Transcript

Event Date(s): 06/04/2011 | Event Location(s): New York City, New York | Description: EXT DAY NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK Today Show anchors Lester Holt and Amy Robach are joined by "Cook's Country" Magazine’s Julia Collin Davison LESTER HOLT, co-host: This morning on TODAY'S TASTE TEST, barbecue sauce. From smoking to spicy, we all have our favorites. AMY ROBACH, co-host: All right, but when it comes to those popular store brands, which one tastes best? Well, we have the answer to that. Joining us is Julia Collin Davison from Cook's County magazine and "America's Test Kitchen." Julia, good morning. MS: cover of "Cook's Country" Magazine Ms. JULIA COLLIN DAVISON ("Cook's Country" Magazine): Yeah, good morning. HOLT: Nice to have you here. Before we reveal the winner, just tell me first of all what makes a good barbecue sauce. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. So when we blind tasted a bunch of supermarket barbecue sauces, we looked for two things. We looked for a good balance of flavor, of that sweet, the smoke, the spice and the tomato; and also, we looked for versatility, that you could cook with it or you could use it as a dipping sauce for chicken fingers or fries, so. HOLT: Which one filled the bill? Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. HOLT: Which was the number one? Ms. DAVISON: The winner was this, Bull's-Eye original. It really nailed that balance of sweet and spice and smoke, and it had a really fresh tomato flavor. So this was hands-down the winner. MS: bottle next to bowl of Bull's-Eye BBQ sauce HOLT: Did it have a little tang to it, maybe? Let's see. ROBACH: Mm, that is good. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah, it's good. ROBACH: I like that. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. And this... ROBACH: Another one we've--a lot of people've heard of is KC Masterpiece. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. Now, this had some real fans in the tasting. It's very robust, really strong, a lot of smoke, a good spicy hook. And it really won praise for its texture, it's very silky smooth. MS: bottle next to bowl of KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce ROBACH: Texture. HOLT: Well, that's important, too, depending what you're dipping and what you're putting it on. Ms. DAVISON: That's right. HOLT: You--the next one is Sweet Baby Ray's. Ms. DAVISON: Ah, yes, such a good name. HOLT: In fact, is it sweet? Ms. DAVISON: It is. It doesn't lie. It is the sweetest of the bunch, and it won a few tasters for that. OK, if you like a really sweet.. MS: bottle next to bowl of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce ROBACH: Chicken fingers are good, too. HOLT: I think I like sweet, but let me try it. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah, if you like it really sweet. It also has a good spicy kick. ROBACH: Did you all test these with food, or with just with spoons? HOLT: Mm. ROBACH: You all test everything. It's amazing. Ms. DAVISON: We do, yeah. HOLT: Wow. Ms. DAVISON: No, we tested it cooking on chicken under the broiler to see how it browned, but also straight. ROBACH: That's good. HOLT: You like the sweet? ROBACH: Mm-hmm. I like it. Ms. DAVISON: You like the sweet? HOLT: I wish it had a little more tang to it, but I do like the sweet. Ms. DAVISON: Mm-hmm. Yeah. If you like sweet, this is your barbecue sauce. ROBACH: That's good. HOLT: I can't double dip, right? No double dipping? ROBACH: No! Well, if I'm not going to dip again, you can dip. HOLT: All right, I'm going to double dip. ROBACH: I'll allow it this time, Lester. Thanks for asking. HOLT: Mm. Thank you. All right. ROBACH: All right, the next one... Ms. DAVISON: This next one is Hunt's. ROBACH: Yeah, this is--this is Hunt's. Ms. DAVISON: Now, this is a very... ROBACH: Which is known for ketchup. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. It's a very balanced flavor, but very mild. So it's even-keeled. MS: bottle next to bowl of Hunt’s BBQ sauce ROBACH: OK. Ms. DAVISON: If you're--if you don't want a real... ROBACH: You have young kids. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. Not a real strong spice or smoke, very tempered. ROBACH: Mm. It kind of tastes like ketchup. