This lusciously thick BBQ sauce is sweet, smoky and tangy.
Using simple store cupboard ingredients, it's ready in less than 10 minutes.
Use it as a basting sauce, dip or pouring sauce - perfect for chicken wings, hot dogs and burgers!
This is THE sauce.
The sauce that turned me from a barbecue sauce 'meh' person, to barbecue sauce lover.
It's the first time in my life that I now reach for barbecue sauce rather than ketchup for my french fries and hot dogs.
Made of store cupboard ingredients, it's got a lovely smoky, sweet and tangy flavour to it.
And this recipe makes 2 cups. So that'll last at least a week right? ahem.
Ingredients for barbecue sauce
- For sweetness - tomato ketchup, dark brown sugar, black treacle and honey
- For tang - white wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce
- For a bit of heat and smokiness - mustard powder, smoked paprika and black pepper
- Plus a little vegetable oil to bring it all together and make it smooth and glossy.
How to make barbecue sauce from scratch
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan and mix together.
- Heat over a medium-high heat, until boiling, then simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. That's it!
You might notice that the sauce smells a little vinegary when bubbling in the pan, but the vinegar smell and taste mellows beautifully as the sauce cools
What to serve it with
You can serve this tasty homemade bbq sauce with:
- Crispy Baked BBQ Chicken Wings
- Buttermilk Chicken Burger
- Oven-Baked Bacon - on a lovely soft Brioche Roll
- Crispy Copycat KFC Chicken
- My juicy Brisket Sandwich
- Just as a dip for some fries
Or Pretty much anything on the BBQ
What would you serve it on or with?
Now I'm a BBQ sauce convert, I need more ideas!!
How do you use barbecue sauce?
Use it as a dip for fries or veggies, as a basting sauce for wings, ribs and chicken pieces (brush on during cooking for the last 10 minutes of cooking), as a pouring sauce for hot dogs and burgers or even as a base sauce for pizzas.
You can also add a tablespoon or two to chilli con carne, casseroles, bolognese or shepherds pie for a nice flavour kick!
Want a bit of spice?
Add 2 tbsp of sriracha or 0.5 - 1 tsp hot chilli powder to the pan at the same time as the rest of the ingredients.
Watch how to make it
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BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (300g) tomato ketchup
- 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 5 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp black treacle or molasses
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp mustard powder - or 1 tsp English mustard
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper - freshly ground
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan and mix together.
- Heat over a medium-high heat, until boiling, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and allow to cool before serving or storing.
✎ Notes
So if you only want to make 1 cup of sauce, halve the ingredients.
If you want to make 4 cups of sauce, double the ingredients.
It will take longer to come to the boil if you're making more, but you will still only need 5 minutes simmering time. Nutritional Information is per serving - this recipe makes approx 2 cups - which is about 8 servings.
Nutrition
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Lynne Saunders says
I love this recipe, it's my go to BBQ sauce. Always have some in the fridge.
Diane says
Fantastic sauce, will use this everytime 🤗
Daniel Brown says
Very nice sauce, the vinegar does mellow away which is good. It's a little too sweet for me, so I'll drop the dark sugar to 3tbsp, and will see how this goes. I upped the smoked paprika a little as I like the smokey taste, and used chilli for a little heat. I'll switch the chilli flakes to chipotle next time, and will see about other flavours like cumin (I like to experiment). I'd love to hear about how other people have adapted this, especially to enhance the smoke aspect to the sauce. Other than that it's a winner and one I'll most definitely be making again.
Jeannie Stone says
Just the right blend of sweet sour smoke and smooth
Justin Lee says
Thanks,
Too much......,
Kathryn says
Love this delicious homemade bbq sauce, even my son loves it, who will normally only eat a well known branded one👍😋