BBQ Sauce Recipe- Sweet & Tangy

This spicy, tangy BBQ sauce is easy and super delicious. Essential to any backyard cookout and perfect on bbq chicken, ribs, and pulled pork.

Try this easy homemade bbq sauce on Bacon-Rubbed Pork Kebabs, Smoked Pulled Pork, or Smoked Ribs. You’ll be the star of your next backyard BBQ.

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

• So good. Better than store-bought barbecue sauce.
• As sweet as you want. You can control the amount of sugar in this recipe. You can even use a keto sweetener to make this barbecue sauce keto friendly.
• Mild or spicy. Adjust the seasoning to make it more or less spicy to suit your taste.

BBQ Sauce Recipe

This recipe is a family recipe. My parents got it from a neighbor, and we’ve kept it in the family ever since. Now you can make this secret family recipe yours too!

What You’ll Need For Homemade BBQ Sauce

Homemade BBQ sauce is made with a tomato and vinegar base. Spices and sweeteners are added to enhance the flavor.

In some cases, bbq sauce recipes call for ketchup. This is an easy shortcut if you’re running low on time.

You can use ketchup in the recipe instead of tomato sauce. This also eliminates the need to use the mirepoix. See the recipe card for a quick and easy shortcut to the homemade barbecue sauce recipe.

Using tomato sauce and the mirepoix allows you to control the amount of sugar you add to this bbq sauce recipe. This is great if you want a keto or low-carb bbq sauce.

• Mirepoix – Butter or oil, sweet onion, celery, carrot, and jalapeño peppers or serrano peppers. (Skip these ingredients using ketchup instead of tomato sauce.)
• Tomato sauce – Use a low or no-salt variety of tomato sauce.
• Sherry vinegar – Or apple cider vinegar.
• Worcestershire sauce
• Lemon juice
• Dry seasonings – dry mustard, salt, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper (optional.)
• Sweeteners – Molasses and brown sugar. You can use Lakanto sweetener to make this bbq sauce keto or low-carb.
• Liquid smoke – A small amount of liquid smoke adds a smokey flavor to homemade bbq sauce. Leave it out if you are using the sauce on smoked meat.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare the mirepoix. Grate the onion, carrot, and celery. Mince the jalapeño.
2. Sauté. Add the butter to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the butter is heated, add the vegetables and sauté until the vegetables are very soft.
3. Bring to a boil. Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat. Simmer on low for 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.

FAQs and Expert Tips

What To Serve With BBQ Sauce

BBQ sauce is the perfect accompaniment to Pulled Pork Sandwiches, a healthy Pulled Pork Bowl, or my famous Bacon-Rubbed Pork Shish Kabobs.

Sweet and tangy BBQ sauce is always good with your favorite Meatloaf Recipe.

More BBQ Recipes That You’ll Love

Here are a few essential recipes to keep on hand when grilling.

• BBQ Rub
• Huli Huli Sauce – Hawaiian BBQ Sauce
• Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce

BBQ Sauce Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

by: Laura Reigel

This spicy tangy BBQ sauce is easy to make and super delicious. It's perfect on chicken, ribs, and pulled pork.

PRINT PIN SAVE SAVED

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Calories 59 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  medium saucepan
• ▢
  immersion blender

Ingredients

 

0.5x1x2x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter, or oil
• ▢ ⅓ cup sweet onion, grated
• ▢ ¼ cup celery, grated
• ▢ ¼ cup carrot, grated
• ▢ 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, or serrano peppers, finely minced
• ▢ ¼ cup lemon juice
• ▢ 2 cans tomato sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dry mustard (affiliate link)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 3 tablespoons molasses
• ▢ ¾ cup brown sugar, or keto sweetener of your choice
• ▢ ½ to 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, optional

Instructions

 

• Grate the onion, carrot, celery, and jalapeño.
  ⅓ cup sweet onion, ¼ cup celery, ¼ cup carrot, 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers
• Add the butter to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the butter is heated add the vegetables and sauté until the vegetables are very soft.
  2 tablespoons butter
• Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan and bring everything to a boil.
  2 cans tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon cumin, 3 tablespoons molasses, ¾ cup brown sugar
• Simmer on low for 30 to 45 minutes.

Laura’s Tips + Notes

1. Short-cut. Use ketchup instead of tomato sauce. Leave out the onion, carrots, and celery. Use a few teaspoons of onion powder and adjust the sweetness if desired. 
2. Low-sugar BBQ sauce. Replace the brown sugar with a keto sweetener, such as Lankanto brown sugar. 

YOUR OWN NOTES

Sign In to add your own private notes

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoonsCalories: 59kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 387mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg

Keyword barbecue sauce, bbq sauce recipe, bbq suace

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Share your photos!!! Snap a 📸 and tag @foodologygeek and don’t forget to hashtag #foodologygeek!