First BBQ Sauce

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Airborneguy

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Made my first homemade, from scratch, BBQ sauce today.

I started with a can of crushed tomatoes, mixed in a generous helping of chili powder, onion powder, finely chopped garlic, cinnamon (out next time), 1/4 cup sugar, and about 8oz of honey. I cooked it down in a pot for 2 1/2 hours. With about a 1/2 hour to go, I added a splash of maple syrup (more next time).

Anyone else make their own sauce? I know it gets crazy personal but some general tips would be nice. :)
 
I don't mess with trying to get the tomato base right from scratch, I just use ketchup. With my recipe, I use one whole beer for each batch, and I find it is the best way to change the taste of the sauce. I add Newcastle for stronger meats like brisket, and I use Killian's Irish Red for sweeter sauces to use on pork.
 
I went back and forth on adding beer. The only reason I didn't was since this was my first time, I wanted to make sure it was at least semi-repeatable.

Don't fear the tomato, it was easy! I am off from work and alone on mondays, so cooking for 2-3 hours is easy on mondays. If you have the time, all you have to do is stir a lot. It's that easy.
 
I make my own sauce all summer - goes on every pork product that comes off the smoker or the grill. It's more mild than I'd prefer, but my wife and daughter are "heat" weaklings, so I usually just hit my plate with a shot of Frank's if I need more burn. ;)

Mine is ketchup based...

Ketchup, apple cider vinegar, molasses (the key, IMO, to a sweet/spicy kinda sauce), beer (cheap Amerilager), honey, and a little "mixing" bourbon. "Mixing" bourbon as opposed to the good stuff - I like Ten High for cooking and mixing with Coke to throw in a water cooler for barbecues. ;)

Lots of spices - I pirated the base of the recipe from a smoking website, then changed it over the last couple years. Garlic, onion, rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, couple others.. I can post the exact recipe if you're interested - only competitions I enter is with the neighbor when we see who can make the neighborhood smell better. :)
 
My tried and true knock your socks off recipe:

1 bottle of Kraft Hot barbque sauce
1 small bottle of white vinegar
1 stick of butter
1 tablespoon of ceyanne pepper
1 tablespoon of minced garlic

Mix altogether and bring to boil. You can cook with it and you can dip with it but be warned it is spicy.
 
yeah mixing the BBQ sauce cold works well too. That is how I do mine. It is alot of ingredients so it still take a while, but I use ketchup too as the base. I would post my recipe but keep it at the computer at home. Ahh hope it never crashes. I could mimic it close from memory but who knows right?
 
I make all my own sauces and rubs for my BBQ and for my smoker when its up and running. If you start with the basics you can tweak from there and make any combination of flavors taste great
Start with
1 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2Tbsp Mustard
2Tbsp Cider Vinegar
2Tbsp Worsterchire
1tsp Chili Powder
1tsp garlic powder

From there add what ever spices you want. Want a mustard sauce? up the mustard to 50/50 with ketchup.
I usually add alot of cumin, some fresh chives, oregano, cilantro. Orange juice is a great additive also.
I usually make my sauces per use. When I want sauce, I have a nice fresh hot, bbq sauce. If it turns out good, I write down the recipe. If its just of tasting, I dont bother writing it down at all.
 
I love to see some recipes! Thanks.

I'm going to change a few things on mine, but I'm definitely sticking with the canned tomatoes. I like how thick and carmelized it came out doing it that way.
 
I used to make the Apple-Butter BBQ sauce from scratch at TGI Fridays but I can't remember that much about it, it was ~25 years ago.

I do remember the first step was some onion and lemon slices, plus some bay leaf, in a pot with (I think) some apple-cider vinegar and you cooked the onion/lemon until soft, then strained and reserved the liquid. Then you started building the sauce from that reserved liquid.

There was a TV show on the other day about Cattlemans and the dude that was explaining the recipe said 'tomato paste only', was the way to go.

HTH.
 
I dont have a set recipe, but I always use ketchup, cider vinegar, pepper, cayenne, louisiana hot sauce, a little white sugar, and salt. Sometimes some yellow mustard too. I Just add stuff until it tastes good.
 
This is my "compromise" sauce.... the SWMBO like it very sweet, I like it with "bite"...

