I at all times hold a jar of this do-it-yourself BBQ sauce in my fridge for grilling season and summer time cookouts. As an alternative of reaching for a bottle full of substances I can’t pronounce, I make this straightforward BBQ sauce from scratch.
Tomato sauce, brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire, and a handful of spices create that traditional barbecue taste excellent for grilled rooster, pulled pork, or dipping. The very best half is that I can customise the flavour precisely how I prefer it. When you attempt do-it-yourself, it’s laborious to return!

Right here’s why this recipe beats the bottled stuff each time:
- Prepared in lower than half-hour: A fast simmer is all it takes to rework easy pantry staples right into a wealthy, flavorful sauce.
- No pointless substances: I do know precisely what’s going into my BBQ sauce, making it a fantastic different to many store-bought bottles.
- Simple to customise: Make it sweeter, smokier, tangier, or spicier by adjusting just a few substances to fit your style.
- Excellent for greater than grilling: Brush it onto rooster, burgers, ribs, or salmon, toss it with pulled rooster or pork, or use it as a dipping sauce for fries and roasted veggies.
I make this BBQ sauce with easy pantry staples that come collectively for the right stability of candy, smoky, tangy, and savory flavors:
- Tomato sauce: That is the tomato base for this BBQ sauce. Tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, or tomato paste thinned with water can all be used as substitutes, although the feel and tomato taste could fluctuate barely.
- Grated white onion: Grated onion provides sweetness and depth because it cooks down. A teaspoon of onion powder can be utilized instead.
- Grated garlic: Contemporary garlic provides daring taste to the sauce. Garlic powder is a straightforward pantry substitute.
- Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire sauce provides wealthy umami taste. Tamari, soy sauce, or coconut aminos could be substituted for comparable savory notes.
- Ketchup: Ketchup provides sweetness, tang, and that traditional BBQ taste. I wish to search for manufacturers that don’t use high-fructose corn syrup. A bit of further tomato sauce and a pinch of sugar work as a substitute for a clear BBQ sauce.
- Molasses: Molasses offers the sauce its deep caramel taste and signature richness. Honey or maple syrup leads to a barely lighter taste profile.
- Darkish brown sugar: Darkish brown sugar balances the acidity and provides delicate notes of molasses. Gentle brown sugar works, too, or should you solely have white sugar, add a contact extra molasses with it for depth.
- Chili powder: Chili powder brings delicate warmth and traditional barbecue taste. A mix of paprika, cumin, and a pinch of cayenne is an effective different.
- Paprika: Paprika provides coloration and a delicate smoky taste. Smoked paprika creates a smokier sauce, or just a few drops of liquid smoke add even deeper barbecue taste.
- Butter: Butter provides richness and creates a silky, easy end. Olive oil or one other impartial oil could be substituted.
- Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar brightens the sauce and balances the sweetness. White vinegar, crimson wine vinegar, or lemon juice are all good substitutes.
- Salt and black pepper: Convey all the flavors into stability!

Methods to Make This BBQ Sauce Recipe
Making do-it-yourself BBQ sauce couldn’t be simpler. After a fast simmer, you’ll have a wealthy, shiny sauce that’s excellent for brushing, dipping, or marinating.
- Mix all the pieces in a saucepan. Add all of the substances to a small saucepan and whisk till the sugar dissolves and all the pieces is nicely mixed.
- Simmer till thickened. Convey the sauce to a delicate boil, then scale back the warmth and simmer till it thickens barely. The sauce will proceed to thicken because it cools.
- Let it cool earlier than storing. The flavors proceed to develop because the sauce cools, and the sharpness of the vinegar mellows after just a few hours within the fridge.
- Use or refrigerate. As soon as cooled, use it straight away or switch it to an hermetic jar and refrigerate till you’re able to get pleasure from it. Give it a great stir or shake earlier than serving if it separates barely.
That is such a straightforward sauce to customise. Listed below are just a few methods I like to alter up the flavour and consistency:
- Make it sweeter: Stir in somewhat further brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup to make the sauce sweeter. Including extra molasses creates a thicker Kansas Metropolis-style BBQ sauce taste.
- Make it tangier: Add an additional splash of apple cider vinegar or a spoonful of yellow mustard to brighten the flavour and add somewhat further zing.
- Make it smokier: Swap the common paprika for smoked paprika or add somewhat liquid smoke or chipotle powder.
- Make it spicier: Combine in cayenne pepper, crushed crimson pepper flakes, or just a few dashes of your favourite sizzling sauce.
- Make it thicker: Simmer the sauce for just a few further minutes till it reaches the specified consistency.
- Make it thinner: Whisk in a tablespoon or two of water till the sauce thins out.


Methods to Use It
This do-it-yourself BBQ sauce is scrumptious with grilled rooster, but it surely’s tremendous versatile, too! Listed below are a few of my favourite methods to make use of it:
- Brush it onto grilled meats: Slather it on grilled rooster thighs, drumsticks, ribs, pork chops, and salmon throughout the previous couple of minutes of cooking.
- Toss it with shredded meat: Stir it into shredded rooster or pulled pork for straightforward sandwiches, tacos, wraps, baked potatoes, or grain bowls.
- Use it as a marinade: Coat meat with the sauce earlier than cooking for much more barbecue taste. Simply regulate the grill to stop burning, because it does embody sugar.
- Serve it as a dipping sauce: Pair it with rooster tenders, roasted potatoes, potato wedges, candy potato fries, or rooster wings.
- Unfold it on sandwiches and burgers: Use it rather than condiments on hamburgers, turkey burgers, BBQ rooster sandwiches, wraps, or flatbreads. (I really like my Simple Burger Sauce on patties, too!)
- Drizzle it over BBQ favorites: Attempt it as a ending sauce on my Grilled BBQ Rooster Salad, Grilled BBQ Rooster Bowls, BBQ Rooster Pizza, or grilled greens proper earlier than serving.
I really like a great sauce. Browse my favourite condiments and do-it-yourself sauces for straightforward methods so as to add large taste to your subsequent meal!

This BBQ sauce shops nicely for a few week. To retailer, I let the sauce cool utterly earlier than transferring it to an hermetic container or Mason jar with a good lid. A fast stir or shake earlier than serving helps recombine the substances if they’ve separated.
It additionally freezes nicely for as much as 3 months. I like freezing it in small parts so it’s straightforward to thaw solely what I would like. To thaw, switch the sauce to the fridge in a single day. If it appears somewhat thick after thawing, whisk in a splash of water till it reaches the specified consistency.
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”gP4AVnI7″ upload-date=”2021-09-13T15:02:08.000Z” name=”BBQ Sauce” description=”This Homemade BBQ Sauce is ready in under 30 minutes. No more store-bought BBQ filled with ingredients you can’t pronounce. Make this BBQ sauce today!”]
Energy: 28 kcal, Carbohydrates: 5 g, Protein: 0 g, Fats: 1 g, Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 4 g
Diet data is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.

