The Best Easy BBQ Sauce Recipe Ever (2024)

FAQs

What makes BBQ sauce taste better? ›

Here's how to spice up BBQ sauce: Add anything with heat! You can add anywhere from a pinch to a few tablespoons of spice depending on what the ingredient is. Try some cayenne, chipotle chilis in adobo, hot sauce like Tabasco, chili oil, or red pepper flakes. Add a little at a time to taste.

The base ingredients of barbecue sauce usually include tomato sauce or ketchup, vinegar, and sweeteners, such as molasses or brown sugar. Other common ingredients include Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, onion powder, and various spices, which can include paprika, cumin, and chili powder.

Add a few glugs of Frank's RedHot or Louisiana-style Crystal. Or any other spicy condiment, really: swirl in some sambal oelek, gochujang, or harissa. Play with the smoky notes found in a can of adobo sauce, or the citrus flavors in Cuban mojo. Another source of smoky flavor: smoked paprika.

BBQ sauce can be thickened by boiling it to remove excess liquid, or you can add flour, cornstarch, or some fat to thicken it.

To me, a good BBQ sauce has the right mix of smokiness, tanginess, sweetness, and spice. If your sauce isn't sweet enough, add some brown sugar or molasses. If the sauce isn't tangy enough, add some apple cider vinegar. If the sauce needs some heat, add your favorite hot sauce or red pepper.

Citrus works well in barbecue sauce; orange is common, but apple and pineapple are also popular. Make sure to also add either some hot or sweet flavor to it or else you'll end up with a gross mess. Possiblities include hot sauce, honey, ginger, brown sugar, sriracha, etc.

In some of the older, more traditional restaurants, the sauces are heavily seasoned with cumin, chili peppers or chili powder, black pepper, and fresh onion, while using less tomato and sugar. They are medium thick and often resemble a thin tomato soup.

Generally, barbecue sauces is categorized into four varieties: tomato-based sauces, vinegar-based sauces, mustard-based sauces, and mayonnaise-based sauces. Each category can have a range of BBQ sauce styles, ranging from sweet and tangy to hot and spicy.

Why add apple cider vinegar to barbecue sauce? ›

When it comes to barbecue sauce, ACV brings the tanginess with an added touch of sweetness. You've got apple notes, as well as that element of cider — both welcome nuances to BBQ sauce. The needed acidity for balance is there but without all the sharp edges of white vinegar.

Making BBQ sauce is a lot easier than many people think. It requires only a few ingredients most people have already in their homes and minimal cooking! I prefer to make most of my condiments homemade. That way you can control the taste and quality, and it's cheaper than buying store-bought versions.

Arrowroot. Another great answer to how to thicken up BBQ sauce is to add arrowroot. As the name suggests, arrowroot is a type of root or tuber grown in the West Indies, and is noted to have a more neutral flavour.

Sweet Baby Ray's

It's also rather thick, almost like a barbecue jam or jelly. If you're a barbecue lover with a sweet tooth, this is the sauce you should stock.

If it has a good strong flavor you could thin it with something complimentary like a little water, beer, or whiskey. If it needs a little acidity thin it with some vinegar or citrus juice and then balance that with some sugar or honey.

The easiest way is to add a splash or two of your favorite hot sauce. Other options include adding more cayenne pepper, some chili oil, or red pepper flakes. (We wouldn't recommend adding red pepper flakes to a smooth, uncooked sauce like our Easy BBQ Sauce, though.)

A: The science behind BBQ is the combination of heat, smoke, and the Maillard reaction. Heat helps to break down the proteins and fats in the meat, while smoke adds flavor and aroma. The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that creates the delicious flavor and aroma of BBQ.

Put the bottled sauce and brown sugar in a large saucepan. Let mixture come to a slight boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ketchup, molasses, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, and hot sauce.