10 Best Sweet Bbq Sauce

Best Sweet Bbq Sauce in 2023

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

How to Create Your Own Barbecue Sauce

Tips and techniques for creating the perfect barbecue sauce.

The purpose of this article is for me, the average barbecue lover to offer you some tips for coming up with your own championship barbecue sauce. When you break it down, any barbecue sauce is composed of eight basic building blocks: the base, sweetener, souring agent, seasoning, heat, aromatics, enrichers and the optional wild card. Each element builds on the one before to create a sauce that is thick, flavorful and perfect to pair with a variety of grilled meat. I'm going to teach you in eight steps how to come up with your recipe and give you one of my own creation to start off with.

When you're ready to compose your barbecue sauce, think back to all those sauces you've tried over the years. Think about all the bottled ones and the recipes you've tried and those served by your friends or family. Think about what you did or did not like about each of them and build a picture in your head of what your sauce is going to taste like. Got it? Okay, good. Now refer to the steps below and follow your instincts.

1) Pick a base.
Most barbecue sauces are based on tomato sauce, mustard, or vinegar. Start your sauce with 2 cups of whichever base you want to base your sauce on. If you want a tomato based sauce, your base might include anything from chile sauce to ketchup or canned crushed tomatoes. If you want mustard, you might start off with straight prepared mustard or prepared mustard mixed with honey mustard, dijon, deli style or all of the above. If you want to use vinegar, you might use anything from distilled vinegar to cider, malt or balsamic. This is going to be the base of your sauce, so the sky's the limit.

2) Pick a sweetener.
Sweeteners will not only sweeten your sauce but will mellow out the souring agent in the next step. Anything sweet will do the trick. White or brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, even your favorite jam or jelly. Don't be afraid to mix and match in this step. If you want to use brown sugar, maybe add a little molasses or maple syrup for depth of flavor. Or imagine how well some jams might interact with corn syrup.

3) Pick a souring agent.
The souring agent's job is to balance out the sweetener and add a pleasant zippy little tang. This can come from any sour tasting liquid like lemon juice or vinegar. For a sauce starting with 2 cups of base I usually start with 2 Tbsp vinegar or cider vinegar. Be creative with what you add but don't forget, add in 1 or 2 Tbsp increments. It's easier to add more than it is to remove it if you add too much.

4) Season the sauce.
This is your chance to give your sauce a little more flavor. Start with a Tbsp or so of salt to magnify the flavors. You can either use salt or something salty tasting that adds its own flavor. Pick some herbs and seasonings you thing would best go with the flavors you're building. When in doubt work in 1/4 or 1/2 tsp increments. It's always easier to add more.

5) Give it some heat.
At this point, add a teaspoon or two of your favorite hot sauce, chile powder or cayenne pepper. Remember, we're trying to build depth of flavor and give your sauce a little zing. You should only add enough heat to barely warm the back of the throat, not light your tongue on fire. This is barbecue sauce, not super spicy hot wings.

6) Add the aromatics.
This is where you use anything that will make your sauce smell really good. Onions, garlic, herbs, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, that kind of thing. The aroma should reflect the sauce's flavor profile.

7) Add some enrichers.
Barbecue sauce should look good, smell good and taste good. It should also feel good on your palate. Enrichers are animal or vegetable fats that give your sauce body and a luscious mouthfeel. Butter, oil, bacon or other meat drippings will intensify your sauce and make it richer than it would otherwise be. Again, remember add it in small increments, stir it in and taste it before adding more.

8) The wild card
The wild card is basically your secret ingredient. This is the chance for you to make your sauce taste completely unique and can be anything you can imagine. Some people use coffee, scotch and other liquors, soda pop or even vanilla extract. If you're in doubt about the wild card you're going to use, spoon some sauce into a bowl and add a little wild card to the bowl. If it tastes good, add more to the sauce.

Here's a basic barbecue sauce recipe to get you started.
2 cups canned pureed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 white onion, chopped fine
2 Tbsp butter
1 slice bacon
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
3 sun dried tomatoes, chopped fine
1/8 tsp dry mustard
1.5 tsp chile powder

In a large Dutch oven on medium heat saute bacon until crispy. Remove bacon, add butter, garlic and onion. Saute until onion starts to turn golden brown. Lower heat to medium low and add all other ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1.5-2 hours. Remove lid, taste, and adjust seasonings. Remove from heat and let cool. Puree cooled sauce in a blender or food processor until smooth. Use on barbecued meats during last ten minutes of cooking to provide a glaze.