Description
This easy homemade barbecue sauce is made in minutes from pantry staples. You’ll love its savory, smoky flavor on pulled pork, ribs, burgers, and more!
Ingredients
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1 1/2 cups ketchup, like Heinz
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1/2 cup water
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1/2 cup brown sugar (use up to 3/4 cup for sweeter sauce)
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1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
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2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, like Lea & Perrins
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2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
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2 teaspoons onion powder
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2 teaspoons paprika
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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1 clove garlic, minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Optional: 1/8-1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (like Stubb’s, which is gluten-free)
Instructions
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Combine. In a medium saucepan, combine ketchup, water, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, onion powder, paprika, pepper, and garlic. Whisk until smooth.
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Simmer the bbq sauce 30 minutes on medium-low heat, to thicken and let the flavors meld, stirring occasionally to avoid any burned spots.
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Taste & Adjust. Then, taste the barbecue sauce and add more vinegar, brown sugar, or seasonings, if needed, to taste.
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Serve & Store. Enjoy right away on your favorites or store in an airtight container or jar in the fridge up to 1 week. Barbecue sauce can also be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw frozen bbq sauce in the fridge before using. Keep in mind that like many sauces, the flavor will develop even more with time. If you have time, I recommend making this at least a few hours (up to a day in advance) for the best flavor.
Notes
- Pro Tip: Try adding it to a squeeze bottle to make it easy to drizzle on sandwiches, ribs, burgers, and more!
- Salt. Because several ingredients in this recipe already contain salt (like ketchup and Worcestershire sauce), you’ll notice we didn’t add any additional salt to the recipe. If you like, feel free to add a pinch of sea salt, to taste, especially if you’re using reduced sodium or low-salt options elsewhere in the recipe)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons BBQ Sauce
- Calories: 48
- Sugar: 9.9 g
- Sodium: 227.4 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.8 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg