What's your homemade BBQ sauce recipe?

[Kaido]

Haven't found my ideal flavor in the storebought kind, so I'm going to go the DIY route. Looking for a sweet one & a peppery (savory) one. Not so much interested in hot, since I usually just mix in sriracha if I want heat with flavor. Anyone have a good homemade recipe?

 

[blake0812]

Dog Steak Sauce

 

[ElFenix]

meat juice from drip pan + onions that were in drip pan blended up.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

1.5c Apple cider vinegar
Couple tablespoons hot sauce
pinch of cayenne
pinch of red pepper flakes
2-3tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste.

Excellent on pulled pork and other barbecued meats.

 

[Fritzo]

I'm one of those people that doesn't measure anything and just throws things together to taste, but my go-to ingredients are:

ketchup
brown sugar
onion
olive oil
pureed garlic
apple cider vinegar (a must!)
tomato paste
Worcestershire sauce
liquid smoke (optional)
dry mustard
cayenne
black pepper

This mixture gives the proper sweet/spicy mixture that I love on ribs and chicken. It tends to come out similar to Montgomery Inn sauce.

 

[Kaido]

1.5c Apple cider vinegar
Couple tablesppons hot sauce
pinch of cayenne
pinch of red pepper flakes
2-3tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste.

Excellent on pulled pork and other barbecued meats.

I've seen ACV in a lot of BBQ sauce recipes, but the stuffy is nasty smelling...I've used only a teaspoon & it ruined recipes haha. What's the secret?

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Start with Sweet Baby Ray hot and spicy, add some bourbon and a pinch of cayenne.

 

[Kaido]

Start with Sweet Baby Ray hot and spicy, add some bourbon and a pinch of cayenne.

I do SBR with a dry rub on my ribs, always a winner at my house :thumbsup:

 

[Childs]

If you are in California, give E&J's sauce a try:

http://www.everettandjones.com/

 

[SunnyD]

What? Got a problem with it?

 

[iGas]

Soy sauce
Brown sugar
Garlic
Crack black pepper
Habanero

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I've seen ACV in a lot of BBQ sauce recipes, but the stuffy is nasty smelling...I've used only a teaspoon & it ruined recipes haha. What's the secret?

Dunno. I've never had that experience with ACV. And it is probably the most widely used vinegar in BBQ circles. Maybe your vinegar went bad? Or you used a bad variety?

 

[ElFenix]

Start with Sweet Baby Ray hot and spicy, add some bourbon and a pinch of cayenne.

i don't know how you all east of the sabine can eat that stuff. it's terrible. too much sugar.

 

[Kaido]

Dunno. I've never had that experience with ACV. And it is probably the most widely used vinegar in BBQ circles. Maybe your vinegar went bad? Or you used a bad variety?

I picked up a second jar, but it's still incredibly strong. What's it supposed to be like?

 

[Kaido]

i don't know how you all east of the sabine can eat that stuff. it's terrible. too much sugar.

Sweet Baby Ray's is pretty dang sugary, but if you offset it with a spicy dry rub & smoke it on ribs, then it's a pretty good combination. My family really likes it, but it's too sweet for my tastes. I like sweet on meat but not like candy-sweet.

 

[child of wonder]

Homemade Cola BBQ sauce

20-24 oz cola (not diet)
16oz no salt added tomato sauce
4oz tomato paste
3T liquid hickory smoke (or 1.5T liquid smoke, 1.5T smoked paprika)
1/2c brown sugar
2t garlic powder
2t onion powder
1 1/2t fresh ground black pepper
1/8c apple cider vinegar
1t chili powder
salt

Put cola in sauce pan over med high heat and reduce (1/3 or less original volume) until thick. Reduce heat to med low and add tomato sauce and paste. Stir until paste is blended. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20-30 minutes until desired thickness is reached. Add salt to taste.

 

[alkemyst]

 

[GagHalfrunt]

i don't know how you all east of the sabine can eat that stuff. it's terrible. too much sugar.

Not so bad compared to many other commercial brands that are ever more sugary. You need a fair amount of sugar content to get a good caramelization on the edges. Offset the sweetness with bourbon and extra cayenne and use the proper proportions. You're not supposed to drink the stuff, it's just a glaze.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I picked up a second jar, but it's still incredibly strong. What's it supposed to be like?

You can reduce the amount of vinegar if it is too strong. A good Eastern NC sauce is a little sweet, a little tangy, with a bit of a kick that sneaks up on you. The vinegar should not overpower the sauce.

That said, vinegar sauces are not to everyone's liking. You might be one that just does not like them.

 

[Scarpozzi]

1. Coca cola recipes aren't as good as they used to be...the coke recipe has changed
2. Sticky Fingers Carolina Sweet is better....For ribs, I like Memphis Dry Rub.
3. ACV is awesome because it adds tanginess to counter the smoke and sweetness. It is potent enough to stand up to those flavors.

 

[Fritzo]

1. Coca cola recipes aren't as good as they used to be...the coke recipe has changed
2. Sticky Fingers Carolina Sweet is better....For ribs, I like Memphis Dry Rub.
3. ACV is awesome because it adds tanginess to counter the smoke and sweetness. It is potent enough to stand up to those flavors.

This is true. HFC doesn't caramelize like cane sugar does. Mexican Coke still works well. Jones root beer is good too.

 

[Kaido]

You can reduce the amount of vinegar if it is too strong. A good Eastern NC sauce is a little sweet, a little tangy, with a bit of a kick that sneaks up on you. The vinegar should not overpower the sauce.

That said, vinegar sauces are not to everyone's liking. You might be one that just does not like them.

ACV is overpowering to me. I do like vinegar BBQ, not often, but once in awhile it's good. I think I have Bragg's ACV right now.

 

[Kaido]

Used the rest of my Kraft stuff today: (2-hour smoke with a gas grill finish)

http://i.imgur.com/YYMTxhL.jpg

Not as nearly as yummy as I wanted (looked good tho!). Definitely need to start experimenting with the DIY variety...