Homemade Sweet Barbecue Sauce

Homemade sweet barbecue is so simple to prepare and is really tasty, just the right combination of sweetness, tartness and sauciness. It’s a wonderful addition to endless recipes.

A simple, delicious homemade barbecue sauce that you can make from scratch is a great basic recipe to have in your repertoire. You have complete control over what is in your sauce and can modify the recipe to your liking. We really enjoy this sweet barbecue sauce that has the perfect balance of sweetness, tartness and complex flavor.

You can mix up a batch of this sauce using basic pantry ingredients and then use it for so many other recipes. There are endless ways you can enjoy this sauce, starting with grilled chicken, such as the juiciest grilled chicken breast, Instant Pot Chicken Wings, or Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken. We also use it for many pork recipes too – Instant Pot Barbecue Ribs and Pulled Pork.

Ingredients:

• butter, to sauce the onion and garlic
• onion + garlic
  • the finely grated onion and garlic are sauteed until they are tender and golden brown. This adds more flavor to the barbecue sauce and the caramelized onions add an additional sweetness to the barbecue sauce. It’s absolutely delicious.
• salt, ground black pepper
• chili powder
• you can use a regular chili powder seasoning mix or use an Ancho Chili Powder, which I really like.
• ketchup
  • this is one of the most important ingredients in the barbecue sauce. The tomatoes give the sauce both sweetness and tartness.
• honey
  • add more or less honey to adjust the sweetness of the sauce to exactly what you prefer.
• molasses
  • molasses is another distinct ingredient in barbecue sauce. If you don’t have molasses, you can substitute brown sugar. You can also adjust how much you add depending on how sweet you want the sauce.
• vinegar (I use either distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
• Worcestershire sauce
  • this sauce adds so much complexity and richness to the flavor of the sauce.
• mustard, dijon or yellow
• cayenne pepper or hot sauce, optional, as much as you like, to add heat to the sauce, if you’re like

How To Make Homemade Barbecue Sauce

1. Grate the onion and garlic on the fine holes of a box grater.
2. Saute the onion and garlic.
   • Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the grated onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook on medium-low heat until softened and starting to turn golden brown. 
3. Add the chili powder to the onions and garlic. Mix it in and saute for about a min. Sauteing spices will bring out their flavors even more.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients – ketchup, honey, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and hot sauce, if using. Whisk to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
5. Simmer for about 10 minutes, covered, until the sauce thickens and has a thickened consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Strain the sauce through a sieve. 

Storing the Homemade Barbecue Sauce

After you strain the sauce through a sieve, it’s completely smooth, satiny and has the perfect consistency. If your sauce is too thin, cook it longer until it thickens.

Pour the strained sauce into a mason jar (or other storage container) and store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.

Recipes To Use Barbecue Sauce

There are so many delicious recipes to use with this barbecue sauce. Here are some of our favorites.

• Instant Pot Barbecue Ribs
• Barbecue Chicken Cutlets
• Instant Pot Chicken Wings
• Grilled Chicken Breast
• Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken

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