. This page gathers sweet and smoky rubs, BBQ sauces and glazes from US makers like Blues Hog, Three Little Pigs and Lillie's Q alongside Australian and Kiwi makers like Uncle Mungos, BBQ Mafia, Heavenly Hell and Four Saucemen. Flat $10 shipping Australia-wide.
Which sweet and smoky sauce or rub should I buy?
| Product | Maker | Style / heat | Best on |
| Smokey Mountain BBQ Sauce | Blues Hog | Thick KC-style sauce / cool as (0/11) | Ribs, brisket, pulled pork |
| Burnt Ends Sauce | Hardcore Carnivore | Sticky finishing sauce / mild (2/11) | Burnt ends, wings, ribs |
| Touch of Cherry BBQ Sauce | Three Little Pigs BBQ | Cherry and hickory sauce / mild (2/11) | Ribs, pulled pork, brisket |
| Smoky Barbeque Sauce | Lillie's Q | Smoky BBQ sauce / cool as (0/11) | Pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken |
| Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce | Blues Hog | Fruity chipotle sauce / mild (3/11) | Wings, pork ribs, smoked chicken |
| Brown Sugar Bourbon | Uncle Mungos | Sweet BBQ rub / cool as (0/11) | Brisket, ribs, burgers |
| Chipotle BBQ | Uncle Mungos | Chipotle BBQ sauce / medium (4/11) | Ribs, brisket, chicken |
| The Fix Bourbon & Cola BBQ Sauce | BBQ Mafia | Bourbon and cola sauce / cool as (0/11) | Pork ribs, wings, pulled pork |
| Holy Grail Hog Glaze | Heavenly Hell | Pork glaze / mild (2/11) | Pork, ribs, ham |
| Buffalo Lowveld Sweet Ash | Ember Republic | Pork rub / mild (2/11) | Pork ribs, pork belly, pulled pork |
| The BBQ Sauce | Four Saucemen | Date, cocoa and coffee sauce / mild (2/11) | Ribs, brisket, burgers |
| Cherry Chipotle BBQ Rub | Smokes Seasoning | Fruity chipotle rub / medium (6/11) | Pork ribs, chicken, wings |
How to cook sweet and smoky
- Rub first, smoke second, sauce last. A sweet rub builds colour and bark through the cook.
- Sugar burns, so keep the smoker low and steady and brush sauce on in the last 15 to 20 minutes, giving it time to set rather than char.
- For a glossy finish, lay down two thin coats of sauce a few minutes apart instead of one thick one.
- Fruit woods like apple and cherry suit sweet rubs on pork and chicken. Hickory gives the classic KC smokehouse note.
- Every product page shows its Hub Heat rating out of 11.
Sweet and smoky with a kick
Not every sweet sauce is mild. Blues Hog Raspberry Chipotle and Uncle Mungos Chipotle BBQ add a chipotle warmth, Smokes Seasoning Cherry Chipotle sits at medium (6/11), and a few bottles on this page go much further, like Uncle Mungos Bhut Jolokia BBQ at hot (8/11) and Taipan BBQ's Bubblegum and Carolina sauces at extreme (9/11). Check the heat before you sauce the kids' ribs.
Australian-made sweet and smoky
Uncle Mungos, BBQ Mafia, Heavenly Hell and Butchers Axe are all Australian made, and Ember Republic's Sweet Ash pork rub is made in Perth. Browse Uncle Mungos and Blues Hog for their full ranges.
See also our sweet and smoky collections, every BBQ sauce and glaze, and our rib range.
Frequently asked questions
What is sweet and smoky BBQ?
Sweet and smoky is the Kansas City style of barbecue: brown sugar or molasses sweetness paired with hickory or charcoal smoke, usually finished with a thick tomato-based sauce that sets into a sticky glaze.
When should I put sweet BBQ sauce on ribs?
Brush it on in the last 15 to 20 minutes of the cook. Sweet sauces carry a lot of sugar, so going on too early means they burn instead of setting into a glaze.
Is sweet and smoky BBQ sauce spicy?
Usually not. Most sweet and smoky sauces on The Rub Hub sit at cool as or mild on Hub Heat, but some, like Uncle Mungos Bhut Jolokia BBQ and Taipan BBQ Bubblegum, are hot or extreme, so check the rating on each product page.
What wood goes with a sweet and smoky rub?
Hickory gives the classic Kansas City smokehouse flavour. Apple and cherry are milder fruit woods that suit sweet rubs on pork and chicken.
Where can I buy sweet and smoky BBQ sauce in Australia?
The Rub Hub stocks sweet and smoky rubs, BBQ sauces and glazes from Blues Hog, Three Little Pigs, Lillie's Q, Uncle Mungos, BBQ Mafia and more, and ships Australia-wide for a flat $10.