Recipe: Homemade BBQ Sauce (2024)

  • Recipes
  • May 26, 2014
  • byErica Hale

Recipe: Homemade BBQ Sauce (2)

It’s finally here…barbecue season! Grilled chicken, ribs, and marinated veggies are on the menu all summer long. One of my favorite flavors is sweet and savory barbecue sauce, grilled to sticky perfection on just about any kind of meat. Why not make your own homemade BBQ sauce and avoid the corn syrup and unnatural additives that most sauce contains? It’s not hard to make, and you can freeze it or can it for later…making it as convenient as it is tasty.

Start with two cans of organic tomato sauce, organic onions and garlic, honey, molasses, organic evaporated cane juice, apple cider vinegar and a little coconut oil. Chili powder and smoked paprika add to the flavor, and you can mix in as much (or little) red pepper as you’d like to give it a little kick. This recipe makes a large batch of sauce (2 quarts), so you can cut it in half if you’d like. Or, make the whole batch and can a few pints or put it in the freezer for later!

To make the sauce, dice two organic onions and saute them with a few cloves of garlic and a little coconut oil until the onions are soft and transparent. Then, stir in the tomato sauce, the sweeteners, vinegar and the spices. The trick is to let the sauce simmer for a long time…this will reduce the sauce and allow it to thicken as well as bring out the best of the flavors. I let my sauce simmer for at least an hour, stirring it frequently to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Once it’s ready, you can decide if you want to keep it a little chunky or smooth it out by pureeing the onion bits. If you’d like it smooth, allow it to cool for a little while and then run it through a blender or food processor until it’s the consistency you’d like. I like to puree it, so that it brushes onto food a little easier! To can it (which makes it easy to grab a jar from the pantry shelf at a moment’s notice), you need to reheat the sauce to a boil and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes. Then, ladle the sauce into 4 pint jars (leaving 1/2 inch headspace). Clean the rims, and fit with hot lids and rings. Process jars for 20 minutes (adjust for altitude). Remove and allow to cool. To freeze, just put the sauce into airtight, freezer safe containers and place it in the freezer. There you have it! Savory-sweet BBQ sauce, all natural and ready to grill. Three cheers for Summer!

Yield: 2 quarts

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Recipe: Homemade BBQ Sauce (5)

Looking for a new BBQ sauce? You can't go wrong with this homemade BBQ sauce that's perfect for all your grilling needs and more.

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time1 hour

Total Time1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a large pan, saute the diced onion and garlic with the coconut oil until the onions are soft and transparent.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat, and simmer the sauce for at least an hour.
  4. If you'd like the sauce smooth, allow it to cool enough to handle and then run it through a blender or food processor until the desired consistency is reached.
  5. To can the sauce, bring it back to a boil and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes. Ladle into 4 hot, sterile pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headroom. Fit with hot, sterile rings and process in a hot water canner for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and test lids.
  6. To freeze, allow the sauce to cool and then ladle into airtight freezer containers. Freeze the sauce, and take it out in advance to allow it to thaw.

What’s your favorite kind of barbecue sauce?

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Recipe: Homemade BBQ Sauce (2024)

FAQs

What is homemade barbecue sauce made of? ›

Combine brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, water, and Worcestershire sauce in a blender. Season with mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

How to make your barbecue sauce better? ›

Adding garlic or onion powder are standard flavors for barbecue, but get a little creative and try out different chile powders, peppers, cumin, or dried herbs to add body to the sauce.

What is the secret to good barbecue? ›

Ten Secrets to Being A Better BBQ-er
  • Clean Your Grill. We've said it before and we will say it again. ...
  • Read The Whole Recipe First. ...
  • Preheat The Grill. ...
  • Correct Tools. ...
  • Know The Difference Between Direct Heat & Indirect Heat. ...
  • Don't Crowd The Grill. ...
  • Pay Attention. ...
  • Finished Temperature Of Meat.

