This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Homemade BBQ Sauce tastes just like a Sweet Baby Ray’s copycat recipe!
My husband Jack loves making his own Homemade BBQ Sauce. We considered naming it “Sweet Baby Jack’s BBQ Sauce” because it tastes just like the bottled Sweet Baby Ray’s brand of barbecue sauce. (Maybe even better!)
How do you make Homemade Barbecue Sauce?
What’s great about this Homemade BBQ Sauce is that it is made with ingredients you probably have already in your kitchen!
In a saucepan, you’ll start out by sautéing some sweet Vidalia onions in a little bit of oil until soft and translucent. Then stir in some tomato paste, cooking for a few minutes more.
Next – add the rest of the ingredients, including ketchup, molasses, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, liquid smoke, and all sorts of seasonings and spices including paprika, chili powder, cumin, dry mustard, and more.
Just let your Homemade BBQ Sauce simmer on the stove for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken and the flavors will meld nicely together.
This Homemade BBQ Sauce is just as good as the store bought variety, and it makes about four cups of sauce—the perfect amount to have on hand for all of your summer grilling recipes!
What can I make with Homemade BBQ Sauce?
You might like these other BBQ Sauce recipes:
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced fine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
In a medium non-stick sauce pan over medium to medium low heat, add oil and once heated, add onions and cook for five minutes stirring with a wooden spoon.
Add tomato paste and mix and cook for five more minutes, stirring often.
Add all other ingredients, heat, cover with a splatter screen and cook on medium low to low for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir again and refrigerate until needed. This sauce will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
This was amazing! Have you tried freezing it? My daughter is allergic to garlic and she loved this recipe. I would like to make a triple batch and freeze it in small amounts. Thoughts?
Hi Becky – Yes, you can freeze this sauce!
This recipe is an excellent starting point for a homemade barbecue sauce. It’s delicious as written, and we sometimes doctor it to suit our own family’s tastes. Thank you!
Thank you! Absolutely, feel free to adapt to suit your tastes.
Hi Martha, I believe that it’s the grilling that gives the authentic BBQ taste, not the liquid smoke.
Absolutely Kattrinka – but our sauce wasn’t make in a smoker. 🙂 Without the liquid smoke in this sauce, you’d basically have a molasses-flavored ketchup.
This recipe looks very good, but I will definitely leave out the liquid smoke. Why make it taste like yuck store bought when you take the time to make it with love?
Hi Kattrinka – You can leave the liquid smoke out if you prefer, but we think you’ll miss out on the ‘barbecue’ flavor in this sauce. You are correct in that too much liquid smoke can be overpowering, but we add only enough to give this sauce a light smoky flavor. Having said all of that, you can (of course) adapt the recipe to suit your tastes however you’d like!