Open Pit Is The Brand You Need If You're A McDonald's BBQ Sauce Fan
McDonald's is known for offering a wide selection of sauces, which can be used for dipping or as a way to enhance one of the restaurant's beloved burgers or sandwiches. The chain's tangy barbecue sauce is one of the more popular options, so much so that customers seek close facsimiles to keep in their kitchens. TikTok's resident McDonald's expert Mike Haracz knows a thing or two about the chain after serving as the Manager of Culinary Innovation. In Haracz's expert opinion, Open Pit hickory barbecue sauce is the best possible match for what's found at McDonald's.
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It all comes down to ingredients, explained Haracz. To find a good match, the chef scoured the ingredient listing for the McDonald's version and compared it to other brands. In the end, the hickory version of Open Pit sauce was the only brand that contained a similar ingredient profile, which explains why it offers the same tangy taste that McDonald's customers know and love. And one commenter even signed off on Haracz's claim, stating, "Definitely does taste very similar." According to Haracz, there's a very good reason for the similarity.
An uncommon ingredient makes BBQ sauce stand out
In his informative TikTok clip, Haracz explained that McDonald's signature tangy barbecue sauce contained two very special ingredients: soy sauce and soybean oil. Per Mike Haracz, "A lot of your major barbecue sauce brands do not have that [soy sauce] in there." To further support Haracz's claim, consider that Kraft brand barbecue sauce does not contain any soy-based ingredients, nor does Sweet Baby Ray's. Along with these soy-based additions, Haracz also highlighted the sherry wine powder included in the McDonald's recipe, which isn't something usually found in "retail" brands of barbecue sauce.
It's true that Open Pit does not contain sherry wine powder, but it does feature soybean oil and hydrolyzed soy protein. While not exactly the same as the ingredients included in the McDonald's sauce, Haracz claimed the similar components are a good match for the "umami flavor" that makes the McDonald's sauce so beloved. And while that's good news, one question remains: Why doesn't McDonald's sell its signature sauces in retail environments?
Don't hold your breath for McDonald's brand sauces on store shelves
Based on the popularity of McDonald's sauces, many customers wonder why the chain doesn't bottle and sell these products in stores. McDonald's even addressed this query on its website, although somewhat vaguely. Per the fast-food establishment, "From time to time, we do offer limited edition versions of our customer's favourite sauces in bottles!" And it's true that McDonald's did once offer a bottled version of its special sauce to customers in Australia. As for why bottled sauces aren't a regular occurrence, that's not entirely clear.
Lots of establishments release bottled versions of their branded sauces, including Taco Bell, Panda Express, and Chik-fil-A. McDonald's has never explicitly stated why it does not follow suit, but it could be an attempt to encourage excitement around its proprietary sauces. Consider that CNBC reported that bottles of the limited-edition Big Mac sauce were selling for $100 on eBay back in 2017. With these high prices in mind, it's good to know that Mike Haracz is here to help customers find bottled sauces similar to the beloved McDonald's tangy barbecue sauce on store shelves.