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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!
This is a wonderful recipe!
I was scouring pinterest upon my hubs discovering he didn’t buy sauce for his delicious ribs- we had everything in the pantry- and it turned out delicious!
I’m sharing your recipe on my blog, please feel free to stop by. Of course, I’m giving you credit!
All the best,
~SJW
I will definitely check it out! I am so glad you loved this, Samantha! Thank you!
Your recipe for BBQ sounds very good. Will be trying soon. However, one question – it calls for 1/8 water to 1 Tbsp cornstarch for thickening. 1/8 cup or tablespoon? If it’s 1/8th cup it would be 2 tablespoons water. Does this sound correct? Thank you
I am not a fan of BBQ sauce but I needed some as I currently have a brisket in the oven. Well I just made this recipe and OMG, it is amazing!!
YAY!! So happy you love it!! Thanks Melissa!
You’re so awesome for replying all the time, and so quickly 😀 Thanks again! I loved the sauce ♥
Thanks so much!
Hi!
I am from Belgium and been looking for the best American BBQ Sauce since my trip to CO.
There’s a few ingredients I couldn’t find here yet. But, I did find some replacement for it. Now i’m wondering if this is going to work…
molasses –> Maple syrup
kosher salt –> Table salt or Sea Salt or Himalaya salt
Thanks again!
Hey Thomas! These swaps will work great! Either salt option should be fine, just make sure to adjust the salt level to your taste. Let me know if you have any questions. Hope you love the BBQ sauce! Thanks!
This looks amazing! How long do you think it will last in the fridge?
Hi Christie! Thank you! It’s keep at least 1 month.
Barbeque sauce is probably one of the best uses for high fructose corn syrup, IMHO. I realize it’s not the “PC healthy choice” but I don’t get why people are so worried about bbq sauce they might eat 4 or 5 times a year having a little high fructose corn syrup in it…!? What’s the deal, are you eating it straight like soup or something? Your just supposed to put a little on your meat, not a ladle full per plate! You do want to taste the meat, right?
The sauce recipe looks delicious BTW. Cheers….
Thanks Mark!! I put mine on meats.
Can this recipe be canned?
Yes, that works great!
I just found your recipe today. After years of experimenting with different BBQ sauce recipes, my family all agreed….this is IT! SO good. Followed the recipe exactly as written (subbed cider vinegar as recommended because that’s what I had on hand). Thank you!
WOW! What a compliment! Thank you so much Michele! So happy you all liked it!
You mention “1/8 cold water mixed with 1 tablespoon corn starch (optional).”
1/8 gallon, cup, teaspoon,,, 1/8 what of cold water?
All ketchup has sugar and/or HFCS so using ketchup as a base is not any healthier than the ready made bbq sauces. I start with tomato sauce and build the flavors using honey and brown sugar for the sweetness. The spice list is pretty spot on for any bbq sauce – I also add cumin for a little extra smokiness.
Hi Sue sounds really good! Thanks for the addition(:
Wow-so glad. I came across this. Can’t wait to get back to Kansas City and try this. We are in Chicago area and planning to eat at Sweet Baby’s Restaurant tonight. I can compare but obviously will not mention this to them. Thanks so much for the great recipe.
Thats SO Awesome!! Please let me know what you think of the comparison!! Hope you love both!!
This is a great recipe because I like Sweet Baby Ray but hate HFCS! Thanks for sharing! I did not add cornstarch and I used apple cider. Next time I will try with the pineapple juice. This was so easy to make and I had all the ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator. Beats the store bought BBQ everyday!
Awesome!! Happy to hear you liked it! (:
Love this sauce. I make it using the Heinz ketchup with no HFCS and it’s awesome. Just made a triple batch getting ready for a big BBQ this weekend!
YAY So happy you like it!!
Any way to decrease the amount of brown sugar? Or sub w/ part honey?
HI !Yes, You can decrease the sugar by half, but it will not be as sweet as a store bought BBQ sauce. You can also use all honey or half honey and half sugar. Just taste the sauce and add more sugar to your taste. But I think honey will be delicious! Let me know if you have any other questions, thanks!
Yum! I’m planning on adding a few drops of liquid smoke as well. As for grilling “season” pfffttt, no such thing! I have grilled in February in the middle of snow storm! When I am in the mood to grill I do so, no matter what the weather is like. 😀
I hope you love it!!