Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe (2024)

Sauce was good, particularly if, as suggested, you add some spicy paprika or cayenne. I wasn't so fond of it diluted and used as a mop, however. Thinning by 1:1 made it too dilute and flavorless. One part water to two parts sauce might be a better ratio.

As almost everyone who has commented here has said, make your BBQ sauce YOUR BBQ sauce!I have never made the stuff the same way twice and never will.Experiment! One of the most admired sauces I have ever made consisted of blackberry puree and jam instead of ketchup.Rummage people!

I always salt and pepper my wings and cook without the sauce over high heat until the skin is crispy, then I lower the heat or move to indirect heat and brush with undiluted BBQ sauce, cook uncovered and turn and baste a couple of times until the sauce sets. Don't walk away and make sure to watch once the sauce is on so they do not burn. Always come out great.

This sauce was easy to make, but was too vinegar-y for my taste. I think I would cut vinegar down to 1/3 cup and reduce the cumin to 1/2 tsp. I did add an 1/8 tsp of Cayenne, and we liked the added heat!

I start here as well, but I also add a healthy dose of molasses, some yellow mustard, a variety of other spices in moderation (anise/fennel seed, cloves for example) and a fair amount of ground chili peppers (usually from my garden, like Ancho, Anaheim, Serrano, etc.). I go very easy with the cumin, as it can easily overpower the sauce. The molasses adds a lot of depth to the sauce, and gives it a beautiful dark color.Finally, I add a pinch of ground Habanero powder.

The vinegar thing is a regional preference. Some places love it, others not so much. My version is 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup rice vinegar (or cider) in place of the 1/2 cup vinegar. Place all of the ingredients in a blender with a small red onion and a couple of garlic cloves. Blitz. Now we are talking BBQ! Oh, and personally I would add either chilli powder or a big pinch of oregano, which is the secret ingredient in Chilli Powder....

Excellent. While not a fan of jarred barbecue sauces, this home-made version was perfect. If you don't like sweet, use a scant 1/4 cup light brown sugar as I did. The smoked paprika makes it. I diluted a little for basting, not much.

Wasn't sure about this sauce until I added a touch of garlic; thought that added a nice counterpoint and it got good reviews!

OMG this was good! I easily could have doubled this recipe to accommodate our pulled pork - but maybe that's because I kept eating spoonfuls of it as if it were a soup! As other reviewers noted, I used about half the sugar, added a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper for some zing, and then I also added 1/2 - 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce.

Even simpler and less sweet, and Texas certified: 1/2 cup Heinz chili sauce or ketchup, 1/2 cup Worcester sauce, 2 tbsp fresh ground black pepper, 1 tsp Tabasco sauce

I used molasses instead of brown sugar and it tastes amazing!

Since this is a vinegar sauce I like it for pulled pork in the North Carolina sauce tradition.

I added cayenne for heat and a little instant coffee to cut the sweetness. I also thought that diluting it made it too thin. Has anyone tried grilling chicken with full-strength bbq sauce?

Personally, I didn’t care for the cumin and I would omit it in the future. I eyeballed the measurements but reduced the vinegar by half and added a splash of Worcester sauce. I prefer the barbecue sauce provided by Melissa Clark’s pulled pork recipe

A great "base sauce." I added a few glugs of whooshtuhsher, a hefty pinch of gochugaru, and a long drizzle of molasses. Simmered for closer to 10. Nice!

Cut vinegar in half at least, add smoked paprika and sub a touch of molasses for some of the brown sugar

I subbed acv for aged sherry vinegar, added garlic powder, cayenne, mustard powder and mikes hot honey. Perfect! Chef’s kiss!

We liked this a lot. Only addition was some sriracha.

I have made this many times as is. This last time I used some of my overly ripe figs instead of brown sugar. I also cherry-picked from the comments and added a spoonful of molasses. Pretty good as is and a really good base

This was very good. The cumin was a bit overpowering - I'll reduce it the next time. I didn't get close to 1 1/2 cups of sauce, so I will double next time.

So good! I added some smoked salt and and Worcestershire sauce. I am now in charge of the barbecue sauce at family gatherings.

Agreed with Erich H. BBQ sause be your OWN. I often add small amounts of any of the following: tamarind paste, chinese 5-spice, fish sauce, pureé the mix with a couple anchovies, small addition of unsweetened cocoa powder, dijon mustard, gochujang paste, sauerkraut juice, hoisin, experiment.

Quite easy Lowered sugar, added a bit of cayenne and molassesI think I prefer sweet baby ray’s but it’s probably due to the corn syrup…

Great basic sauce! Was just the right flavor to use for pulled chicken made from leftovers. I did add 1/4 tsp dry mustard and a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. If you don't love vinegar, you could easily cut that down a bit but I thought it was actually the right flavor balance for chicken.

I've made this several times, always turns out great. Tastier, healthier and easier than buying a bottle of sauce.

I used .5 blueberry jam .5 ketchupHalf the vinegarSome chilli flakes Tobacco (2-3 pours)

Really delicious as is. I will try a little less sugar next time. Or might try coconut sugar to lower the glycemic index.

We added Makers Mark. One jigger for the sauce and one for the chef.This addition mellowed the vinegar tang. And the chef.

It is a good base for bbq sauce, but a little too much paprika for my liking. I added a little mustard, and cayenne to offset the smokiness of the seasoning.