This BBQ Sauce Recipe is easy to throw together and absolutely delicious! Fast to make and with ingredients you already have on hand, you are going to make this homemade bbq sauce all the time. Pair this BBQ sauce recipe with my Chicken Rub for the perfect grilled bbq chicken.
The other day, I shared with my my Chicken Rub recipe, which is a great dry rub that makes chicken on the grill so flavorful. And if you wanted to stop with just that, you absolutely could. But! If you don’t, I have for you this amazing homemade bbq sauce that compliments the rub perfectly. Made with ingredients that I bet you already have, this sauce comes together in under 30 minutes and is perfect for all your summer grilling!
HOW TO MAKE BBQ SAUCE
This bbq sauce recipe is made so simply. It is the combining of a few simple ingredients and then simmering them together for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to combine and to help the sauce thicken.
BBQ SAUCE INGREDIENTS
- brown sugar
- ketchup
- apple cider vinegar (see note)
- paprika
- onion powder
- black pepper
- worcestershire sauce
- kosher salt
HOW TO USE THIS HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE RECIPE
Traditionally, bbq sauce is meant to go on the meat after it has been completely cooked. It isn’t really meant to be part of the cooking process. You can see this in the making of my Honey BBQ Ribs.
That said, I do have two recipes in which I use BBQ sauce as the part of the liquid for cooking, and they did in fact turn out amazing.
Can you guys tell that I have a thing for honey bbq?
CAN YOU USE BBQ SAUCE AS A MARINADE?
You guys, I’m all about breaking rules. Especially when it comes to cooking. It should be a fun creative process that makes you really happy.
Generally speaking, no. You don’t use BBQ Sauce as a marinade. It goes on after the cooking has happened.
If you do want to use this bbq sauce recipe as a marinade, don’t allow the meat to sit for more than a half hour. There is quite a bit of vinegar in this recipe, which acts as an acid and will break down the meat. If you let it sit too long it will break down the meat too much.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR IN BBQ SAUCE
Speaking of vinegar, lets talk about it. The tang in this recipe comes from apple cider vinegar. In fact, in the 2 1/2 cups that this recipe makes, 1/2 a cup is vinegar. Plus you have the acidity of the ketchup. That’s a lot of tang guys. I love the flavor of it. I think it balances the the sweetness and the smokiness o the other flavors perfectly. That said, if you are worried it will be too acidic, I would start with 1/4 cup, taste it and add more vinegar until you get to taste you want or 1/2 cup, whichever comes first.
HOW LONG CAN YOU STORE BBQ SAUCE
The vinegar and sugar in this recipe both act as natural preservatives, so this easy homemade bbq sauce recipe should keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Things to keep in mind:
- It should be stored in an air tight container.
- Keep it in the refrigerator.
- If the sauce looks as though it has separated, it should be tossed.
- Obviously if there are signs of mold it should be discarded.
- When using this homemade bbq sauce avoid brushing cooked meat, and then dipping the brush back in the container, introducing bacteria to the sauce. Rather, pour some from the jar into a bowl and brush from there.
OTHER GREAT HOMEMADE RECIPES
If you try this recipe, come back and let me know what you think! I love hearing from you!
BBQ Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Beverly Bender Bnanny says
Taste really good
Lisa Longley says
I’m glad you like it!
Ronald Kellett says
This bbq sauce is really great
Lisa Longley says
Glad to hear you liked it!
Pearl says
I used your dry rub for my turkey and the barbecue sauce to make smoked chopped turkey and I honestly can say this was the best I have ever made and it was a big hit on my table. Thanks so much.
Lisa Longley says
I’m so glad it was a hit Pearl!
Shantel says
I love this sauce, but can you tell me how long it’s good for?
Lisa Longley says
The short answer is 2 weeks, for the longer answer with specifications on storage see the section in the post marked: HOW LONG CAN YOU STORE BBQ SAUCE
Kimberly Burks says
Does this caramelize upon cooking/grilling?
Lisa Longley says
A bit, yes. I like to add some before grilling and then more after.
