While plenty of barbecue sauces feature fruit flavors like peach and blueberry, Darryl Harmon, executive chef of New York’s Clinton Hall flips the concept, using barbecue sauce to flavor fruit. His Grilled Watermelon Salad features traditional flavor accompaniments like feta, red onion, micro arugula and mint, but it’s all given a more savory, smoky twist with the addition of barbecue sauce, while candied chickpeas add crispy texture.

American barbecue has never showcased more flavor diversity than it does right now. Across the country, chefs are putting their own spins on the classics while also introducing consumers to the country’s wide array of on-trend regional variations. These sauces are true dynamos, showing up across the menu in everything from sandwiches to pizza and beverages to salads. Plus, a truly successful sauce can be bottled and sold at retail, extending the brand and providing an additional source of revenue. Here, we look at the broad range of flavor builds that are driving barbecue sauce innovation on menus today.