1-yellow onion chopped fine
4-cloves garlic minced
1-tablespoon butter
3-tablespoons olive oil

1-cup- tomato puree
¼ cup- tomato paste
½ cup –water
¾ cup-cider vinegar
¾ cup beer (only thing BMC is good for)
3- tablespoons- Worcestershire sauce
1-tablespoon- yellow mustard
1-tablespoon- black pepper
1-tablespoon- liquid smoke
1- teaspoon- cayenne
6 -tablespoons- brown sugar
2- tablespoons- corn syrup
1-tablespoon molasses

Melt butter in bottom of pan (I use a small stock pot), add olive oil. Sautee onion and garlic until onions are clear with a little brown on edges.
Throw in everything else and stir the crap out of it. Bring to low boil, turn down heat and simmer (stir a lot) until it starts to thicken. Done.
 
This one I use on Beef (and beef only)...

½ -yellow onion chopped fine
3-cloves garlic minced
3-tablespoons olive oil
1 ¼-cup-Ketchup (yup, plain ole ketchup…)
¾ cup-cider vinegar
1 ¼ cup beer (only thing BMC is good for)
2- tablespoons- Worcestershire sauce
½ -tablespoons- Black pepper
1- teaspoon- Texas Pete
1- teaspoon- salt
3 -tablespoons- brown sugar
1- tablespoon- Cumin
¼- cup chopped fresh Cilantro

Heat Olive Oil in pan (I use a small stock pot). Sautee onion and garlic until onions are clear with a little brown on edges.
Throw in everything else and stir the crap out of it. Bring to low boil, turn down heat and simmer (stir a lot) until it just starts to thicken. Done.
 
If you're looking for a great bbq sauce, PM me. I'm part of a Professional BBQ team and we've won first place two years in a row at the biggest bbq competition in the U.S.

I prefer not to give it out to anyone and everyone because we may not be able to 3 peat next year if someone steals it!!!

But I don't mind it being copied for home use.

We also won first in beef competition for a smoked stuffed beef tenderloin and 7th place for whole hog at the same competition.
I'll be glad to share the beef tenderloin recipe as well if anyone would like to have it.
 
The American Royal Open in Kansas City is the largest BBQ competition in the country with over 500 teams. In 2009, Lotta Bull won the Open and in 2009 the Pork Pulling Plowboys won. Which BBQ competition are you talking about?
 
The American Royal Open in Kansas City is the largest BBQ competition in the country with over 500 teams. In 2009, Lotta Bull won the Open and in 2009 the Pork Pulling Plowboys won. Which BBQ competition are you talking about?

For those who wish to get technical, the biggest "pork" BBQ competition in the world, Memphis in May which is a month long event and draws a crowd of about 100K people just to the bbq weekend contest. I should have specified.

This year, we won 1st place and 2nd place in Mustard Based BBQ sauce, 1st place in Chicken, and 1st place in Ribs. We had one large team last year and have now split into two starting this year.

Last year, 2010, we placed 1st in mustard based bbq sauce, 7th in whole hog, and 1st with the beef tenderloin recipe when we only had one team.

The Beef Tenderloin recipe has been published in the Kansas City Barbeque Society Cookbook.

But last year's 1st place recipe was altered slightly from the cookbook recipe.
 
For those who wish to get technical, the biggest "pork" BBQ competition in the world, Memphis in May which is a month long event and draws a crowd of about 100K people just to the bbq weekend contest. I should have specified.

This year, we won 1st place and 2nd place in Mustard Based BBQ sauce, 1st place in Chicken, and 1st place in Ribs. We had one large team last year and have now split into two starting this year.

Last year, 2010, we placed 1st in mustard based bbq sauce, 7th in whole hog, and 1st with the beef tenderloin recipe when we only had one team.

The Beef Tenderloin recipe has been published in the Kansas City Barbeque Society Cookbook.

But last year's 1st place recipe was altered slightly from the cookbook recipe.

Congratulations! I don't cook MBN contests because there are precious few here in the Northeast. I would love to try one once because I am intrigued by onsite judging. Most of what we cook are KCBS contests and soon FBA as we are nearing retirement age and moving down south.
 
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