Homemade Barbecue Sauce

GrantAshton · 03-31-2020, 02:35 PM

While I'll happily use a good bottled sauce, I prefer to make barbecue sauce from scratch.

How about you? Do you have favorite homemade sauces?

Here's one I made today for barbecue beef sandwiches that are on tap for later this week.

Paul Kirk's Southern Barbecue Sauce
(taken from Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue)

"This sauce is very close to being a Memphis-style sauce, but with my own Kansas City twist - celery seeds and a little more tomato and sugar. I love this on brisket, burgers, you name it."

2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 Tbs minced garlic
2 cups tomato ketchup, homemade or store-bought
1 cup chili sauce, homemade or store-bought
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, homemade or store-bought
2 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp Louisiana hot sauce
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a large nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft but not browned. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

TravelingJ · 03-31-2020, 02:46 PM

I did a bit, back when we were trying Keto. I followed a recipe I found for our local favorite, Gates BBQ. I replaced the sugar with Swerve, and the ketchup for the No Sugar Added variety. We loved it, but I don't mess with it any more.

Now, I mostly mix 2 sauces. It's a trick a chef taught me. When she makes spaghetti at home, she just mixes 2 different sauces, and it tastes better than each one individually. So, I do the same with my BBQ sauce. 2 of them combined, gives you something new and unique.

frankenfab · 03-31-2020, 02:47 PM

I finally made my first sauce yesterday, the Lexington finishing sauce recipe from SirPorkAlot. I literally drank some of it.

But, I think about making sauce all the time.

Thanks for the recipe!

SweetHeatBBQnSC · 03-31-2020, 02:50 PM

Yes sir! Cooking Hog in the Eastern Carolinas everyone has their (or family's) own homemade vinegar sauce. Normally I take that and modify for chicken and ribs and brisket. I love tinkering with homemade sauces and different rubs.

GrantAshton · 03-31-2020, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankenfab

I finally made my first sauce yesterday, the Lexington finishing sauce recipe from SirPorkAlot. I literally drank some of it.

But, I think about making sauce all the time.

Thanks for the recipe!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetHeatBBQnSC

Yes sir! Cooking Hog in the Eastern Carolinas everyone has their (or family's) own homemade vinegar sauce. Normally I take that and modify for chicken and ribs and brisket. I love tinkering with homemade sauces and different rubs.

I love Eastern Carolina pig pickin’ sauce. I always add a little as soon as I finish pulling pork shoulders.

I also like Virginia barbecue sauce which I find to be like a pig pickin’ sauce with a hint of Memphis. (Don’t get me wrong though given my reference to Memphis. I think there’s an argument to be made for Virginia as the motherland of barbecue.)

Mike in Roseville · 03-31-2020, 03:59 PM

I used to work in a mom/pop BBQ restaurant while in college two decades ago. I made 10-15 gallons of BBQ sauce per day. Every day.

Even though the restaurant is long gone, I still have the recipe in a cupboard somewhere. I don't make it too often. I had to scale it way down (to 2.5 gallons) to keep the ingredient amounts easy and make it manageable (and even then I had to give it out to friends and neighbors). Swamp Boys is the closest commercial sauce to it I have found. I usually just buy a bottle of Swamp Boys now and again when I'm in the mood for sauce on my ribs/chicken.

wbratt1 · 03-31-2020, 04:15 PM

I make all my own sauces as I grew up with a Dad who always made his own. I make a traditional ketchup based sauce along with a mustard based sauce since I grew up in South Carolina. I played around with a lot of documentation for 5 or so years with them and my rubs prior to finalizing my recipes.

SmokeRingsMatter · 03-31-2020, 05:28 PM

I use Blues Hog Original for most things. If i am looking for a spicier, more vinegary flavor, I will go 50/50 Blues Hog Original/Tennessee Red.
I buy them both by the gallon.

I am never happy with any of my own, or any recipes i find online.

SMetroHawkeye · 03-31-2020, 05:51 PM

I’m partial to The Mutha Sauce from Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse, NY. Loved being able to buy it prebottled at Wegman’s... but alas, we moved to Cub country. The recipe in their cookbook is close enough for government work. I make it with the habanero and it’s oh so tasty!

chingador · 03-31-2020, 06:21 PM

I love a basic Eastern Carolina sauce for pork. For a regular sauce, google Walter Jetton’s bbq sauce. He was the pitmaster for Lyndon B Johnson back in the day. Good sauce.

GrantAshton · 03-31-2020, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMetroHawkeye

I’m partial to The Mutha Sauce from Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse, NY. Loved being able to buy it prebottled at Wegman’s... but alas, we moved to Cub country. The recipe in their cookbook is close enough for government work. I make it with the habanero and it’s oh so tasty!

