How to Make BBQ Sauce at Home - Step By Step
BBQ sauce is a staple for any summer cookout or BBQ. But, many store-bought BBQ sauces are loaded with so much sugar you don’t taste anything else. Making your own BBQ sauce at home is not only easy, but it also allows you to control the ingredients and create a sauce that is tailored to your personal taste preferences. In this post, we will walk you through the process of making your own BBQ sauce at home, including some tips and tricks for making the perfect sauce. We’ll start out looking at a aimple ketchup based red sauce. Then we’ll add more complexity and variety as we go.
Let's DYI Some Homemade BBQ Sauce
The first steps in making BBQ sauce is to decide on a style and gather your ingredients. So what kind of sauce do you want to make? Do you want a ketchup based sauce? Tomato based? Mustard or vinegar based? Are you looking for a savory sauce or something sweet? There are many different variations of BBQ sauce, but most include a combination of these ingredients:
- Tomato sauce
- Ketchup
- Mustard (Dijon or yellow)
- Vinegar (apple cider, white, or red wine vinegar)
- Worcestershire sauce
- Molasses
- Honey
- Sugar (white, brown, or turbinado)
- Garlic (fresh or powder)
- Onion (fresh or powder)
- Spices
- Chocolate
- Hot sauce
- Fruit juice (Apple/Peach)
Once you have your ingredients, it’s time to start cooking. Begin by heating a pot over medium heat and adding in your tomato sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Stir these ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved. Then, add in your remaining ingredients and stir everything together.
One of the keys to making a great BBQ sauce is to let it simmer for a while. This allows the flavors to meld together and creates a more complex taste. Let your sauce simmer for at least 30 minutes, or longer if you have the time. As the sauce simmers, be sure to stir it occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
As the sauce is simmering, taste it and adjust the seasoning as needed. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar. If you want it spicier, add more cayenne pepper. Keep in mind that the flavors will intensify as the sauce cooks, so make small adjustments at a time. You can always add more, but it’s difficult to take it out.
Once the sauce has simmered for the desired amount of time, it’s ready to be used. Simple sauces you can use immediately, but for more complex flavors it’s best to refrigerate them overnight or longer. Store your sauces in an airtight container, I like to use wide-mouthed mason jars, and refrigerate for later use. Homemade BBQ sauce will last for up to a month or longer in the refrigerator.
Now let’s DIY some BBQ sauce!
Kiddie-Classic Ketchup Based BBQ Sauce:
Making a ketchup-based BBQ sauce is easy and requires minimal ingredients. Here’s a simple recipe you can follow that’s going to be on the sweeter side. Let’s call it the
Ingredients:
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions:
- In a medium saucepan, combine all of the ingredients over medium heat.
- Stir the ingredients together until they are well combined and the sugar has dissolved.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to low.
- Let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the flavors meld together.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed. If it’s too sweet, add a little more vinegar. If it’s too tangy, add a little more sugar.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerater.
This will be a medium-thick sweet sauce that goes great with classic kid foods like a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets, spread on burgers or grilled chicken sandwiches, or even as a topping for pizza. There isn’t much complexity to this sauce, which is why kids love it!
Savory Tomato Sauce Based BBQ Sauce
Using tomato sauce, rather than ketchup, will give us a more savory-tasting sauce. This will allow us to build much more complexity into the flavor profile. Here is a recipe for making a savory tomato sauce-based BBQ sauce at home:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions:
- In a medium saucepan, combine the tomato sauce and vinegar, then stir in the remaining ingredients over medium heat.
- Stir the ingredients together until they are well combined, and the sugar has dissolved. We don’t want any clumps.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to low.
- Let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the flavors meld together.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed. If it’s too sweet, add a little more vinegar. If it’s too tangy, add a little more sugar or molasses.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
The tomato base will provide a more-savory flavor profile than the ketchup base. The Worcestershire and thyme, and using Dijon mustard rather than plain yellow mustard, will all contribute significantly to more flavor-complexity. This sauce will be much thinner than the Kiddie sauce as well. But you don’t have to stop here, you can take this recipe and build even more complexity into it!
Savory Chocolate BBQ Sauce
Now we’ll take the savory sauce above and add even more complexity to it!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions:
- In a medium saucepan, sauté the garlic and onion in extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, apple cider vinegar, to the saucepan and mix well.
- Add molasses, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, and black pepper.
- Stir the ingredients together until they are well combined.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to low.
- Add in the cocoa powder and chopped dark chocolate and stir until fully incorporated.
- Let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the flavors meld together.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed. If it’s too sweet, add a little more vinegar. If it’s too tangy, add a little more sugar or molasses.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, store the sauce in an airtight container overnight.
This BBQ sauce will have a unique, smoky and chocolatey flavor that works really well on pork or beef ribs. You can also play with the ingredients and add some hot sauce or chipotle powder level up the smoky flavor and adjust the amount of chocolate to your liking.
Time to Make Your Own BBQ Sauces!
So there you have it 3 ways of making your own BBQ sauce at home is a simple and fun way to elevate your grilling game. Whether you prefer a classic ketchup-based sauce, a tangy tomato sauce-based sauce, or a smokey and chocolatey sauce, these three recipes have got you covered. Not only will homemade BBQ sauce save you money, but it also allows you to customize the flavors to your liking. So fire up the grill, invite some friends over and impress them with your homemade BBQ sauce creations. Remember to have fun and experiment with different ingredients to find your perfect BBQ sauce recipe. Happy grilling!
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