I got a bottle of Bachan’s Japanese Barbecue Sauce at Costco after seeing massive discussions about the product on various Facebook groups. The world seems split over whether this stuff is absolutely glorious or if it is simply a bottle of over-hyped teriyaki sauce.
Like most things these day, I believe the answer is somewhere in the middle 🙂
Flavor Profile
I was super curious to see what the fuss was about with this sauce! My first use for the product was to use it as a sauce on some slices of oven baked pork tenderloin and sautéed green beans.
The flavors were spot on to what I had read from others such as “Sweet Soy Sauce” and a “Kicked Up Teriyaki Sauce”.
This is a soy sauce that has been:
- Sweetened (cane sugar, mirin)
- Loaded with aromatics (ginger, onion, garlic)
- Infused with an extra dose of umami (toasted sesame oil)
So, sure…you can say that this is “just a teriyaki sauce” but the reality is that it is a complex and extremely well balanced salty/sweet/flavor loaded combination.
Bottom Line: I think this is a really tasty sauce. I am not about to get a Bachan’s tattoo anytime soon but will be happy to buy another bottle.
This is a much thinner sauce than the Kinder’s Teriyaki Sauce being sold at some Costco warehouses and I much prefer the Bachan’s product.
How to Use
The three main uses of this sauce are:
- Apply to cooked foods as a finishing sauce (meat, rice, veggies).
- Use as a marinade prior to cooking
- Use as a dipping sauce
I tried the sauce as a finishing sauce for the pork tenderloin shown above and it was delightful.
I also used the sauce as a marinade for some grilled chicken thighs (skin on, bone in) with mixed results. The marinade imparted great flavors and color to the chicken thighs but the high sugar content resulted in some charring while the chicken was being grilled.
I would not use this as a marinade for whole chicken pieces again but it would be absolutely perfect as a marinade for quick grilling items like boneless, skinless thighs or cubed meats and veggies for kabobs.
I haven’t had a chance to use this as a dipping sauce yet but it would be absolutely spectacular in combination with some Trader Joe’s Soup Dumplings since those don’t come with any sauce. The sauce would also be great with some of the frozen Spring Rolls from Costco after you crisp them up in an air fryer.
Calories, Nutrition and Ingredients
A single serving of the bbq sauce is one tablespoon and has the following calories and nutritional information:
- Calories:35
- Fat:0g (0% DV)
- Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV)
- Sodium: 520mg (23% DV)
- Carbohydrates: 8g (3% DV)
- Protein: 0g
The sauce is a little high is sodium and since it has 7g of added sugars it should not be considered Paleo friendly.
The sauce contains:
- Soy Sauce
- Cane Sugar
- Mirin
- Tomato paste
- Ginger
- Green Onion
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Garlic
- Salt
- Sesame Oil
The sauce is Organic, Non-GMO and Vegan.
Price
You can get the 34 once bottle of Bachman’s Japanese Barbecue Sauce at Costco for $9.99 which works out to a cost of $0.294 per ounce.
If you buy the two pack of the same sauce online then it will cost you about $0.70 per ounce so buy this stuff at Costco if you can.
The Bachan sauce is also a massive bargain compared to the No Soy Teriyaki Sauce from Primal Kitchen.