Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Chefs reveal their best easy barbecue sauce recipes to up your grilling game

Perfect your meal with these great barbecue sauce recipes

By
Z Grills Australia/Unsplash / Unsplash

Grilling season is upon us, and we’re stocking the pantry with things like dry rubs for barbecue and seasoning salts. And while we always love a good homemade meat glaze, there is no shame in going out and buying a bottle of barbecue sauce when you’re strapped for time. Or maybe you’re simply feeling a little bit lazy. Don’t worry, we’re not judging. There are plenty of top-notch bottled barbecue sauces on the market these days, many of which are made without high-fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors. But making a grilling sauce from scratch doesn’t have to be a big production.

We turned to three chefs across the country to get their easy barbecue sauce recipes that don’t require a lot of time to put together. Though the ingredient lists can look a little daunting at first, it’s likely you have most of the components in your pantry already. Plus, after stocking up on the rest of the ingredients, you can make these delicious meat glazes all season long. Whip up these big batch recipes, store them in the fridge, and reach for them anytime you break out the grill.

Recommended Videos

South Texas Mustard Base BBQ Sauce

Mustard bbq sauce on ribs.
Anastassios Mentis/Getty Images / Getty

(By Jason Dady, owner of Tre Trattoria, Two Bros. BBQ Market, Range, and Jardin at the Garden)

Related

“This is a classic South Texas mustard base barbecue sauce,” Dady says. “It is the Texan staple, from brisket to ribs, turkey to cabrito. It’s a tried and true Texas barbecue sauce. I love using the Maille mustards because of their finesse and sharp flavors.”

Ingredients

  • 3 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 1 pound fresh peaches, diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup Maille dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup Maille Old Style
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/4 cup tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/8 cup Worcestershire
  • 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/8 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup coarse black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Cholula hot sauce
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon dry mustard

Method

  1.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, sweat onions, garlic, and peaches until soft.
  2. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour over low heat, being careful not to scorch.
  3. Puree and strain. Chill immediately and use as needed.

Cherry BBQ Sauce

Cherry bbq sauce on chicken.
mphillips007/Getty Images

(By Justin Cucci, owner of Root Down, Linger, El Five, Ophelia’s, and Vital Root)

“Cherries are life-changing moments for me, especially Rainer,” Cucci says. “To add them to a smoky barbecue sauce, it’s a whole new thing. Tart, sweet, and fleshy, they change barbecue to a more refined flavor and really make grilling meats, chicken, and even veggies into a true seasonal summer event.”

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds fresh Bing or Rainier cherries
  • 1 pound brown sugar
  • 5 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
  • 8 ounces organic ketchup
  • 8 ounces tamari soy sauce
  • 8 ounces tomato paste
  • 8 ounces Cholula hot sauce
  • 6 ounces apple cider vinegar
  • 4 ounces yellow onion
  • 4 ounces Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika powder
  • 1 tablespoon hickory liquid smoke seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne chili
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

Method

  1. Pit the cherries and blend in a blender until smooth.
  2. In a large saucepan, sweat the onion and garlic until translucent in color.
  3. Add the tomato paste and ketchup and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Add all the remaining ingredients, including the cherry puree, and cook for 30 minutes.
  5. Cool the sauce and then blend until very smooth in a blender.
  6. Check and adjust seasoning.

Korean Rib Glaze

Korean glaze on meat.
Natapetrovich/Getty Images

(By Brandon Kirksey of Great Gold)

“This is the perfect sauce for glazing baby back ribs hot off the grill,” Kirksey says. “It also works great for barbecue chicken or grilled tofu!”

Note: If you can’t find Makgeolli (Korean unfiltered rice beer), you can substitute sake.

Ingredients

  • 6 sliced scallions
  • 1 cup pear juice
  • 1 cup hot pepper paste (gochujang)
  • 1/2 cup Makgeolli
  • 1/2 cup mirin
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup toasted white sesame seeds
  • 3 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper

Method

  1. Sweat the sliced scallions, garlic, and ginger together with cooking oil.
  2. Add the Makgeolli and mirin. Let the liquid reduce by half then add the remaining ingredients.
  3. Stir well and make sure all ingredients are combined, then simmer for 10 minutes.

What else can I mix into barbecue sauce?

Rachel Bramlett/Unsplash

There are countless barbecue sauce recipes, differentiated by region, ingredients, and more. That means you could spend an entire lifetime experimenting with different versions and tweaks here and there.

Some ingredients simply work better than others in a good grilling sauce. In addition to what’s listed above, try playing around with various fruit juices, brewed coffee, and different kinds of honey to add a little sweetness and balance out the spice. If and when possible, use fresh herbs and consider infusing with a bit of alcohol. Just as vodka tends to improve a red sauce, so too does bourbon or a good rye whiskey to a delectable barbecue sauce.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mark Stock
Mark Stock
Contributor
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
The 8 best hot dog topping alternatives you need to try
Forget the mustard and sauerkraut, try these creative toppings instead
Three hot dogs with different topppings

Summer will be here before we know it, so that means grilling season has almost arrived. Whether you have backyard barbecues, like to picnic at the barbecue pit in the park, or just want to harken back to your youth with hot dogs, why not get creative with some alternative hot dog toppings?
Our best alternative toppings for your dogs
You can prepare your hot dogs by steaming, boiling, or grilling, but that doesn’t mean the toppings have to be mustard only -- and no, we don’t put ketchup on hot dogs. We’re going to take a look at some of the most creative hot dog toppings out there that are sure to up your hot dog game.
Classic Chicago dogs

These hot dog toppings always will be a staple. The Vienna Beef hot dog reached Chicago during the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, and the Chicago Dog was invented in 1929 at a stand named Fluky’s. The hot dog was originally called the Depression Sandwich. The Chicago-style dog features a poppy seed bun with an all-beef frank topped with mustard, white onions, dark green sweet pickle relish, sliced tomato, sport peppers, a dill pickle spear, and celery salt. If you don’t have the celery salt, that is passable, but you definitely can’t have a Chicago dog without the remaining ingredients.
New York dogs

Read more
The 5 best vegetarian and vegan dishes to try right now
Even if you love meat, you might be surprised how tasty these meals are
Cauliflower steak with peppercorn sauce

It's spring and a wonderful time of year for fresh produce to make the best vegetarian recipes all the easier to create (and thoroughly enjoy). If you like meat, so be it, maybe get more creative with your sides or try one of these dishes for fun. If you're a vegetarian, it's a fine time to put together some satisfying meals with real heart and soul. Here are some of the best vegetarian and vegan recipes for dinner to try.
Kale sauce with any noodle

This Josh McFadden recipe from Six Seasons
is great to have on hand as it can accompany just about any kind of pasta.
Ingredients

Read more
Upgrade your next barbecue with elk, the healthy red meat you should be eating
First Light Farms is raising high-quality pasture-raised elk deliverable to your front door.
cooked elk with cup

First Light Farms elk backstrap. Marilynne Bell / First Light Farms

If you're looking for a red meat alternative to beef that's delicious and packed with nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids, protein-packed elk might be the answer. A great place to get pasture-raised elk delivered is First Light Farms. This New Zealand-based company raises 100% grass-fed wagyu, venison, and, most recently, elk, all deliverable to your front door. First Light Farms sent us several of their items to try, and we interviewed them to learn all about this must-try red meat.

Read more