Homemade BBQ Sauce 6+ Ways
There are seven nights in a week…
and that’s still not enough time to try all the grill recipes out there. You gotta know, my family has a barbecue fetish! Year round, any season we grill and are always up for a new and different barbeque sauce. Here’s an easy base sauce recipe. You can doctor it up in a myriad of ways. Check out the 6 variations shared here; sweet, honey, spicy hot, fresh herb, smokey and mustard.
Homemade BBQ Sauce 6+Ways
Start to finish, heat the olive oil, and sauté the onion and garlic in a . Add the vinegar, molasses, ketchup, salt, mustard, chili powder, black pepper.
Now to customize it, this round I added 1/4 cup of honey, the zest of a lemon along with it’s juice for a little tang. Like vinegar, lemon juice cuts the sweetness, and the zest gives it some zing!
Let it simmer and cook down to the consistency you like, mine was thick and sticky.
I sliced up a fresh pineapple with a Stainless Steel Pineapple Slicer and Corer. If you don’t have one, you want one, and it’s a great gift for a favorite chef. Throw it on the grill for 5 minutes on each side on low. Beware friends, watch your grill, they are all a little different.
Plate the fixings, sliced avocado, tomato, romaine and pickles. Serve mayo and bbq sauce with buns.
Homemade BBQ Sauce 6+ Ways
2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup white wine vinegar ¼ cup molasses 1 cup of ketchup ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon black pepper First, lets heat up some olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then saute the onion until it's transparent, then add the garlic. Make sure the garlic doesn't get too dark. As soon as it starts to brown add the white wine vinegar and molasses and stir until it all mixes together. Then, you can remove it from the heat and add the ketchup, and spices. This is the basic sauce and can serve as your base to change to your liking.
Author: Renée
Recipe type: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 cup of ketchup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat up some olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then sauté the onion until it's transparent, then add the garlic. Make sure the garlic doesn't get too dark.
- As soon as it starts to brown add the white wine vinegar and molasses and stir until it all mixes together.
- Then, you can remove it from the heat and add the ketchup, and spices.
- This is the basic sauce and can serve as your base to change to your liking.
Notes
Barbecue Sauce Variations
For a sweeter sauce, add ¼ cup of brown sugar to the base. If it's too sweet, add a little more vinegar to cut the sweetness. You could also make a honey barbecue sauce by adding honey to the base, to your taste.
For a spicy hot sauce, add cayenne pepper or tabasco to the base.
Fresh herbs are also a great addition, including sage, rosemary, or thyme. You can even add a splash of lemon juice.
If you want to give your sauce a smokier flavor, you can always add a couple of drops of liquid smoke, but use it sparingly.
To make a mustard BBQ sauce, replace the tomato ketchup with 1 cup of prepared yellow mustard, ½ cup of vinegar, and let that cook together.
There are plenty of combinations to choose from when making barbecue sauce.
For today's batch, I added 2 Tablespoons lemon juice and the zest from the lemon along with ¼ cup of honey to make a sticky, tangy sauce that paired well with grilled chicken.
Just consider if you like it spicy, sweet, or smokey and choose your favorite ingredients to enhance the mix.
For a sweeter sauce, add ¼ cup of brown sugar to the base. If it's too sweet, add a little more vinegar to cut the sweetness. You could also make a honey barbecue sauce by adding honey to the base, to your taste.
For a spicy hot sauce, add cayenne pepper or tabasco to the base.
Fresh herbs are also a great addition, including sage, rosemary, or thyme. You can even add a splash of lemon juice.
If you want to give your sauce a smokier flavor, you can always add a couple of drops of liquid smoke, but use it sparingly.
To make a mustard BBQ sauce, replace the tomato ketchup with 1 cup of prepared yellow mustard, ½ cup of vinegar, and let that cook together.
There are plenty of combinations to choose from when making barbecue sauce.
For today's batch, I added 2 Tablespoons lemon juice and the zest from the lemon along with ¼ cup of honey to make a sticky, tangy sauce that paired well with grilled chicken.
Just consider if you like it spicy, sweet, or smokey and choose your favorite ingredients to enhance the mix.
Hope you enjoy….and please share YOUR barbecue sauce ideas.
We're Alison and Renée, and we're so glad you've joined us! Our kitchens are our happy place, where we're whipping up memories. Get comfy and check things out. We hope you find inspiring dishes and ways to better your life. Feeling optimistic, trying new things and sharing with those we love brings joy in all we do. It's time to cook, create and celebrate. CHEERS! 
Looks like a great BBQ Sauce! How about adding orange or berries? Maybe both:@)
Oh, I’m with you Lynn. Both would be a great addition. Thanks
I have never made my own BBQ sauce.
Seriously.
I just skedaddle to the store and buy some.
I’m so ashamed…
Homemade is so much better Debbie. You can do it!
Renee! That looks delicious! So doing this.
This sounds wonderful! Barbecue sauce is not one if my strong points so I’d love to try this!
Lovely work, Renee! Would you be happy to link it in to the current Food on Friday which is all about sauces? This is the link . I do hope to see you there. There are already quite a lot of links for you to check out. Cheers
Thanks for stopping by Renee and adding all this saucy goodness. I have signed up to follow you and hope to see you again soon. Cheers
Thanks Carole, there are so many sensational sauces at your party!