Quote:

Originally Posted by chingador

I love a basic Eastern Carolina sauce for pork. For a regular sauce, google Walter Jetton’s bbq sauce. He was the pitmaster for Lyndon B Johnson back in the day. Good sauce.

Thanks to each of you. I found the recipes and I will be trying them.

Mutha Sauce

Walter Jetton's Barbecue Sauce

SlickRockStones · 03-31-2020, 07:20 PM

This sauce is just five ingredients so it’s call No. 5 sauce. It uses the rub that’s on the meat so the flavors jive. It’s easily modified by adding whatever you like.
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs worchestershire sauce
1Tbs rub
Optional meat drippings
Simmer in sauce pan to thicken as desired.

mike243 · 03-31-2020, 08:04 PM

Drop the apple cider vinegar and sub in Balsamic in its place, its great imo

TxQGuy · 03-31-2020, 08:13 PM

Wish I could provide measurements but truthfully I don't even really know. It's always ballparked. I start by sauteeing half a finely diced white onion in a couple tablespoons of butter on medium heat. Then I'll add a can of Dr. Pepper (or Coke, or Cherry Coke), a cup of ketchup, and maybe half a cup of white vinegar. Bring it all to a simmer, then add to taste: garlic powder, salt, fresh black pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. Simmer really low until it thickens.

jermoQ · 03-31-2020, 08:19 PM

I usually only make sauce when I want a vinegar sauce for pork or when I want white sauce. However, this is a sauce I made a couple of times and liked it. I took out the liquid smoke and add a half or full teaspoon of chipolte powder.
https://www.food.com/recipe/memphis-...ue-sauce-99023

03-31-2020, 02:35 PM	#1
GrantAshton Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 02-28-20 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Name/Nickname : Grant	Homemade Barbecue Sauce While I'll happily use a good bottled sauce, I prefer to make barbecue sauce from scratch. How about you? Do you have favorite homemade sauces? Here's one I made today for barbecue beef sandwiches that are on tap for later this week. Paul Kirk's Southern Barbecue Sauce (taken from Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue) "This sauce is very close to being a Memphis-style sauce, but with my own Kansas City twist - celery seeds and a little more tomato and sugar. I love this on brisket, burgers, you name it." 2 Tbs unsalted butter 1 Tbs minced garlic 2 cups tomato ketchup, homemade or store-bought 1 cup chili sauce, homemade or store-bought 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup apple juice 1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, homemade or store-bought 2 tsp celery seeds 1 tsp Louisiana hot sauce 1 tsp fine sea salt 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper Melt the butter in a large nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft but not browned. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. __________________ MAK Two Star — Weber Performer Deluxe — 22” WSM

03-31-2020, 02:47 PM	#3
frankenfab Take a breath! Join Date: 08-23-14 Location: in the woods Name/Nickname : Franklin	I finally made my first sauce yesterday, the Lexington finishing sauce recipe from SirPorkAlot. I literally drank some of it. But, I think about making sauce all the time. Thanks for the recipe! __________________ Original PK--rectangular PKGO 22.5" Weber Kettle

03-31-2020, 02:50 PM	#4
SweetHeatBBQnSC is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 03-21-19 Location: Johnsonville, SC Name/Nickname : Joedy	Yes sir! Cooking Hog in the Eastern Carolinas everyone has their (or family's) own homemade vinegar sauce. Normally I take that and modify for chicken and ribs and brisket. I love tinkering with homemade sauces and different rubs. __________________ Isaiah 41:10-Chunky Dunks BBQ-Competition Team Propane Whole Hog Cooker Grill Master Gasser--(Deceased) Weber Kettle 22"(Hoyt) WSM 22.5"(Bertha) RecTeq 590(Fancy) Blackstone 17" griddle O.G. Barrel Charcoal Grill--(Chicken Graveyard) [COLOR="DarkOrange"][B]Clemson Orange Thermapen Mk4[/B][/COLOR]

03-31-2020, 04:15 PM	#7
wbratt1 On the road to being a farker Join Date: 08-24-11 Location: Marietta, GA Name/Nickname : Bill	I make all my own sauces as I grew up with a Dad who always made his own. I make a traditional ketchup based sauce along with a mustard based sauce since I grew up in South Carolina. I played around with a lot of documentation for 5 or so years with them and my rubs prior to finalizing my recipes. __________________ Bayou Classic, Two 22.5 WSMs, Weber Performer, Clemson Orange Thermapen brattsbbq.com

