BBQ Sauce Recipe (Simple & Easy!) (2024)

FAQs

What are the basics of BBQ sauce? ›

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!

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.

Spices and seasonings: A variety of spices and seasonings are added to BBQ sauce to enhance its flavor. Common spices include paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and mustard powder. These ingredients contribute to the distinct taste and aroma of the sauce.

Generally, barbecue sauces is categorized into four varieties: tomato-based sauces, vinegar-based sauces, mustard-based sauces, and mayonnaise-based sauces. Each category can have a range of BBQ sauce styles, ranging from sweet and tangy to hot and spicy.

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.

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

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.

You can use either flour or cornstarch to thicken BBQ sauce. Just mix together 2 tbsp (16 g) of flour and ¼ cup (62.5 mL) of water, or combine 1 tbsp (9 g) of cornstarch with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of water. Continue mixing the thickener until there are no lumps of flour or cornstarch.

It's all relative, but most pitmasters agree that balance is key to a great barbecue sauce. Most sauces are made with a tomato base, vinegar, some sweetener like honey or molasses and an element of heat. From there, sauces are fine-tuned with spices and flavors, such as mustard, garlic, fruit and smoke.

How do you add depth to BBQ sauce? ›

Create depth by adding dark chocolate and coffee to your barbecue sauce. These two, feature a bitter-sweet combo that can truly enhance the blend of spices and flavors present in your bottled barbecue sauce.

Most southern barbecue sauce recipes have the base ingredients of ketchup, vinegar, and dark brown sugar. In general, the ratio of ketchup to vinegar was four to one for the Memphis and Texas sauces. Carolina sauces are the exact famously opposite – roughly four to one vinegar to ketchup.

Most homemade barbecue sauces start with ketchup, but I prefer to strip it back further and start with a small can of tomato paste. It's usually under $2, and it's easy to keep stocked in your pantry. Plus, adding your own sugar, instead of using sugary ketchup, gives you control over the sweetness of the sauce.

Tomato-Based Sauce

Tomato-based BBQ condiments became the most common in America during the middle 20th century. This type of sauce counterpoints sweet tones with vinegar and often has some sort of pepper. It is used all over the USA but is most prevalent in St. Louis, Memphis, and Kansas City.

Often during the last 10-30 minutes depending on the meat, but no more than 30 minutes. Many barbecue sauces contain sugar, which we mentioned above starts to burn at high temperatures. You want to use it just long enough to heat it and bake it onto the meat, allowing it to caramelize, without burning it.

Key Flavors

Ketchup is the base of the sauce, Worcestershire sauce adds umami, light brown sugar brings sweetness, vinegar brings tang, and two spices, paprika and cayenne pepper, add a smoky flavor and some heat.