Warning: a judge in Memphis said sauce is cheating, and half my crew agrees with him
He told me at a contest in Memphis that a good rub should stand alone and sauce just hides bad smoke, but my buddy says sauce is part of the craft and always has been. Where do you land on this?
Sauce actually changes how your tongue reads the meat, since sweet and acid cut through fat in a way rub alone can't. That judge might be right about hiding bad smoke, but a light glaze on the back end isn't hiding anything, it's building layers. Ever tried the same bite with and without sauce side by side?