Sauces · American
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Sweet, tangy and a little smoky: a Kansas City-style tomato barbecue sauce simmered in one pot.
- Hands-on
- 15 min
- Hands-off
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Makes
- 4 cups (about 950 ml / 1 quart)
- Serves
- 16
10 min to chop and measure plus about 7 min to soften the onion, then about 15 min of gentle simmering with a stir now and then, and a few minutes to strain. Let it cool before using.
- easy
- grilling
- summer
- make-ahead
- condiment
Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means
Scaling? Doubles in a bigger pot. A bigger batch takes longer to come to the boil and to soften the onion, so go by the texture, not the clock. Some items (like eggs) don’t halve neatly: beat them, then measure out half.
Ingredients
You need: medium nonreactive pot (stainless steel or enamelled) · wooden spoon or heatproof spatula · sharp knife and cutting board · fine sieve · heatproof bowl · clean jar or airtight container
Contains: fish (Worcestershire sauce usually contains anchovies)
Method
Soften the onion
Heat the 2 tbsp oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the 1 cup chopped onion and the 2 smashed garlic cloves and cook, stirring now and then, for 6 to 7 minutes.
Ready when: The onion is golden.
Add everything else
Stir in the 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup ketchup, 3 tbsp (40 g) brown sugar, 3 tbsp molasses, 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp yellow mustard, 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp salt. Bring it to a boil.
Ready when: Bubbles break across the whole surface.
Simmer
Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then.
Ready when: The onion is very tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Add the smoke
Take the pot off the burner and stir in the 2 tsp liquid smoke.
Strain
Set a fine sieve over a heatproof bowl and pour the sauce through it, pressing hard on the onion and garlic with the back of a spoon to get out as much sauce as you can. Throw away the solids.
Otto tried this firstOtto shakes the sieve once and tips the onion pulp in the bin, and his jar is half empty. Press the solids hard: a lot of sauce is still in there.Cool and keep
Let the sauce cool to room temperature before using it. Store it covered in the fridge.
Swaps
- Instead of liquid smoke: leave it out Smoke is optional in barbecue sauces like this; it will just taste less smoky.
- Instead of yellow mustard: Dijon mustard, same amount Dijon is used in other sweet-and-tangy barbecue sauces.
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Make ahead
- Make it up to 7 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge.
- Storage
- Covered in the fridge for up to 7 days. It isn't shelf-stable, so always keep it refrigerated.
- Reheat
- Use it at room temperature, or warm it gently in a small pan, stirring.
If something goes wrong
- Too thin Why: It hasn't simmered long enough.
Keep it at a gentle simmer, uncovered, a little longer until it thickens. - Bits of onion in the sauce Why: It wasn't strained, or the sieve is coarse.
Pour it through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids.
Good to know
- Use a nonreactive pot, such as stainless steel or enamelled cast iron, for this tangy tomato-and-vinegar sauce.
- The liquid smoke goes in at the end, after the simmer.
Safety
- Bubbling, sugary sauce is very hot and sticks to skin. Stir with a long spoon, keep the pan handle turned inward, and keep children away from the stove. Straining hot sauce is a job for an adult.
- This is a fridge sauce, not a canning recipe. Don't try to seal or store it at room temperature.
- Worcestershire sauce usually contains anchovies (fish), and mustard is a listed allergen in the EU. Check the labels.