Barbecue sauce is a type of sauce which is frequently poured onto meat while being grilled or barbecued. Most barbecue sauces are tomato based with vinegar and sugar. The sugar is an important element of barbecue sauce as it allows the sauce to caramelize during cooking and seal in the juices of the meat. Outside of barbecuing, store-bought barbecue sauce is often used on meat or other foods as a condiment.