How to make barbecue sauce

Homemade barbecue sauce is not only great for your favourite cuts of meat on the barbecue, but you can have it handy for dipping other snacks such as chicken fingers or chips.

A basic BBQ sauce recipe starts out with complementary flavours of sweet sugar and sour vinegar. From here, some spice is added to give the sauce some extra tang.

So it’s an easy condiment to make at home – all you’ll need are a few basic ingredients and some time and patience. And homemade barbecue sauce is a great alternative to expensive bottled varieties from the shops.

The basic ingredients for a good barbecue sauce include tomatoes (tomato sauce and tomato paste, but some recipes call for ketchup), brown sugar or honey for sweetness, vinegar, minced onions, crushed garlic, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.

Optional ingredients commonly found in some speciality barbecue sauces include whiskey or bourbon, hot pepper such as cayenne, and sometimes cinnamon or clove.

Basic barbecue sauce ingredients

1 small (8oz can) tomato sauce
1 small (6oz can) tomato paste
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
Cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper to taste

For a simple barbecue sauce recipe suitable for anything from chicken to barbecue pork ribs, start off with one small can of tomato paste and combine with one small can of tomato sauce and stir to combine in a bowl.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, sweat the onions and garlic until translucent. Stir in vinegar and allow to reduce for two minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine thoroughly.

Allow to come up to a slight simmer. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. At this point the barbecue sauce is ready to use; however, you could puree all this in a blender to produce a thicker uniform consistency.

Marinade or seasoning – it’s up to you

Your barbecue sauce can be used as a marinade and brushed onto meat while cooking. The sugars drawn out from the tomatoes in addition to the added brown sugar will help create a caramelized crust from the high heat of your grill.

Other equally tasty variations include a honey barbecue sauce (simply substitute the sugar for honey). For a mesquite sauce, look for an ingredient called ‘liquid smoke’ which is made by filtering the smoke produced by burning mesquite wood chips through water to collect the essence.

You can add this rich liquid to your sauce to infuse it with deep smoky mesquite flavour. Another variation is to substitute your favourite whiskey or bourbon in place of or addition to the vinegar to add a tangy richness. While cooking, the alcohol content will burn off, making this type of sauce appropriate for all ages.

Spice it up

As for spice, almost anything goes. Cayenne and black pepper usually provide an adequate amount of heat without overpowering the overall flavour. For more intense heat, add ingredients such as smoked chipotle peppers, jalapenos, or for the most intense heat possible, add habanero, also known as scotch bonnet peppers. If using fresh peppers, chop and sweat these with the onions and garlic. If using dried peppers, toast these over an open flame until fragrant, and grind to a powder using a blender or spice mill and add your desired amount to the sauce.

Chinese Hoisin sauce, made with soya beans and a type of Chinese sweet potato, makes an excellent barbecue sauce for chicken or meat.

A southern American, Memphis-style barbecue focuses mainly on a seasoning meats with a dry rub and smoking them over a long period of time. This tender meat is usually served with a vinegar-based sauce for additional moisture.