Almost as closely guarded as dry rub recipes and often containing far more exotic ingredients, barbecue sauces are as varied as the folks who make them. And to some 'cue aficionados, they're even more important than the meat to which they're applied.

As varied as the ingredients, however, they tend to fall into three basic categories: tomato-based, vinegar-based and mustard-based. The first two are used on just about anything, and the third is best (in my opinion) on chicken and pork.

I did my early culinary growing-up in Texas, where tomato-based sauces with a healthy dollop of brown sugar are de rigeur. Applied at just the right time to a brisket and allowed to form a bit of a crust on the meat, this sauce will compliment the smokiness of the meat and make your tongue dance. Like most 'cue sauces, it's incredibly easy to make, and just about every restaurant has its own type. In my time in Texas, I tasted well over 300 different sauces in a range from cloyingly sweet to knock-your-face-off hot.

Tomato-based sauces dominate the commercial-sauce market, as well, largely because they lend themselves to a ketchup-like versatility and take well to the additions of things like honey, garlic and artificial flavors. Walk down the condiment aisle of any grocery store outside the Carolinas, and 95-100 percent of the sauces you find will be tomato-based.

Vinegar sauces are sort of like the acerbic, sharp-tongued brother who shows up for holiday dinners. It's got attitude, and its fans tend to be more wild-eyed in their devotion than the more sedate tomato-based sauce admirers. You won't find many sweet sauces in this department, but you will find some unexpected fruit-tinged sauces and some that have to be sold in Pyrex bottles because of their heat level.

These sauces have greater penetrating power than others, but also tend to let the smokiness of good 'cue shine through more if the right sauce is matched with the right meat.

I was excited to move to North Carolina, because the people of this state are passionate about their barbecue, especially pork. I figured I was coming to my palate's homeland.

It wasn't long after I got here, though, that I realized North Carolina is a state divided. The eastern side of the state uses a more conventional brown sugar/tomato-based sauce, whereas vinegar is king here in the western Carolina mountains. There are some restaurants that try to straddle the line and serve both, but they generally do a poor job of it.

The fact is, I had trouble finding the sort of vinegar sauce I'd had in Houston once I got here. Sure, there were tangy sauces, but none with the kick I was seeking. I was about to despair until two weekends ago, when the parents of my friends, in town from France, asked to be taken out for ribs on Sunday. The old-time blue laws still have echoes here, and a lot of restaurants either close early or don't open at all on Sunday. However, I found the godless heathens (kidding, folks!) at Carolina Barbecue still smoking, and I was in heaven! I'd found my sauce, and found it poured over pork ribs that had been smoked with such perfection that the bones slid out and the meat melted on the tongue.

I'm getting hungry just writing about that.

There are three sauces you can get for yourself that will turn your own kitchen into a high-class 'cue operation.

First up, and I promise I'm not recommending this guy because his last name is Wilson, is BBQ Stu's. Both the Original and the Steel City Blast Furnace flavors are outstanding. The Original has a great blend of herbs that gives it a complex flavor unlike any other sauce I've ever tasted. The Blast Furnace isn't quite as hot as the name would indicate, but still has a nice kick. It's a great sauce for those of you who like a little kick, but don't necessarily want to end up with burn scars on your tongue.

The next one, sent to me by the fine folks at DeYoung's Fore Seasons, is Pop's BBQ. Pop makes four sauces, all of them worth trying. My favorites by far were the Zesty Chipotle, which has the smoky flavor of the chipotle peppers with an outstanding balance of spices, and the Smokin' Hot will really get your attention. I recommend having at least one cold beer on hand when consuming it.

The final sauce is from my old friends at Williamson House, whose Rib Kit is blazing a trail through the barbecue world. Their Spicy Vinegar Sauce is still the best vinegar-based barbecue sauce I've tasted. It will get the corners of your mouth and wake up the rest of your face.

So here's what you do: Get yourself a selection of sauces of different types, a few hunks of cheap meat, some different woods, and get to work figuring out your preference. Of course, this may take a few months. You'll just have to resign yourself to a long period of eating homemade barbecue with regularity.

I weep for you. Truly.

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