03-31-2020, 05:51 PM	#9
SMetroHawkeye Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 12-03-17 Location: North Loop Minneapolis Name/Nickname : Hawkeye	I’m partial to The Mutha Sauce from Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse, NY. Loved being able to buy it prebottled at Wegman’s... but alas, we moved to Cub country. The recipe in their cookbook is close enough for government work. I make it with the habanero and it’s oh so tasty! __________________ [B]Current Corral:[/B] LSG VO 24” ([I]Li’l Herky[/I]); MAK Two-Star General ([I]Mando[/I]); PK360 with GrillGrates ([I]Galgadot[/I]); Vision Pro Kamado ([I]Punkinhead[/I]); WSM 22” ([I]The Droid[/I]); Weber Kettle ([I]Dory[/I]); Bull Angus ([I]Gasser[/I])

03-31-2020, 02:46 PM	#2
TravelingJ is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 09-07-12 Location: Independence, MO Name/Nickname : Justin	I did a bit, back when we were trying Keto. I followed a recipe I found for our local favorite, Gates BBQ. I replaced the sugar with Swerve, and the ketchup for the No Sugar Added variety. We loved it, but I don't mess with it any more. Now, I mostly mix 2 sauces. It's a trick a chef taught me. When she makes spaghetti at home, she just mixes 2 different sauces, and it tastes better than each one individually. So, I do the same with my BBQ sauce. 2 of them combined, gives you something new and unique.

03-31-2020, 03:59 PM	#6
Mike in Roseville Babbling Farker Join Date: 08-31-18 Location: Location, Location. Name/Nickname : Mike	I used to work in a mom/pop BBQ restaurant while in college two decades ago. I made 10-15 gallons of BBQ sauce per day. Every day. Even though the restaurant is long gone, I still have the recipe in a cupboard somewhere. I don't make it too often. I had to scale it way down (to 2.5 gallons) to keep the ingredient amounts easy and make it manageable (and even then I had to give it out to friends and neighbors). Swamp Boys is the closest commercial sauce to it I have found. I usually just buy a bottle of Swamp Boys now and again when I'm in the mood for sauce on my ribs/chicken.

03-31-2020, 05:28 PM	#8
SmokeRingsMatter is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 01-31-20 Location: Bergen Town Name/Nickname : Poppy Pellet Pooper	I use Blues Hog Original for most things. If i am looking for a spicier, more vinegary flavor, I will go 50/50 Blues Hog Original/Tennessee Red. I buy them both by the gallon. I am never happy with any of my own, or any recipes i find online.

03-31-2020, 06:21 PM	#10
chingador is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 10-18-06 Location: Houston, TX	I love a basic Eastern Carolina sauce for pork. For a regular sauce, google Walter Jetton’s bbq sauce. He was the pitmaster for Lyndon B Johnson back in the day. Good sauce. __________________ ______________________________________________ Rec Tec 590 Stampede, Primo Oval XL, Weber 26" Kettle with Gabby Grills Santa Maria attachment. Lonestargrillz 42" pellet grill on order.

03-31-2020, 07:20 PM	#12
SlickRockStones Take a breath! Join Date: 10-19-17 Location: Knoxville,Tn. Name/Nickname : Gary	This sauce is just five ingredients so it’s call No. 5 sauce. It uses the rub that’s on the meat so the flavors jive. It’s easily modified by adding whatever you like. 1 cup ketchup 1/2 cup Apple cider vinegar 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 Tbs worchestershire sauce 1Tbs rub Optional meat drippings Simmer in sauce pan to thicken as desired.

03-31-2020, 08:04 PM	#13
mike243 is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 09-13-16 Location: above knoxville Tn Name/Nickname : Mike	Drop the apple cider vinegar and sub in Balsamic in its place, its great imo __________________ WeberPerformer,SpiritE310,Q1000,36"BlackstoneGriddle Masterbuilt electric smoker,PB AustinLX

03-31-2020, 08:13 PM	#14
TxQGuy Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 02-01-19 Location: Texas Name/Nickname : Big C	Wish I could provide measurements but truthfully I don't even really know. It's always ballparked. I start by sauteeing half a finely diced white onion in a couple tablespoons of butter on medium heat. Then I'll add a can of Dr. Pepper (or Coke, or Cherry Coke), a cup of ketchup, and maybe half a cup of white vinegar. Bring it all to a simmer, then add to taste: garlic powder, salt, fresh black pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. Simmer really low until it thickens. __________________ [B]3/8" Pipe Custom Offset Smoker - "Ol' Reliable" #22 Jumbo Old Smokey Charcoal Grill - "Long Tall Sally"[/B] Red Oak is still Oak :cool:

03-31-2020, 08:19 PM	#15
jermoQ Babbling Farker Join Date: 10-28-14 Location: Mizzory Name/Nickname : Jeremy	I usually only make sauce when I want a vinegar sauce for pork or when I want white sauce. However, this is a sauce I made a couple of times and liked it. I took out the liquid smoke and add a half or full teaspoon of chipolte powder. https://www.food.com/recipe/memphis-...ue-sauce-99023 __________________ 9 out of 10 cannibals agree...vegetarians taste better!