Homemade BBQ Sauce is a must-have for grilling and your favorite pulled pork sandwiches. This is a rich and hearty Memphis style sauce that is sweet and tangy, perfect for coating chicken, pork and beef. Of course it is also the perfect dipping sauce!
BBQ sauce could be it’s own food group around our house. So much so that we even owned our own barbecue sauce company back before the days of blogging! This sweet and tangy sauce just might be my all time favorite bbq sauce!
How to Make Homemade BBQ Sauce:
- Add 2 cans of beer (we used Bud Light) or ginger ale to a large sauce pan.
- Whisk in ketchup, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, molasses, and spices.
- Cook over medium heat and bring mixture to a boil. Cook at a low boil for about 30 minutes, whisking often.
- Lower heat to a simmer and cook another 30 minutes, whisking often.
- Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Store homemade bbq sauce in mason jars in refrigerator up to 3 months.
We made our bbq sauce with a ketchup and beer base. If you don’t have beer on hand, ginger ale or club soda is a great substitute.
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Spices for Homemade BBQ Sauce:
- Granulated Garlic
- dried onion flakes
- smoked paprika
- black pepper
- dry mustard
- kosher salt
- red chili flakes (optional
Pro Tips:
When we made large batches of barbecue sauce for our business, I learned to mix the spices together before adding them to the liquid mixture. This will keep the spices from clumping and help the mixture blend evenly.
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the edges and bottom of the pan as it cooks to blend as it begins to thicken.
A whisk works best for stirring to break up any clumps of brown sugar and makes a smooth sauce.
How to Make Smoky BBQ Sauce:
We use this sauce primarily for grilling and smoked meats. So we do not add in any liquid smoke. If you are using it for oven cooked or crockpot recipes, you can add in about 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke to get a smoky bbq sauce.
Our Favorite BBQ Recipes
Pulled pork sandwiches slathered in bbq sauce is one of the top barbecue dinners at our house. This pork shoulder is cooked slow on the grill or smoker to make the most tender and delicious sandwiches ever.
Brined whole chicken breasts are grilled and smothered in homemade bbq sauce for a tender, juicy and delicious chicken dinner,
The whole family will love these filling and delicious stuffed baked potatoes. Tenderized round steak is quickly grilled with barbecue sauce to top fluffy baked potatoes for an easy weeknight dinner.
Meatloaf is always comforting and delicious and a real family favorite. It is even more delicious on the grill for flavorful dinner that is likely to be a dinner staple.
My kids would eat grilled burgers every single day and these burgers are coated in bbq sauce and topped with crispy fried onions.
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Homemade BBQ Sauce
Homemade BBQ Sauce is a must-have for grilling and your favorite pulled pork sandwiches. This is a rich and hearty sauce that is sweet and tangy, perfect for coating chicken, pork and beef. Of course it is also the perfect dipping sauce!
Ingredients
- 24 ounces beer or ginger ale
- 3 cups ketchup
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 1/4 cup dried onion flakes
- 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Pour beer or ginger ale into a large sauce pan with ketchup, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and molasses.
- Whisk in brown sugar.
- In a separate bowl combine the spices: onion flakes, garlic, smoked paprika, black pepper, dry mustard, salt and chili flakes.
- Whisk seasonings into sauce mixture and cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Cook at a low boil for 30 minutes, whisking often. Use a rubber spatula to scrape bottom and side occasionally.
- Lower to simmer and continue to cook for 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened to your likeness. Whisk often and use a rubber spatula to scrape bottom and sides of the pan.
- Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Store in tightly sealed mason jars in the refrigerator until ready to use, up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
2 tablespoonsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 105Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 506mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 1g
Nutritional information is estimated and may not be accurate.
Deb west says
Sounds great. I have a high garden and I’ve been canning tomatoes for 3-4 weeks. I make v8 juice, spaghetti sauce, Bloody Mary mix and bbq sauce. I can’t perfect the bbq but yours sounds great. I’ll be making 2 gal of thick juice into it. Not sure how much spices to add, but will taste along the way. Plus a beer! Thks for spice list