What gives barbecue sauce its distinct flavor? ›

Ingredients vary, but most include vinegar or tomato paste (or a combination) as a base, as well as Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, onion powder, spices such as mustard and black pepper, and sweeteners such as sugar or molasses.

What are the three types of BBQ sauce? ›

Popular Types of BBQ Sauces In the U.S.
  • Tomato-based sauces.
  • Vinegar-based sauces.
  • Mayonnaise-based sauces.
  • Mustard-based sauces.

Is BBQ sauce ketchup and vinegar? ›

First, let's clear this up right away: no, BBQ sauce is not just ketchup. Not even close. The difference here is that ketchup is tomato puree and sugar (with vinegar and some other flavorings), and BBQ sauce is art (with a whole host of flavor-filled ingredients).

How to make the perfect barbecue? ›

Here are our top ten tips to make sure your barbecue goes off without a hitch.
  1. Tools to help you become a serious barbecue connoisseur. ...
  2. Preparation is everything. ...
  3. Marinate that meat. ...
  4. Avoid fridge chill. ...
  5. Choosing your charcoal. ...
  6. Direct and Indirect Cooking Methods. ...
  7. Test the meat. ...
  8. Rest the meat.
May 26, 2023

How to make homemade BBQ sauce thick? ›

I simmer it down, to reduce the water content. I find starches make it kind of gluey. One can thicken barbecue sauce by adding sugar or the corn starch. You need to thicken it to get a viscous consistency so that it spreads well on your steaks, chicken or sandwich or whatever food you plan to spread sauce on.

Is it worth making your own barbecue sauce? ›

The problem is that most store-bought barbecue sauces just aren't that stellar. They're off-the-scales sweet, packed with fake "smoke" flavor, or weirdly viscous like butterscotch. If you want to really elevate your barbecue, you're going to have to make your own sauce.

What is the 3 2 1 rule BBQ? ›

Essentially, 3 2 1 ribs go like this:
  • 3 hours of smoking the ribs directly on the pellet grill.
  • 2 hours wrapped in foil, still cooking on the grill.
  • 1 hour of cooking, unwrapped and slathered in barbecue sauce.

How to make BBQ sauce tastier? ›

Add a few glugs of Frank's RedHot or Louisiana-style Crystal. Or any other spicy condiment, really: swirl in some sambal oelek, gochujang, or harissa. Play with the smoky notes found in a can of adobo sauce, or the citrus flavors in Cuban mojo. Another source of smoky flavor: smoked paprika.

What makes barbecue taste good? ›

A: The science behind BBQ is the combination of heat, smoke, and the Maillard reaction. Heat helps to break down the proteins and fats in the meat, while smoke adds flavor and aroma. The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that creates the delicious flavor and aroma of BBQ.

What is the most common ingredient in BBQ sauce? ›

The base ingredients of barbecue sauce usually include tomato sauce or ketchup, vinegar, and sweeteners, such as molasses or brown sugar. Other common ingredients include Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, onion powder, and various spices, which can include paprika, cumin, and chili powder.

What can I substitute for barbecue sauce in a recipe? ›

But if you are looking for some alternative sauces with that sweet tinge to prepare baby ribs for your weekend get-together, here are some options.
  1. Hoisin Sauce. ...
  2. Plum Sauce. ...
  3. Mustard Sauce. ...
  4. Teriyaki Sauce. ...
  5. Fruit-Based Sauces.

Is Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce ingredients? ›

High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Tomato Paste, Modified Corn Starch, Contains Less Than 2% Of Salt, Pineapple Juice Concentrate, Natural Smoke Flavor, Spice, Caramel Color, Molasses, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Garlic,* Mustard Flour, Corn Syrup, Sugar, Tamarind, Natural Flavor, Celery Seed.

What's the difference between grilling sauce and BBQ sauce? ›

Sauces intended for grilling should contain less sweeteners (usually brown sugar or molasses) than barbecue sauces. Sugar will burn over the direct heat and leave you with a bitter taste.

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