How to Make Your Own Barbecue Sauce For Cooking Out

With a little preparation, you can make your own signature barbecue sauce.

Barbecue sauce recipes vary depending on the style of barbecue you like. Anything goes, from the spicy sauces of Texas and Louisiana to the sweet sauces favored in some parts of the Carolinas. Most sauces are tomato based, beginning with tomato sauce or catsup. Parts of South Carolina favor a mustard based sauce and Alabama is known for a white barbecue sauce based on mayonnaise. Begin with these basic ingredients, then spice it up according to your preferences.

Things You'll Need

• 2 cups catsup
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• Small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. prepared mustard
• Black pepper to taste
• Seasonings as desired, see tips

Instructions

1. Puree the onion and garlic cloves in a food processor, almost to a paste consistency.

2. Put all ingredients in a heavy pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover the sauce with a screen, if you have one. Reduce the heat if the ingredients begin to splatter. Simmer ingredients for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to your taste preferences. Simmer for another 15 minutes or until the sauce is the desired consistency.

Tips & Warnings

• Add seasonings to make the sauce your own. Try one of these seasoning combinations, adding or subtracting from them until you find the sauce combination you like best.

• For a spicy Texas style sauce, add:

• 1 tbsp. ground red pepper

• 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce

• 1 tsp. chili powder

• 1 tsp. steak rub or favorite seasoning mix

• Or, for a sweet Southern style sauce, increase the brown sugar to 4 Tbsp. and add:

• 4 Tbsp. molasses

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 chili pepper, chopped and seeded, optional

• Tomato based sauces tend to spatter, so use care to prevent burns. Wipe up spills or spatters as they happen to prevent a burned on mess.

References

• "The Washington Post"; Barbecue Sauces---Make Them Your Own; Jim Shahin; August 2010
• Texas A&M University; Texas Style Barbecue Sauce; David Wm. Reed
• "Southern Living"; How to Create Your Own Barbecue Sauce; Donna Florio