Robin says
Can this sauce be frozen?
Lisa Longley says
Yes. Freeze in an airtight container (keeping in mind it will expand as it freezes) for up to three months. You might consider freezing in multiple containers, since I wouldn’t recommend thawing and re-freezing.
Teena says
Ran out of bottled sauce again today. I’ve tried making sauces in the past and it hasn’t gone well. As we have reduced store visits to once per week I didn’t know what to do and the steaks were marinating for a day and I knew they would be good. I made this sauce but used half the vinegar (not a fan of apple cider vinegar). First thing my husband asked was what the heck is on this? Lol it was so good!!! Def need to pin this one!!
Lisa Longley says
I’m so glad you guys liked it Teena!
Lori K says
Can this be canned? Waterbath?
Lisa Longley says
Hi Lori! I don’t have enough experience with canning to give you advice, but I did find this post that should be helpful.
Elena says
Can this be done with white vinegar if I don’t have apple cider vinegar?
Lisa Longley says
It can Elena, but it will be missing a little something and won’t be as tasty.
Heather says
I’m making short ribs for dinner tonight and the recipe I used needed bbq sauce. I didn’t have any on hand and with the quarantine and stay at home orders I didn’t want to run to the store just for bbq sauce – not to mention I’m at home alone during the day with a one year old and didn’t want to take her! Anyway – I searched for homemade recipes and found this and got straight to work and OMG. I almost didn’t even want to put it in the crock pot I just wanted to eat it all!! This is by far – BY FAR – the best bbq sauce I have ever made, let alone eaten!! Thank you for this amazing recipe!! I can’t wait to make it again and use it for something else!!!
Lisa Longley says
I’m so happy you like it Heather!
Heather says
I have literally made this 3 times now lol – once for the short ribs mentioned above, once for meatloaf and once for pulled pork in the smoker!!! I can’t get enough!! ❤️❤️ Thanks again!
Brent says
Little heavy on the vinegar
Lisa Longley says
We will have to agree to disagree, Brent 🙂
Tonya says
OMG! My first time making bbq sauce. I didn’t want to go to the store just for a bottle of sauce. This is so good. Store bought sauce may be a thing of the past. ❤️
Lisa Longley says
I’m so glad you liked it Tonya! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
JJ says
Just made this for some oven baked BBQ chicken, that I want to be a little special, and HOLY. SMOKES. I used half the vinegar for my preference; and because I like a slight heat, I subbed 1 tablespoon of the ketchup w/ a half Tbsp each of Thai chili paste & Thai sweet chili sauce – this is the perfect blend of sweet, tangy, spicy, and so thick! Next time I might try a tiny touch of liquid smoke too, just for kicks 🙂 Thanks so much for this recipe – never going back to bottled!
Lisa Longley says
Glad you liked it.
Jacqueline Buchanan says
There are 4 of us in the household so I’m inquiring as to how much would be good for us when baking about 6-8 drumsticks?
Lisa Longley says
The full batch of this would definitely be enough. Though you could probably get away with making a half batch, I would encourage you to make the whole thing because I think you will really like it and enjoy it on other things too.
Em says
Hey!I’m super excited to make this as my daughter has multiple allergies and store bought bbq sauce has been a bit scary for us to introduce. My question is that I’m going to be using this in a crockpot recipe and since this will be cooking for 8 hours with the meat do you think I need to follow the directions and bring to a boil and let simmer for 15 min before adding to the crockpot or can I just mix all ingredients and throw in to cook with the recipe. I’m figuring you can but I figured I’d see if you’ve done that before with success or not 🙂
Lisa Longley says
I actually just developed a recipe using this sauce in a crockpot with meat and you don’t need to boil it first. It’s not as thick, but it gives the meat a great flavor!
Valerie says
Love the zing of the vinegar! I added 1 tsp. ground mustard and 1 tsp. chili powder. Not major changes, but I like those flavors in BBQ sauce.
Chris says
This is the only BBQ sauce you will ever need, better than store bought and so easy to do!
Lisa Longley says
So glad to hear you liked it, Chris!