My easy homemade BBQ Sauce for Ribs is the only BBQ sauce you will ever want to use! This deliciously simple recipe for BBQ sauce takes only 15 minutes to make, and is the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and tangy. Excellent on ribs, brisket, and more!
Best Ribs BBQ Sauce
My family and I grill out as often as we can, and in my opinion, you can’t have a cookout without making ribs! Any good ribs recipe needs an amazing homemade BBQ sauce to go with it, and I am so excited to share mine with you. This easy ribs BBQ sauce recipe is super simple and comes together in just 15 minutes, but I promise you it will taste better than anything you’ve bought in a bottle. This is a restaurant-quality sauce you will want to serve not only with ribs, but with everything on your cookout menu! It’s deliciously sweet, spicy, and tangy, and makes an amazing glaze for beef ribs, brisket, and more. This BBQ sauce for ribs is versatile, too: you can customize it however you like! Make it spicier, smokier, thicker, or thinner, depending on what you’re cooking. I would love to know what you serve with my ribs BBQ sauce! Leave a comment and let me know.
BBQ Sauce Ingredients
brown sugarketchupapple cider vinegarwaterWorcestershire saucechili powderpaprikadry minced garlicdry minced onionsaltblack peppercayenne
A blend of brown sugar, ketchup, and apple cider vinegar make this BBQ sauce recipe essentially a North Carolina BBQ sauce.
How to Make BBQ Sauce for Ribs
Making BBQ Sauce for Ribs - Tips
To thicken the sauce, cook it for longer, use less water, or add a bit of cornstarch/flour. To thin out the sauce, add more water. If you like a spicier sauce, use more cayenne or add red pepper flakes.If you like your sauce less spicy, use less cayenne.
Ingredients for BBQ Sauce - Substitutions
Red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, or white wine vinegar may be used as substitutions for apple cider vinegar.Tomato paste and tomato jam are great substitutes for ketchup.
Types of BBQ Sauce
South Carolina BBQ Sauce: To make a Carolina mustard BBQ sauce, leave out the ketchup. Use 1½ cups yellow mustard and another Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Cut down the brown sugar to ½ cup.East Carolina BBQ Sauce: For a sauce more like Eastern Carolina BBQ Sauce, leave out the ketchup and use 3 teaspoons hot sauce plus ½ cup more apple cider vinegar. Omit the water. This will give you a thinner, more vinegary sauce with a spicy kick.Smoky BBQ Sauce: Use smoked paprika in place of regular paprika, and add ½ teaspoon mesquite liquid smoke, to make this a smoky sauce.Bourbon BBQ Sauce: Add ¼ cup bourbon or rum and use only ¼ cup apple cider vinegar.Maple BBQ Sauce: Replace half of the brown sugar for authentic maple syrup to make maple BBQ sauce.
How to Store BBQ Sauce
Store homemade BBQ sauce after cooling completely in an airtight container, such as a jar with a lid. Store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, or freeze for longer storing.
How to Freeze BBQ Sauce
Freeze BBQ sauce by allowing it to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight freezer-safe container or freezer bag stored flat. Store for up to 3 months. If adding to a container, make sure to leave at least 1 inch at the top of air to account for liquid expansion.
Best Ribs Recipes
Smoked Beef Short RibsSlow Cooker Short RibsGrilled Short Ribs
Pair my ribs recipes and BBQ sauce for ribs with my Dry Rub for Ribs!
Beef Sauce Recipes
Red Wine Reduction SauceBurger SauceBeef Bolognese SauceChimichurri SauceHorseradish SauceSpaghetti Meat Sauce
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📋 Recipe
