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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!
My husband is fussy as heck and must have brand name condiments, veggies etc. I can’t switch anything without him finding out. He surely thought it was sweet baby rays.
Hi Gloria,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Happy Thanksgiving! xT
I am amazed! I have VERY picky/loyal/turn-your-nose-up at any other sauce Sweet Baby Rays fans in my home…. And they all said this sauce was delicious!!! A win! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Have a great day! xT
Sweet Baby Rays is my favorite barbecue sauce too ….. except for the whole HFCS thing. I haven’t bought it for years but last month I broke down and bought some. Well, when it ran out I just couldn’t bring myself to buy another one and when I started searching recipes none seemed right. Until this one!
I had to buy mustard powder and my Worcestershire sauce was expired so I sprang for a new bottle… otherwise I already had everything. I estimate that two batches (~ 32 oz ) cost me perhaps $4 to make. Generally a 16 oz bottle of organic bbq sauce without HFCS costs that much or more.
I cooled it down and had my husband blind taste test Sweet Baby Rays, then this one. I asked him to tell me which one I made and which one was bought.
“The second has has WAY more flavor. It tastes really good. The other one just tastes sweet.”
It’s a hit! I can’t believe I’ve never tried making it before. I’m putting some in a jar in the fridge and the rest in the freezer …. and I’m all set for spring! Sweet Baby Rays with no nasty HFCS. Thank you so much!
Hey there,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT
Love this recipe! Haven’t bought store bbq sauce in at least 3 years! Wonderful to have on hand and always asked “did you make this?” And “can i have the recipe?” I love i can make more spicy, sweet or add more mustard on my meal mood. Thx!
Hey Tammy,
Happy Wednesday!! 🌞 Love to hear that this recipe always turns out well for you, thanks so much for making it so often! xT
Has anyone attempted to can this recipe? If so, how did you do it..pressure can or waterbath and for how long.
I make a big batch in the spring and store it in mason jars in the fridge. It lasts just fine through the next year until it’s time to make more. And if I have to make it earlier, I do! Love this recipe!
Thanks for sharing Susan!!
Hey Joe,
Sorry, I’ve not tested this, but let me know if you give it a try! xx
I love this recipe. I make it all the time. I made a batch yesterday and mistakenly used chili powder instead of paprika. It was still delicious.
Hi Brian,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xx
My family’s favorite! Love it???
Hi Mary,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
This looks amazing. Just waiting for bbq season to start and I will give this a whirl. I love Sweet Baby Ray’s, but especially their Sweet and Spicy variety. Any suggestions on how you might alter this to have some of that spiciness they have in there? Dumb question if you haven’t tried it, but I thought I’d ask. Looking forward to this either way.
Hey Charlene,
I would try adding some cayenne. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Navigating your website and it seems I put in three votes to rate this recipe – two stars unfortunately. Probably need to fix that. Anxious to try this sauce. It’s got to be good with cayenne and molasses!
Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Best BBQ sauce I ever had and really easy.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for giving it a try 🙂 xTieghan
Reading through the comments I find it amusing that people who think they know everything correcting your spelling and capitalization needed a recipe for BBQ sauce. You would think with knowing everything they wouldn’t need to.
I have to say, you are much more polite than I would have been.
We make this every year and keep it in the fridge for months. It’s just like putting catsup on the fridge. No problems at all and no canning required…I use catsup bottles!
Hey Susa,
Happy Friday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed. Have a great weekend☀️ xTieghan
Hi Tieghan and team!
If I want to give this as a gift, does it need to be sealed in a steam bath or anything like that? Can it just put it anna mason jar to stay in the frig and if so for how long?
Thanks as always!
Wendy
Hey Wendy,
You can just gift in a mason jar, I would say it’s good for a few weeks in the fridge. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
I’ve made this for a few years, now, and share this link often.
I usually multiply it by 3 or 4, so it can be bottled and steam-canned or water bathed in small bottles for the pantry shelf. (About 15m, just to seal)
Fabulous to have on hand.
Hey Pam,
Happy Monday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Do you prefer using the pineapple juice or the vinegar?
Hey Paula,
I like to use the pineapple juice! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This is our “go to” family BBQ sauce, after MANY years of being staunch SBR snobs. Lol If we want it to be on the spicy side, after it cools I’ll blend it up with 1 or 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Makes it irresistible!
I make it in at least double batches and it keeps for a couple of months (if it lasts that long!!)
Time for another batch, as 4th of July is this weekend and we go through a TON of sauce on our ribs, brisket, and chicken.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Lauren,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful holiday weekend ?? xTieghan
Hi there all.iv made this recipe a few times and it’s brill.also I added a tiny bit of ghost chilli powder to those who like it hot
Hi Rey,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan