Sweet Baby Ray's sauce bottles on grocery store shelf

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Sweet Baby Ray's is a popular choice for barbecue fans. Yet, many people prefer homemade sauce to store-bought. If you lack the time and patience to craft your own from scratch, you can reach a middle ground by enhancing your grocery store barbecue sauce with ingredients from your fridge and pantry. For Sweet Baby Ray's, ranch dressing could be the creamy addition you're looking for. 

Similar to adding sour cream (another trick that makes Sweet Baby Ray's even better), combining the sauce with ranch enhances richness. However, ranch also brings a distinctive tang and an infusion of herbs and spices. Ranch dressing's creaminess is derived from buttermilk, which balances the vinegary acidity you'll find in Sweet Baby Ray's. (To help you create the perfect pairing, we've compiled a list of six ranch dressings you should buy and seven you shouldn't. Bolthouse Farms Classic and Hidden Valley are great options.) 

There are many varieties of Sweet Baby Ray's that could benefit from the incorporation of ranch. Consider mixing it with Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce, Hawaiian Style, or Sweet Golden Mustard for unique flavors. The brand itself endorses this idea with a recipe for a Chipotle BBQ Ranch Dipping Sauce that combines the Honey Chipotle BBQ flavor with Ken's Steak House Ranch Dressing. This union is the finishing touch for appetizers like chicken tenders or fries. 

Small additions can boost store-bought barbecue sauce

Glass bowl of Barbecue sauce with spoon on wooden table

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If ranch isn't your cup of tea, there are other ways to kick store-bought barbecue sauces up a notch. Most barbecue sauces contain spices like onion powder and pepper, with a base of tomato and vinegar and often, ketchup and sugar. In a video posted on Food Network's Facebook account, Bobby Flay shares his secrets for complementing these flavors with simple additions. For Flay, Worcestershire sauce provides a tart twist and enhances the umami flavor, while chipotle puree infuses your barbecue creations with delicious smokiness. Lime juice acts as an acid that brings out the condiment's vinegar notes. Flay also suggests simmering your sauce while combining the ingredients. 

In our ranking of grocery store barbecue sauces, cloying sweetness is a common complaint. Espresso powder or cocoa powder are excellent options to try if you feel your bottled sauce is too saccharine. However, if you do prefer a sweeter sauce, including ingredients like molasses, maple syrup, honey, and fruit preserves or jams works well. The extra sugar softens the more intense notes and creates a more layered sauce. Additionally, incorporating bitter components like dark chocolate or even coffee can make the flavor more nuanced and balanced. If Flay's chipotle puree doesn't sound like enough heat, go for something even spicier. Cholula hot sauce or Korean Gochujang make for a deliciously fiery fusion of cuisines — all in one barbecue drizzle.