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah, exactly. So very easy-going. HOLT: Mm. ROBACH: Ketchup with a twist. HOLT: Yeah, mild, though. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah, very mild. ROBACH: Mm-hmm. Ms. DAVISON: Which some people really like. ROBACH: All right. Now, Kraft has some punch to it, you said. MS: bottle next to bowl of Kraft BBQ sauce Ms. DAVISON: It does. It is the smokiest of the bunch. ROBACH: OK. Ms. DAVISON: And then, you know, it really pairs that smoke with some good spice. So if you like it really, really smoky, this is--this is your sauce. ROBACH: Really, really... HOLT: OK, when you say smoky, it's not hot, though. Ms. DAVISON: It's spicy. They really do match that smoke with a little bit of spice. ROBACH: Mm. I like that. Ms. DAVISON: You do? Yeah. HOLT: Really? ROBACH: Good. You don't? HOLT: Mm, good. Ms. DAVISON: A few people really liked that intense smoke flavor. ROBACH: Mm-hmm. HOLT: That is very good. Which one did you like, by the way? Ms. DAVISON: Well, what--you know... HOLT: It's not about you, right? Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. Well, no, it's always about me. I--of course I liked the winner, but I'm also... HOLT: You could work here. Ms. DAVISON: I also really like to make my own. It's very simple, uses pantry ingredients. This is a great recipe. HOLT: You make your own? Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. There's a lot of recipes out there. This I like because it's a no cook, it's all pantry. HOLT: What do you put in there? Ms. DAVISON: So this is ketchup. This is one and a half cups ketchup. And this is molasses. ROBACH: Molasses, wow. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah, half a cup of molasses. TEXT: Easy Pantry BBQ Sauce Ketchup Molasses Cider vinegar Hot sauce Liquid smoke Salt and pepper Live shot of Davison mixing ingredients to make BBQ Sauce Live shot of Davison whisking sauce Ms. DAVISON: Now, that was what was in the winner, Bull's-Eye. ROBACH: OK. Ms. DAVISON: That had molasses very high up on the ingredient list. It has a deep flavor. ROBACH: I like that vinegar, too. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. This is vinegar, one and a half teaspoons cider vinegar. ROBACH: Mm-hmm. Ms. DAVISON: A teaspoon hot sauce, and a little bit of Liquid Smoke. ROBACH: Ah. Ms. DAVISON: Now, Liquid Smoke is all natural. HOLT: Yeah. Ms. DAVISON: It's not chemicals, it's naturally made. HOLT: I love Liquid Smoke. I put that in a lot of things. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah, do. ROBACH: I've never even heard of it before. Ms. DAVISON: And salt and pepper. Oh. ROBACH: Oh. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah, it's good. HOLT: For chili and all kind--that kind of stuff. ROBACH: Can it be--I didn't know that. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. HOLT: Yeah. Ms. DAVISON: And this is a great--you know, if you've never made it before, this is an easy one to start with. ROBACH: Yeah. HOLT: Mm-hmm. Ms. DAVISON: And it's a good base if you want to... ROBACH: And you can add more hot sauce if you wanted it spicier. That's great. Ms. DAVISON: That's right. ROBACH: You can kind of... Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. You can kind of add your own... ROBACH: ...tailor it to what you like. Ms. DAVISON: That's right. ROBACH: And now the real test will be when we try it. Ms. DAVISON: OK, you want to try? HOLT: We would love to try. ROBACH: Yes. Ms. DAVISON: And that was so simple, and it really, in my opinion... HOLT: This is going to be the winner, you know that already, right? ROBACH: Of course it is. Ms. DAVISON: It's going to match--in my opinion, it matches the flavors of these. ROBACH: Mm. Ms. DAVISON: It just tastes fresher. ROBACH: I like it. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. ROBACH: It does taste fresher. Ms. DAVISON: It does. HOLT: Really good. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. And it's a nice base, you could layer in your own flavors if you're inclined. ROBACH: Mm. HOLT: Mm. ROBACH: Very, very good. Ms. DAVISON: Yeah. ROBACH: Julia Collin Davison, thanks so much. And I love talking with my mouth full, it's awesome.