What he said.  I usually put all condiments in the fridge after opening.

Depends on the sauce, most go in after being opened, but the NC sauces that are vinegar and spices stay on shelves in the basement.

Funny you mention this. I have a couple bbq sauces left in the cooler from tailgating in my truck bed yet. Thanks for the reminder. Back into the fridge.

i do after opening and for the white bbq sauce i make it always stays refrigerated as it is mayo based.

Yes after opening.

Theophan said:

Ketchup and mustard ought to be safe forever, but I've SEEN really old ketchup and really old mustard, and safe or not, they were DISGUSTING.  It's clear that some sort of degeneration does happen, despite vinegar and salt.  BBQ sauce is similar, so yes, once I open it, it's in the fridge.

And I agree with others above: if it says refrigerate after opening, they have a REASON to say that.  I do.

Hot sauce I don't usually refrigerate, but that stuff goes "off" too.  The color gets less bright, and I have to think the flavor suffers as well if it gets too old.

nolaegghead said:

I have seen maggots in ketchup 

But was it in the fridge?

caliking said:

Nope. It all stays at room temp. 

Now that I think about it, all of the BBQ restaurants I've eaten at in my entire life have always had the sauce on the table during business hours. If refrigeration was a problem there would be a lot of sick people around. 

Car wash Mike recommended using cold BBQ sauce and even though I do my ribs turbo these days I still follow that advice, I will chill a new bottle of sauce if I am doing ribs but most the time I have already opened sauces which are in my fridge anyways.

“There are all kinds of good bbq sauces out there. I think the secret to great sticky finger ribs is a good sauce. I always use a sugar based sauce. I make sure my bbq sauce is cold (been in the fridge) for a few hours or days. This makes the sugar thicken up. This will produce a full flavor of sauce on the ribs.”

-CWM

BTW, cold ketchup is yucky

I make my own BBQ & Pizza sauces, so I vacuum seal in mason jars then put in the fridge.  Last a LONG time that way (I usually put them in Quart jars).  I make up double batches, etc.

frazzdaddy said:

Now that I think about it, all of the BBQ restaurants I've eaten at in my entire life have always had the sauce on the table during business hours. If refrigeration was a problem there would be a lot of sick people around. 

Well, first, in general, I agree with you: the risk is low.  But I've read a lot of food poisoning reports and there have definitely been reports of food poisoning from condiments like ketchup and mustard at fast food restaurants.  The thing about food poisoning is that you can do it wrong and be fine most of the time.  It's just that once in a while, you're going to be exploding at both ends and wishing you were dead!  Or if you're elderly (like me), or if it's a precious little child, they might actually wind up dead, and man, that's not a good way to go...

And second, those restaurants have MANY people using those bottles UP every day.  They probably don't last very many days, and a few days or even a week or more would probably be OK.  Ketchup lasts a LOT longer than that at my house.