SIMPLE Everyday BBQ Sauce Recipe

Nothing says summer like the smell of charcoal wafting through the air on a weekend.  And if you want your BBQ to be something people will remember, then making your own BBQ sauce is a great place to start.   Anyone can buy the bottled Kraft sauce and everyone knows when you’ve used it.  (yes, we do).

Listen, any good griller knows they need at least ONE homemade BBQ sauce recipe in their arsenal.  The great thing about this sauce is it’s super easy to make using staple ingredients.  It can easily be doubled to save in the fridge for the next weekends grill fest.

Ketchup is where this sauce gets started making this a traditional Kansas City type sauce.  Both brown and white sugar are used (for some added sweetness), a little vinegar (adds the tartness), and to keep the sugar in check you’ll need mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice,  chili powder, and smoked paprika (for some smoky flavor).

Because this is a thicker sauce, it doesn’t get down into the meat, rather it sits on top.  That, and a higher sugar content, means you need to keep an eye on it because it can burn quite quickly.  As a good rule of thumb, cook the meat ¾ of the way through and add the BBQ sauce for the last ¼ of cooking time.

Consider this sauce a launching pad for other flavors.  Try sautéing some onions before adding the wet ingredients or diced up jalapeno peppers for some heat.  Like chipotle?  Add some of the sauce in the can.

This can be tailored to fit any preference so why not make a batch today?

Want even MORE flavor, try this DRY RUB on some chicken thighs or breasts, grill until the chicken is ¾ cooked and then slather some of this BBQ sauce on top until it caramelizes and gets nice and charred.

Print