A delicious and simple homemade barbecue sauce with a surprise ingredient; slightly sweet, definitely smoky and tangy, with a little bit of spice — ready in about 15 minutes and 10 of that is for simmering! Slather on chicken, ribs, brisket, and pork!
This rich, creamy sweet, buttery, smokey tangy homemade bbq sauce is the best! I love it when a sauce is so easy to whip up!
If you love making other store bought items at home, try this delicious Carrabba’s Grill Seasoning and Rub or this Passion Tea Lemonade Concentrate!
This recipe is on the blog, because my son went to our friends house a few weeks ago for dinner; they love smoking meat, oh it’s soo delicious; he came home asking me to get Miss Jackie’s barbecue sauce recipe, so here you have it!
She told me it’s an old recipe from the Colorado Cache Junior League Cookbook (you know those are the best cookbooks!)
Typically, I am all about a good marinade, like this Copycat Chipotle Chicken that is on our menu weekly, or this delicious marinated flank steak or Asian Pork Tenderloin — but sometimes I kind of forget about dinner and realize I need to whip something together quickly.
Easy BBQ Sauce Ingredients
- Ketchup (or Catsup): The tangy, tomato-based base that gives the sauce its signature flavor and thickness.
- Water: Thins the sauce to just the right consistency.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and depth; dark brown sugar gives a subtle molasses flavor, but either light or dark works.
- Liquid Smoke: Brings that smoky, grilled flavor without needing a smoker—hickory or mesquite both work great.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds a savory, umami richness with just a touch of tang. Bonus: Lea & Perrins is gluten-free.
- Dry Mustard: Gives a bit of sharpness to balance the sweet. You can substitute with prepared yellow mustard if needed.
- Celery Seeds or Celery Salt: Adds a mild, earthy note. Celery salt works perfectly if you don’t have the seeds.
- Cayenne Pepper: Just a pinch adds a gentle heat without overwhelming the sauce.
- Butter: The secret to a smooth, rich finish—it ties all the flavors together. Salted or unsalted both work!
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make Homemade BBQ Sauce
Sooo simple, in fact it will take you longer to gather and measure your ingredients than it will to make the sauce!
Simply measure and pour all ingredients into a small medium saucepan over medium to low-medium heat, stir until butter is melted and bring to low boil; simmer for 10-15 minutes.
If you didn’t buy a 14 ounce bottle of ketchup, use 1 ½ cups ketchup + 2 tablespoons.
Simple BBQ Sauce Recipe Substitutions & Additions
While I do believe this sauce is perfect, I realize you may not have or even want to use all of these ingredients.
- Swap molasses for the brown sugar or add 3-4 tablespoons of molasses, depending on how sweet you’d like it.
- For a Wyoming or Montana Rocky Mountain style sauce, try adding ¼ cup Huckleberry Preserves (or blackberry, strawberry, etc)
- Honey Barbecue Sauce: Swap the honey for the brown sugar (or try real maple syrup!)
- Spicier? Add double the amount of Cayenne pepper, or even try adding 1 teaspoon of Chipotle Chili Powder or 1 teaspoon of Smoked Paprika.
- Love garlic? Add 2-3 cloves of minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder or Dorot frozen garlic, you are missing out if you haven’t tried these! Use 2-3 squares, which are equal to 1 clove each. Love these, I get them in the frozen section at Trader Joe’s.
- Other Spices: Add 1 teaspoon onion powder, black pepper to taste, a little kosher salt.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: If you like it extra tart, you can add a tablespoon or two of vinegar.
Is BBQ sauce gluten-free?
This BBQ sauce is naturally gluten-free, but there are a few things to double check!
- Make sure your Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free, Lee & Perrins is GF.
- Double check your liquid smoke, most are gluten-free
- Check your spices, if you are using any blends, there could be gluten in them.
How to Use Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Rocky Mountain Homemade Barbecue Sauce can be used on just about any protein! You can baste it, dip it, drench it, slather it, dunk it, pour it! It’s especially delicious on pulled pork and or chicken, or any grilled meats. How will you use it? Some of our favorites are below:
- BEEF | My very favorite is Oven-Baked Barbecue Beef Brisket, but also try slow-cooked beef ribs. Swap out the sauce in Sloppy Joe sandwiches, pour it over this old-fashioned meatloaf, and use it on burgers!
- CHICKEN | Slather on this Air Fryer BBQ Chicken for a quick and easy last-minute meal, pulled chicken, baked chicken, chicken fingers, wings, chicken kebabs, BBQ chicken pizza, and more!
- PORK | Pulled pork, grilled or slow cooked pork loin or roast, pork ribs, ham, baked beans, carnitas, pork chops.
- FISH | Baste on salmon at the tail end (get it) of cooking or broiling for a tangy and sweet sauce. I would also try on sturdy white fish, such as halibut and Cod.
- Dipping Sauce: Works great with chicken nuggets and fries!
How to Store Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Allowing barbecue sauce to cool completely, pour into an airtight container. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
Can you freeze barbecue sauce?
To freeze Barbecue Sauce, allow to cool completely, then place in freezer bag, freezing up to 3 months. Allow to defrost overnight in fridge or on counter for a couple of hours.
More Sauces to Try:
- Garlic Yogurt Sauce delicious on any Mediterranean food like this chicken shawarma.
- Avocado Lime Sauce that is perfect on Barbacoa Beef Street Tacos, but also as a light salad dressing.
- And on the sweet side, try my Rich & Chewy Hot Fudge or Creamy Bourbon Vanilla Caramel sauce.
- A super simple homemade Teriyaki Sauce & Marinade! So many uses!
- Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Like this recipe?
Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and leave a comment below the recipe!
Ingredients
- 14 ounces ketchup I like organic, but at least without high fructose corn syrup
- ½ cup water
- 6 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce Lee & Perrins is gluten-free
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar packed (light or dark)
- 2 tablespoons Liquid Smoke I used hickory, but mesquite would be delicious too (Wright's is gluten-free)
- 3 teaspoons ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons celery salt or celery seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients into small – medium sized saucepan, heat slowly whisking occasionally until simmering.14 ounces ketchup, ½ cup water, 6 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons Liquid Smoke, 3 teaspoons ground mustard, 2 teaspoons celery salt, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Allow to simmer until thickened about 10-15 minutes. Use on your favorite protein or baked beans.
Notes
- If not using immediately, allow to cool and store in refrigerator in a tightly sealed mason jar.
- May be frozen in freezer friendly container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in fridge or for several hours on counter, refrigerating once thawed.
Nutrition
Sheree
Oh my goodness did my family love this! It was very easy to make and the tastiest barbeque sauce I’ve had! It’s the perfect balance of sweet and smokey. I used it on the brisket that I had made also from The Fresh Cooky. Wow! So so good! Thank you!
Thank you so much Sheree! I so appreciate your sweet words!
Julie Menghini
This is our go-to recipe now. It’s amazing on chicken or slathered on ribs. I think I’d eat my arm with this drizzled over it!
Jennifer Stewart
This is so good and my husband loved it so much that I might start wearing it as perfume!
HAHA!! It’s the liquid smoke, sometimes I think about wearing it as perfume!
Jennifer Stewart
Paige
Easy enough to make any time you need it!
Deb Clark
My homemade sauces end up being a glug of this and a pinch of that – thanks for the recipe, now I can enjoy this every time!