National Dish USA: Barbecue Sauce (Recipe)
In this article
A homemade barbecue sauce takes only 25 minutes and tastes rounder than most bottles from the supermarket. This version is thick, dark red and smoky-sweet, just as it is known from Kansas City. Ketchup forms the base, apple cider vinegar and mustard bring acidity, and smoked paprika adds the flavour of the grill. The quantity fills a small jar and is enough for a barbecue evening for two.
About Barbecue Sauce
In the USA, barbecue sauce is the sauce for meat cooked low and slow in the smoker. There is no single kind. In Kansas City it is thick, sweet and tomatoey, while in eastern North Carolina it is thin and made from vinegar and chilli, in South Carolina it is yellow with mustard, and in Alabama it is white and based on mayonnaise. The recipe here follows the Kansas City style, which is also the style most commonly sold as barbecue sauce in shops. It tastes sweet, tangy and slightly hot, with a distinct smoky aroma. You brush it onto BBQ Ribs or chicken in the last few minutes, stir it into pulled meat or put it on the table as a dip.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1/2 small onion, very finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 150 ml tomato ketchup
- 50 ml apple cider vinegar
- 40 g brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sugar beet syrup or molasses
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp medium-hot mustard
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (Pimentón de la Vera)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 50 ml water
Shopping for the ingredients
Smoked paprika from Spain is called Pimentón de la Vera and sits on the spice shelf in many supermarkets, usually in a small tin. It comes sweet (dulce) and hot (picante), and dulce suits this sauce. You will find molasses in health food shops; Rhenish sugar beet syrup tastes similar and is easier to come by. With ketchup, it is worth choosing one with a high tomato content and no sweeteners. Worcestershire sauce is available in every larger supermarket next to the soy sauce and Tabasco. Cloudy apple cider vinegar tastes milder than distilled spirit vinegar.
Preparing the dish
Dice the onion as finely as you can so that the sauce turns out smooth later without blending. If you like it completely smooth, blitz it briefly with a stick blender at the end. If you want to keep the sauce, boil a 250 ml screw-top jar and its lid in water for 5 minutes. Measure out all the liquid ingredients beforehand, because the onion burns quickly if you are hunting for things in between. For two jars or a big barbecue party, double all the quantities and extend the cooking time by about 10 minutes.
Step-by-step instructions
- Heat the oil in a small pan over a medium heat and sweat the onion in it for 4 minutes until translucent, without letting it take on colour.
- Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, syrup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and water.
- Season with the paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt, and bring everything to the boil once.
- Leave the sauce to simmer uncovered over a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that nothing catches on the bottom.
- Check the consistency: the sauce should coat the back of a spoon and will thicken a little more as it cools.
- Season to taste with salt, vinegar or sugar and pour the sauce, still hot, into the prepared jar.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
The sauce is lactose-free. It is only gluten-free if the Worcestershire sauce contains no gluten. The original is made with malt vinegar from barley. Gluten-free Worcestershire sauce is available, or you can use 1 tbsp gluten-free tamari and a squeeze of lemon juice instead. It is also worth checking the ingredient list of the ketchup and the mustard, as some brands contain wheat starch or malt.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Classic Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies and is therefore neither vegetarian nor vegan. Vegan versions are available in health food shops. Alternatively, mix 2 tsp soy sauce with 1/2 tsp tamarind paste. The rest of the sauce is plant-based. It goes just as well with grilled vegetables, tofu skewers or a Veggie Burger as it does with meat. For a pulled pork feel without meat, pull apart 200 g tinned jackfruit and braise it for 15 minutes in half the sauce.
More tips and tricks
Only brush the sauce onto the food in the last 10 minutes of grilling. Because of the sugar, it burns quickly over direct heat and turns bitter. Two thin coats are better than one thick one. In a clean jar filled while hot, it keeps in the fridge for about three weeks. Once opened, use it within ten days. It tastes more balanced on the second day, as the acidity and smoke come together. Always take the sauce out of the jar with a clean spoon.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
For more smoke, add 1/4 tsp liquid smoke, which you can buy from barbecue specialists. If you prefer it fruitier, replace 50 ml of the ketchup with peach or apricot jam. One chopped chipotle in adobo sauce makes the sauce hotter and smokier. For the Carolina version, mix 100 ml medium-hot mustard with 50 ml apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp honey and pepper, and skip the simmering. For a less sweet sauce, use half the sugar and an extra splash of vinegar.
Ingredient substitutions
Instead of ketchup you can use 150 g passata with 2 tbsp tomato purée and add 15 g more sugar. The cooking time then increases to 30 minutes. Brown sugar can be replaced with coconut blossom sugar or maple syrup. Sugar beet syrup and molasses are interchangeable, and at a pinch you can use dark honey. Apple cider vinegar can be replaced with white wine vinegar. Without smoked paprika, use sweet paprika and a pinch of cumin.
Drink pairing ideas
Grilled food with barbecue sauce goes well with ice-cold sweet tea, black tea with sugar and lemon as it is drunk in the southern USA. A lemonade with mint cuts through the fat of the ribs. A tart rhubarb spritzer or a dry apple juice topped up with sparkling mineral water also stands up to the sweet, smoky sauce.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve the sauce in a small bowl or a little cast-iron pan next to the barbecue board, with a brush beside it. On the board, arrange sliced meat, corn on the cob and a bowl of Baked Beans. A dollop of sauce on top, running slightly over the edge, shows off its glossy, dark red colour.
A bit of history
The word barbecue goes back to the Spanish barbacoa, which the Spanish took from the Taíno in the Caribbean. It meant a wooden frame over the fire. In the southern states of the USA, barbecue came to mean cooking pork slowly over wood embers. The oldest sauces were probably thin mixtures of vinegar, salt and pepper, as is still common in eastern North Carolina today. Tomato came later. The mustard sauce of South Carolina is often linked to German immigrants, though this is not proven. The thick, sweet version spread across the whole country with Kansas City and with bottled sauces.
More recipe ideas
For even more ideas, discover more American recipes.
Summary: Barbecue Sauce
This barbecue sauce cooks in 25 minutes from ketchup, vinegar, sugar and smoked paprika. It is thick enough for glazing and keeps for three weeks in the fridge. It only goes onto the grilled food at the end, otherwise the sugar burns.
