Nik Naks Rib 'n' Saucy Snacks, 6 x 20g

Rib 'n' Saucy is the barbecue sauce Nik Naks: the brand's knobbly corn sticks in a sweet, saucy rib seasoning with no meat in it. This multipack holds six 20g bags, 120g in all, and the listing says each bag is one serving. The full product name on the pack is Rib 'n' Saucy flavour corn snack, and the pack gives a freepost address for KP Snacks.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the snacks are made from maize, sunflower oil and a Rib 'n' Saucy flavour of sugar, yeast extract, salt, spices, natural flavourings, dried onion, dried garlic, citric acid and paprika extract for colour. It is the shortest seasoning list of the Nik Naks we stock.

Ribs without meat

There is no meat on the list. The rib and sauce taste comes from yeast extract, the natural flavourings and the spices, and the listing says the snacks are suitable for vegetarians.

Sweet and saucy

Sugar leads the seasoning, as it would in a sticky barbecue sauce, and dried onion, garlic and citric acid give the sauce its savoury, tangy side. The label gives 3.8g of sugars per 100g, green on the front of pack scale.

The spices

The listing names the spices only as spices, so expect a gentle, warm barbecue note rather than a hot one. There is no chilli named on the list.

Onion, garlic and citric acid

Dried onion and garlic give the sauce its savoury base, as they would in a homemade barbecue sauce, and citric acid a light tang in place of vinegar.

Yeast extract

Yeast extract, second on the list, gives the savoury, meaty depth behind the sweetness.

The colour

Paprika extract gives the colour. It adds no heat.

Knobbly sticks

The brand calls them knobbly sticks of corn: each piece is an irregular, lumpy stick, crunchier and denser than a puffed corn snack, with plenty of nooks for the seasoning.

No MSG

The listing says no MSG, and none is on the list. Yeast extract is naturally rich in glutamates, worth knowing for anyone who avoids them altogether.

Numbers for one bag

The pack gives 113 kcal (471 kJ), 7.4g of fat, 0.7g of saturates, 10g of carbohydrate, 0.8g of sugars, 0.5g of fibre, 1.3g of protein and 0.36g of salt for each 20g bag. That is about 6% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 11% of the fat and 6% of the salt. Per 100g it is 565 kcal (2354 kJ), 37g of fat, 3.5g of saturates, 52g of carbohydrate, 3.8g of sugars, 0.7g of fibre, 6.3g of protein and 1.8g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 37g is red. Saturates at 3.5g are amber. Sugars at 3.8g are green. Salt at 1.8g is red. The small 20g bag keeps each portion to 113 kcal.

Allergens and diet

No allergens from the UK list of 14 are highlighted in the published ingredients. The pack's allergy advice says it may contain cereals containing gluten, eggs, milk, mustard and soya. The listing says the snacks are suitable for vegetarians; there is no vegan statement and no gluten free claim. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

What the pack leaves out

The listing says there are no artificial colours or flavours. The colour is paprika extract.

Sunflower oil

Sunflower oil is the only oil on the list, and the label gives 3.5g of saturates per 100g, the most of the Nik Naks we stock.

Compared with Nice 'n' Spicy

Rib 'n' Saucy and the classic Nice 'n' Spicy share the shape and the six bag format, and both have 1.8g of salt per 100g. Rib 'n' Saucy is sweet and saucy with no curry spice and no malt vinegar on its list.

Salt

The label gives 1.8g of salt per 100g and 0.36g in a bag, about 6% of an average adult's daily reference intake.

Six small bags

At 20g, each bag is a small portion, 113 kcal. Six bags cover a school or working week with one to spare.

The pack

The purple outer bag carries the Nik Naks name in white, with a Rib 'n' Saucy flash over a splash of dark sauce beside the figure 6.

Who it suits

A sweet, saucy corn stick with no meat suits a vegetarian lunchbox and anyone who likes a barbecue flavour without heat.

Serving ideas

A bag goes with a cheese sandwich, a burger at a barbecue or a bowl of coleslaw.

A barbecue bowl

Tip a few bags into a bowl at a barbecue, beside burgers, sausages and corn on the cob.

In the kitchen

Crushed, a couple of bags make a sweet barbecue crumb for chicken or the top of a mac and cheese.

Storage and packaging

The listing advises a cool, dry place. The published recycling guidance says the whole packaging can be recycled with carrier bags at large supermarkets and should not go in home recycling.

Other Nik Naks

In the same six bag format we stock Nik Naks Nice 'n' Spicy, which also comes in 45g and 130g bags. For a twisted shape, there are Nik Naks Twisters in Nice 'n' Spicy and Tangy 'n' Cheesy.

The published listing gives the United Kingdom as the country of origin. The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.