My Top 7 BBQ Sauce Recipes – Delicious & Homemade

If you’re tired of the same old boring barbecue sauces and want to take your grilling game to the next level, you’ve come to the right place. Today, I’ve prepared a list of my favorite BBQ sauce recipes that you can easily make at home.

Now, you guys know that I’m no iron chef, but I do know a thing or two about creating excellent sauces that will make your friends and family beg for seconds.

These sauces can really change how your BBQ tastes, so they are super-important. With that said, I’ve already wasted much of your time, so let’s get right into these recipes.

1. Berry BBQ Sauce

Moving on to something a bit more on the fruity side, the Berry BBQ Sauce. Combining blackberries and blueberries, this sauce is a tart and sweet delight, making it perfect for baby back ribs. Here’s the scoop:

• Berries bring a fresh twist to the smoky BBQ flavor.
• It’s got antioxidants, so it’s healthy as well.
• Ideal for those who enjoy a sweet kick without the spice overload.
• Works wonders on ribs, but don’t be afraid to experiment with other meats.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of fresh or frozen blackberries
• 2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries
• ½ cup of sugar
• ¼ cup of water
• 1 – 2 cups of BBQ sauce

How to Make It

First things first, chuck those berries, sugar, and water into the saucepan. Give them a good mix. Now, crank up the heat, we want this concoction to come to a nice, rolling boil. Once it’s reached boiling point, turn down the heat a notch.

Let it simmer away, uncovered, for about 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it and stir it every now and then. We’re aiming for some serious thickening here. Now, it’s time to add barbecue sauce. Add as much or as little as your heart desires. Personally, I like to unleash the full flavor, but it’s your call.

Give it another round of cooking, around 10-15 minutes should do the trick. Keep stirring until it reaches the desired level of thickness. Once you’re done with this, grab yourself an airtight container, pop it in, and seal the deal. This sauce can chill out in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just make sure it’s tightly sealed.

2. Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Sauce

If you’re someone like me you probably love to swing between sweet and fiery, and the Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Sauce is a perfect combination of the two. This homemade sauce is a must-try for its contrasting flavor. Here’s why it’s a keeper:

• Clingy in a good way, ensuring every bite is as flavorful as the last.
• The balance of sweet and heat caters to a broad palate.
• Keeps your grilled meats moist and flavorful.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp of canola oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 to 3 tsp of chili powder
• ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp of coarsely ground pepper
• 1 cup of ketchup
• ⅓ cup of molasses
• 2 tbsp of cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp of spicy brown mustard
• 1/2 tsp of hot pepper sauce

How to Make It

Grab a saucepan and toss in some chopped onions. Sizzle them up in oil until they’re nice and tender. Now add garlic to the pan and let it work its magic for a minute. Sprinkle in some chili powder, cayenne, and pepper.

Give it a good stir, and let those flavors mingle for another minute. Next up, we’re gonna add some tangy goodness to our sauce. Pour in some ketchup, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and a dash of pepper sauce.

Bring it all to a boil and then lower the heat. We want to simmer this beauty uncovered for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce reaches the perfect thickness for you. Give it a breather for 15 minutes. Now, we need to strain it to get rid of any chunky bits.

Grab a fine mesh strainer and strain the sauce into a big bowl. Say goodbye to those vegetables and seasonings—they’ve done their job. We only want that smooth and flavorful sauce. Once your sauce is strained and looking mighty fine, it’s time to store it for later. Find yourself an airtight container and pop that sauce in the refrigerator. It’ll stay fresh for up to a month.

3. Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce

Let’s kick things off with a bang. Ever thought of mixing Dr Pepper with barbecue sauce? Well, it’s an awesome idea, especially for brisket. The soda adds a unique, caramel-like sweetness that intertwines perfectly with the savory and spicy notes of traditional BBQ sauce. Here’s why it’s a winner:

• It’s quirky. Dr Pepper in BBQ sauce? Sounds weird, tastes amazing.
• Perfectly clings to the meat, giving you that sticky, finger-licking goodness.
• Surprisingly easy to whip up with a can of Dr Pepper and your base BBQ sauce.
• Brisket transforms with this sauce, achieving a balance of sweet and savory that’s hard to beat.

Ingredients

• 1 can of Dr Pepper
• 1 cup of crushed tomatoes
• ¼ cup of packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp of spicy brown mustard
• 1 tbsp of orange juice
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ tsp of salt
• ⅛ tsp pepper

How to Make It

Grab a teensy-weensy saucepan and toss in all the ingredients. Then, bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, turn down the heat and let it simmer away, uncovered.

Give it about 30-35 minutes or until it’s feeling slightly thickened. Stir it up every now and then. Take everything and pop it in the fridge. Voilà! You’ve done it!

4. Cherry Barbecue Sauce

Cherry on top? More like cherry all over. This Cherry Barbecue Sauce, using fresh or frozen cherries, is a surefire way to make your ribs and chicken get much better and tastier. Reasons I love it:

• Cherries add a deep, rich flavor that complements smoky meats.
• Perfectly thick, it sticks to your ribs.
• The sweet and tangy profile breaks the monotony of traditional sauces.
• Works great with chicken, but slather it on anything, and thank me later.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups of fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup of ketchup
• ⅔ cup of packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp of ground mustard
• ½ tsp pepper

How to Make It

Grab a big saucepan and toss in some diced onion. I let those babies sizzle and soften up in a generous dollop of butter. Once the onion starts to look all nice and tender, I throw in some minced garlic and let it cook for another minute just to amp up the flavors.

I stir in all the other ingredients, making sure everything gets cozy in that saucepan. Then, I let it all simmer away over medium-low heat, no lid needed. Gotta give it about 20 minutes or so, or until those cherries turn all soft and the sauce gets nice and thick.

Don’t forget to give it a good stir, it’s really important.

5. North Carolina-Style BBQ Sauce

This sauce is a real testament to the BBQ tradition, and boy, does it pack a tangy punch! It is all about that vinegar note, with a blend of apple cider and white vinegar.

Also, this sauce is the perfect companion for some lip-smacking pulled pork and pork chops.. Why it rocks:

• It’s really tangy
• Super simple to make but tastes like you labored for hours.
• If you’re into authentic BBQ flavors, this is as real as it gets.

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup of white vinegar
• ⅔ cup of cider vinegar
• ½ cup of ketchup
• 3 tbsp of packed brown sugar
• ½ tsp of hot pepper sauce
• ¼ tsp of salt
• ¼ tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
• ⅛ tsp of pepper

How to Make It

Grab a small saucepan and toss in all the ingredients. Fire it up and let it come to a nice, bubbling boil. Once it’s boiling, turn down the heat a bit and let it simmer away, uncovered.

Give it about 15-20 minutes or so, just until all those flavors have a chance to mingle and get cozy with each other.

6. Red-Eye Barbecue Sauce

Now, for the caffeine addicts out there, imagine combining your morning joe with your evening BBQ. The Red-Eye Barbecue Sauce does just that.

• Coffee deepens the BBQ flavor, adding an unexpected but tasty complexity.
• Stands out in a sea of typical BBQ sauces.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup of butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 shallot, chopped
• ½ cup of packed brown sugar
• 12 plum tomatoes, peeled, chopped, and drained
• ½ cup of cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp of instant coffee granules
• 1 tbsp of salt
• 1 tsp of pepper
• 1 tsp of adobo seasoning
• 1 tsp of harissa chili paste
• 1 tsp of cayenne pepper

How to Make It

I start off by heating up some butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Then, I throw in some garlic and shallot and give them a good stir until they’re all nice and softened, which takes about 5 to 7 minutes.

Next, I add in some brown sugar and turn down the heat to medium-low. I let it cook for a while, stirring occasionally, until it turns into a deep golden brown color, which usually takes around 15 to 17 minutes.

Once that’s done, I throw in the rest of the ingredients and let them simmer for about 10 minutes. Then, I take it off the heat and grab my trusty immersion blender to puree the sauce.  If you don’t have one, don’t worry; you can let it cool down a bit and use a regular blender in batches.

After blending, I strain it through a fine-mesh strainer to make it nice and smooth.  Then, I return it to the pan and cook it some more, stirring away, until the liquid reduces by about a third.

This usually takes around 30 to 40 minutes. Once it’s all cooked up, I pop it in the fridge, covered, until it’s time to serve.

7. Barbecue Sauce with Mustard

Mustard fanatics, this one’s for you. This sauce brings the zing to your chicken or pork, making it anything but boring. Here’s the lowdown:

• Mustard gives BBQ a real kick.
• Super versatile, try it on anything from the grill.
• Simple to make, yet results in complex flavors.

Ingredients

• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ tsp of ground oregano
• ½ tspn of ground thyme
• 1 tsp of salt
• ½ tsp of pepper
• ⅛ tsp of cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp of cornstarch
• ½ cup of vinegar
• 1 cup of molasses
• 1 cup of ketchup
• 1 cup of prepared mustard
• 2 tbsp of canola oil

How to Make It

Grab a small saucepan and gather the first seven ingredients. Mix them all together until they form a nice paste. To add some tang, pour in some vinegar until it reaches the desired consistency.

Now, it’s time to take things up a notch. In a separate bowl, combine molasses, ketchup, mustard, oil, and the rest of the vinegar. Give it a good stir and then add it to the herb paste in the saucepan.

Fire up the stove and bring the mixture to a boil, making sure to stir it constantly. Once it’s boiling, lower the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Take it off the heat and let it cool completely. Once it’s cooled down, find yourself a glass jar and pour the sauce into it. Make sure to seal it up tightly and pop it in the fridge. It’ll stay good for up to 3 months.

Summary

There you have it, my rundown of top BBQ sauce recipes that promise to transform your next cookout into a flavor fest. BBQ is serious business—but who says you can’t have a little fun with it? Experiment, try different mixtures, and you are sure to find the flavor that suits you best.