What is Traditional BBQ Sauce Made of Anyway?
In the quest to make the perfect at home BBQ sauce we have to ask the question, where does traditional barbecue sauce come from? In America we celebrate many different types of barbecuing including the cooking methods, variety and cut of meat, and variations of sauce. The origins of the name “barbecue” come to us from the Arawak, who were living in the Caribbean and Florida at the time of Spanish colonization. They slow cooked meat over wood grills, a method referred to as “babacots.” Spanish colonizers adopted this style and it traveled to the U.S. South, calling it “barbacoa,” which is translated in english to barbeque.
Where There is Heat, Let There be Moisture!
With the adoption of this slow cooking method came the addition of sauces for moisture and flavor preferences! Lime or lemon juice, salt, and hot peppers were the humble beginnings of “sauce” added to slow cooked meat in order to bring more flavor. Later the use of mustard and vinegar became common. Here’s a little cheat sheet for the other styles of BBQ sauce and where they hailed from!
Eastern North Carolina - Vinegar and Spice
Lexington Style - Light Ketchup
South Carolina - Mustard based
Texas Style Mop Sauce - Stock + Vinegar
Kansas City Style - Heavy Tomato-Ketchup base (our recipe below falls under this category)
Alabama Style - Mayonnaise (white bbq sauce)
So How Do You Make Your Own Barbecue Sauce? Let’s Dive In!
This homemade bbq sauce with ketchup comes together effortlessly, you might even have all the ingredients on hand-how satisfying is that? Worcestershire sauce and unfiltered apple cider vinegar (ACV) are a few key ingredients. Here’s the skinny on why they’re essential!
Worcestershire sauce - Not only does Worcestershire sauce bring a hit of umami to our homemade bbq sauce, it also contains sweet, salty and tart ingredients as well! Worcestershire sauce is the unsung hero in many recipes. Here are some of our favorites: Grilled Romaine Caesar, Classic Cheese Burger with Secret Sauce, Beef Stroganoff, and Chicken Fajitas.
Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar - If you get a little kick in the back of your throat when you eat a bbq sauce, it’s likely the vinegar you’re experiencing. Without it, bbq sauce with a ketchup base will often be overly sweet and too tomato forward. Why unfiltered? For many, it’s a personal preference of taste or price. But you will only ever see us using raw (unfiltered) apple cider vinegar! Unfiltered ACV maintains the natural occurring sediments and isn’t pasteurized. In other words, it’s less processed. Some even claim that raw ACV is really good for you! That's just one of the reasons we love unfiltered ACV! If you have the filtered kind on hand, you can still use it!
Here’s All You Need to Make Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce!
Ketchup
Brown sugar
Unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
Chili powder
Salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Paprika
Freshly cracked pepper
*Pro tip - If you know you like to highlight certain flavors, try slightly increasing the amount of that particular ingredient to suit your taste. If you love vinegary sauces, add a little more, if you like a little extra spice, be sure to up the ante!
Tools You’ll Need to make Homemade BBQ Sauce
Do You Love BBQ Sauce As Much As We Do? Try some of our other favorite recipes using BBQ sauce!
Try these Dressed Up Baked Beans with your favorite TMP BBQ recipe!
There are Many Ways to Spell Bar-B-Cue (8 in Fact!)
Seeing is believing when it comes to yummy food. We’d love to see what delicious meals (and creative spellings) you're cooking up with your special sauce. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!
