This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This Homemade Barbecue Sauce……it’s just like Sweet Baby Ray’s and it totally has me wishful thinking…Come on. We were almost there, we even had some nice warm sunny days. I could feel spring!
Not!
But then, yeah you guessed it. It totally snowed last night.
I am not going back to my winter ways. I am rebelling against this weather!
It is April gosh darn it!
Technically I know April is a little early to be breaking out the grill, but let’s just say I am getting you guys ready for that hot spring day when you decide it is time to break out the grill.
Before you know April will be over, mid May will hit and with it will come (hopefully) warm temps! Or maybe you are lucky enough to be in one of those spots where the warm weather has already arrived…lucky you.
Really is there a better way to prepare for outdoor cooking than homemade BBQ sauce!
It’s pretty much any griller’s favorite sauce.
Heck whether you are griller, broiler, Gorge Foreman lover or baker, it is still probably your favorite sauce.
Over here we grill all year round. The boys CANNOT live without their grilled chicken or steak and my dad only likes his fish grilled. Not seared, not baked and not fried. Grilled.
So our grill gets a whole lot of use.
Therefore, we also go through a whole lot of BBQ sauce. Obviously.
Hands down, around here the family favorite is Sweet Baby Ray’s.
The problem? It is filled to the brim with high fructose corn syrup! Barf.
So I made my own. And oh fudge it is good! And like ridiculously easy. It takes me ten minutes to throw together! Yes, just 10 minutes! You definitely can’t get to the store and back in 10 minutes! Plus, my guess is you have every single ingredient in your kitchen right now. Honestly, it could not be simpler and it could not taste better. Even the texture is stop on. Sweet Baby Ray himself would not be able to tell the difference.
Yeah, I am serious. It is that good.
Homemade Barbecue Sauce....Just Like Sweet Baby Ray
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups ketchup, preferably organic
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice, or you can sub apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon worchestire sauce
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, use less if you don't like the heat
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients size sauce pot. Bring to a boil and reduce and simmer for five minutes or until all the sugar has dissolved. Serve immediately or cover and store in fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Bone suckin’, lick the spoon (jar, bowl, table, whatever), good!
Thanks for sharing, and I can’t wait to try it this weekend!!
I hope you love the recipe David! xTieghan
Great barbecue sauce recipe! Love the pineapple juice.
Hey Taylor,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan
can i omit the molasses?
Hey Anna,
You will want to use some maple syrup in place of the molasses. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Substituted Orange juice for the pineapple juice, and fresh ground mustard seeds foe the powder, flavor nailed it! My son accused me of just dumping a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays in a bowl and trying to fool him.
Hey Steve,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Thank you!! Tried and Tested and Saved! LOVE LOVE LOVE. Amazing on Ribs n Wings and everything in between. Any chance it will be ok outside the fridge? (But will need refrigeration upon opening?) wanted to make it as gifts and mail out but can’t do that if it needs chilling)
Hey Hibz,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, yes that will be fine to do! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
We tried this recipe a few years back, and haven’t used anything else since. Granted, I do like to put a little extra twist like honey, peppers, or berries. Great recipe.
Thank you so much Shane! xTieghan
What bullshit reviews. Did anyone bother to make the recipe before commenting?
Hi John! If you scroll to the bottom you will see more reviews from people who have tried the recipe. I hope this helps! xTieghan
I’ve made this for years and it’s all we use. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Certainly not Sweet Baby Ray’s but that doesn’t mean this sauce isn’t amazing. It’s now our go to sauce in the house. Love it and thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Matthew! xTieghan
I can only imagine how good this would be if I’d had all the right ingredients! As it stands, it’s pretty darn good. This is a solid recipe if I can make my substitutions work! During this pandemic I’ve been challenging myself to use what I have on hand (within reason) vs running to the grocery store for just one or two ingredients. Only had sugary ketchup and not enough of it, so used tomato sauce to fill in. I added a bit more light brown sugar, since it’s all I had and cider vinegar (no pineapple juice), I also only had blackstrap molasses. Didn’t need the extra sugar and could have cut back on the molasses (since I think it’s sweet er than regular). Despite all this, it’s STILL good! Using it for slow cooker brisket tomorrow. I’m totally making this again…after my next shopping trip! 🙂
Hi Melissa! I am really happy you enjoyed this recipe! I hope you love it even more when you have all of the ingredients! Let me know how it goes for you! xTieghan
I made this barbeque sauce last night, and as I type it’s in my slow cooker with the chicken mixture for your BBQ Beer Pulled Chicken Tacos recipe. The barbecue sauce is SO GOOD and super easy to make! I highly recommend this sauce – this recipe is a keeper!
Thank you so much Diane! I am really glad you have been loving this one! xTieghan
Totally delish!
Thank you Dawn! xTieghan
This is the best bbq sauce recipe! It is very close to Sweet Baby Rays!
Hi Sherry! I am so glad you enjoyed this! Thank you! xTieghan
If you substitute apple cider vinegar, cut it down to half the amount of pineapple juice you would use. I added the full 1/4 cup and had to add another full cup of brown sugar to “fix it”.
Hi Lynn! I am sorry about that. I hope this still turned out well for you! xTieghan
Thank you for an easy, delicious recipe. I didn’t even measure. My husband loved it!
Thank you so much Priscilla! xTieghan
Can this be made without the worch sauce?
HI there! Yes you can make minus the sauce. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan