Homemade barbecue sauce without all the preservatives of the store bought brand. Easy to adapt to your preference. Make it mild or spicy. Ready in just an hour.
Pair it with our BBQ Rub (or Smoke Rub For Chicken) for a killer plate of smoked chicken thighs, 3-2-1 ribs, Smoked Whole Chicken, smoked meatloaf or pork belly burnt ends.
My husband has mad BBQ skills. In fact, his genius at barbecuing is one of the top three reasons I married him. Following closely behind: his “willingness” to let me be the family’s permanent DJ.
After years of using store bought BBQ sauce, I realized I needed to step up my game and make an Easy homemade barbecue sauce without all the preservatives of the store bought brand. Easy to adapt to your preference. that rivals the tenderness and deliciousness of the meat he grills. Plus, it’s cheap and easy to make. I usually make a double batch, measure out one cup servings into freezer sandwich bags, lay them flat in the freezer to freeze and then pull out what I need. Easy Peasy.
Once you taste this homemade barbecue sauce, you’ll never buy it from the store again. We do solemnly promise.
We use this homemade BBQ sauce when making our famous Smoked Chicken Legs, Instant Pot Ribs and Smoked Turkey Wings. It would go well with Smoked Turkey.
You could also throw in a cup when making Little Smokies in Grape Jelly or Smoked Baked Beans.

Ingredients
- 2 cups ketchup
- 2 Cans tomato sauce (15 oz)
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- ½ cup unsulfured molasses
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Tbsp hickory-flavored liquid smoke
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp celery seed
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tso cayenne pepper (Add more for extra spice)
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine all ingredients together. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. For thicker sauce, simmer longer.