Sauce Questions- store-bought or MYO

Make my own vinegar and mustard sauces, usually store bought for red.

Red is usually Yes, Dear #notjuice or BH Original mixed with Tennessee Red.

Swamp Boys is also very good as is Killer Hogs and Heath Riles.

Make my own hog sauce (vinegar sauce). Use a blend of commercial rubs for chicken and other items. Definitely want to come up with my own chicken sauce because we participate in a chicken cook off every May.

I grew up eating Texas and KC-style sauces, finding the style I liked, then crafting my own of each sauce which I make from scratch. I tried a few times to make a vinegar sauce and a mustard sauce, but I couldn't find a combination I liked, so I tend to buy those sauces if I use them at all.

The best thing that came out of my experimentation is that I have a fairly good scratch recipe for ketchup now.

MYO is something I haven't had much success at with sauce. I am an ardent fan of Billy Sims

I grew up with a Dad that always made his own sauces and seasonings so I have always done the same. I make a traditional red sauce and a mustard sauce as well as my own rubs. I think the flavor profiles compliment each other so don't stray when cooking for myself or others.

I pretty much always make my own for pulled pork and ribs. If i get in a bind for time I'll use commercial sauce on chicken.

I'm lazy, so I usually use store bought sauces and rubs.

I used to do store bought, but then found some recipes from others in the biz and tried my hand. Did some minor changes and came up with flavors that create a good part of the flavor profile I wanted; complemented the rubs I use.
Always willing to experiment, always looking for that WOW Factor.

I used to spend a lot of time making my own, then I tried Yes Dear. I now buy buy the case, no regrets. You can't improve on perfection.


The Yellow Sauce is great on grilled pork and chicken wings. Red sauce is great all around with a hint of heat. The Competition sauce is great as a side condiment or a rib glaze.


Here are the results of a survey I did several years ago...
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3862638&postcount=45

I bought Paul Kirk's Championship Barbeque Sauces from Amazon in 1998 (!). The book walks you through making your own sauces and rubs with worksheets and ratios. It is really a great book.

Traditional BBQ sauce is comprised of tomato, an acid, and a sweetener. I went to the grocery and bought a whole bunch of store-bought sauces. I tasted them all one at a time and read the ingredients. I discovered that the ones with the sweetener listed first were my least favorites.

I used Kirk's book and started experimenting. He also talks about "flavor prints". I wanted a Louisiana flavor print. After a dozen of so small trials, I settled in on a style I liked.

Mine is base is Cider/Cane Vinegar, Tomato, and Cane Syrup/Brown Sugar (in that order). Then I used Louisiana-centric flavors: Cayenne, Garlic, Onion, Allspice, and Clove. (Allspice and Clove are key ingredients in Louisiana seafood boil. I use them very judiciously in my sauce as they can be over powering.

I also discovered that my sauce is much improved with just a tiny bit of liquid smoke (pecan) or dark coffee.

Once I got my recipe right, I started making it 40 quarts at a time and canning it in mason jars. I have a fairly large number of friends that expect bottles periodically.

50/50 sweet baby rays and kosmos cherry habanero is my go to.

Swine Spectator said:

Once I got my recipe right, I started making it 40 quarts at a time and canning it in mason jars. I have a fairly large number of friends that expect bottles periodically.

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Handcrafted items like BBQ Sauce, Limoncello, and other Cordials make great holiday gifts for close friends and family. They are usually the most appreciative of all the time and labors that go into making these items.