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Barbecue Sauce Recipes (19 Recipes, 3 Articles)

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There are several regions which have evolved their own unique barbecue and sauce styles, often influenced by the available meats and their ethnic origins.They are not all sweet and red! Their flavors and history are fascinating. They are also the subject of much controversy and villification between regions, each claiming authenticity. Some break down regional styles into microcosms reminiscent of wine appellations, claiming “authenticity” in one state and fraud in another.

In his 1993 book “Why We Eat What We Eat: How Columbus Changed the Way the World Eats“, Raymond Sokolov, has a superb essay on authenticity focused on regional styles. Some highlights: “Unfortunately authenticity is as slippery a notion as happiness… Texan chiliheads abhor beans; New Mexicans routinely put them in their version of chili. Similarly, each village along the French Mediterranean coast has its own ‘authentic’ mixture of fish for its own ‘authentic’ bouillabaisse. Aren’t these really distinct regional variations, each authentic for its town or state? If so, to what size must we whittle down our definition of region…? There is, in fact, no limit to this. In my family people disagree about the authentic way to make dishes handed down from the same older relative.” Then he nails it “Publication leads to codification… Cookbooks not only preserve, they overdefine and delimit cooking when they set forth a single version of a dish and, explicitly or implicitly, suggest that other versions are spurious.”

Click here to read a summary of each of the different types of barbecue sauce, what makes them unique, and some of my favorite benchmark examples.

The articles below have more detail and recipes.

uncle sam pouring sauce over images of the US states

Benchmark Barbecue Sauces And How To Make Them

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

The US has several distinct barbecue sauce styles from Kansas City to South Carolina, Eastern Carolinas, Western Carolinas, Texas, Alabama, Kentucky, Hawaii, Florida, Memphis and more. Here is a description of them, and links to buy them, and recipes.
variety of barbecue sauce

How Long Can You Keep A Barbecue Sauce?

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

When it comes to storing sauces, we have two concerns: Safety and flavor. We don't want any microbes setting up housekeeping in our sauce, and we want the flavors to remain bright and fresh.
Kansas City BBQ Sauce

This Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce Is The Real Deal

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Say so long to bottled BBQ sauce and hello to amped up homemade Kansas City-style sauce with this step-by-step recipe. Thick and sweet, Kansas City barbecue sauce has been a crowd favorite since the introduction of KC Masterpiece in the 70s. Our delicious recipe features multiple layers of flavors, sweets, and heats.
Pot with barbecue sauce

Tennessee Hollerin’ Whiskey BBQ Sauce Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Tennessee whiskey is the key to this delicious BBQ sauce recipe, a perfect complement to countless BBQ and grilling main dishes. Aged corn whiskeys have a wonderful sweet vanilla flavor that truly shines in BBQ sauce and we keep the other ingredients to a minimum to showcase the complexity of flavor whiskey provides.
East Carolina BBQ Sauce

East Carolina Vinegar BBQ Sauce and Mop Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Create your own amazing East Carolina vinegar BBQ sauce and mop with this simple to follow recipe. Tangy and spicy, Low Country vinegar sauce is great for finishing fatty pork and does double duty as a baste (or mop) for adding layers of flavor to the meat as it cooks. Because it is so thin, it penetrates deep.
NC Lexington Dip BBQ Sauce

North Carolina Lexington Dip BBQ Sauce Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

In Lexington, North Carolina the barbecue sauce recipe is mostly vinegar with just a touch of ketchup and hot pepper. Here's how to make an authentic NC Lexington Dip BBQ sauce and mop baste. Relying heavily on vinegar, apple juice, and red pepper flakes, this tangy sauce penetrates meat deeply to make it flavorful.
mustard BBQ sauce in a jar

Columbia Gold, A South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

In Mid-South Carolina, from Columbia to Charleston on the coast, BBQ sauce is yellow. HereÍs a quick and easy recipe for classic South Carolina mustard sauce. For those who are only familiar with traditional red BBQ sauces, yellow mustard sauce can be jarring at first -- at least until that first flavorful bite.
mustard barbecue sauce on burger

The Best Darn Mustard BBQ Sauce Ever

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

In South Carolina BBQ sauces feature mustard. Here's a mustard BBQ sauce recipe that amps up the flavor with herbs. It is especially good on pulled pork, pork chops, baked potatoes, pretzels, hot dogs, and so much more.
prime rib in texas smoker

The Perfect Mop Sauce For True Texas Beef Barbecue

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

In Texas the traditional barbecue sauce recipe is usually more like a tomato soup, thin and spicy, it penetrates the meat.
chile chocolate barbecue sauce on ribs

Chocolate Chile BBQ Sauce Recipe. Yes, You Read That Right.

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This delicious sauce has the classic profile of any great BBQ sauce, sweet, tart, spicy, but with a wonderful twist: The taste of chocolate. While the chocolate BBQ sauce recipe might sound weird at first, you are sure to instantly fall in love with it the first time you try it on chicken, steak, and more.
Chickens dunked in Alabama white BBQ sauce at Big Bob Gibsons

Big Bob Gibson’s Bama Birds With White BBQ Sauce Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Packed full of flavor, this recipe for Alabama white BBQ sauce is the perfect addition to grilled and smoked chicken. Adapted from the original white BBQ sauce that was created by famed Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Que in Decatur, Alabama, this isn't your ordinary sticky sweet BBQ sauce as it relies on mayonnaise and vinegar.
lamb chops in kentucky black sauce

Sunlite Kentucky Black BBQ Sauce And Dip Recipe For Lamb and Mutton

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

In Western Kentucky the BBQ is mutton, and the sauce is vinegary, spiked with Worcestershire sauce. Here's a recipe for black BBQ sauce inspired by Moonlite Bar-B-Q Sauce & Dip. This thin tart sauce cuts the rich fat, making it perfect for use as a deeply penetrating baste as the meat cooks or as a finishing sauce.
louisiana-bbq-sauce

Bayou Bite Louisiana BBQ Sauce Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This Louisiana BBQ sauce recipe is spicy and sweet with Chipotle Tabasco, roasted jalapenos, red peppers, and Steen's Cane Syrup. Referred to as Bayou Bite, this delicious sauce blends sweet and hot peppers for a mildly spicy finishing and dipping sauce for ribs, chicken, steaks, chops and so much more.
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ribs with apple butter bbq sauce

The Ultimate Apple Butter BBQ Sauce

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Take your smoked ribs over the top with this recipe for apple butter enhanced Kansas City-style BBQ sauce. This apple butter BBQ sauce would have Adam eating out of Eve's palm, and sucking on her sauce soaked fingers. Yes, it has lumps. Strain it if you must but it's best as is.
Asian barbecue sauce in a jar

Asian Style BBQ Sauce

With a combination of East-meets-West ingredients, this simple Asian BBQ sauce recipe brings the heat and the sweet to enhance the flavors of your favorite foods. It's especially good as a dipping sauce for fried appetizers like pulled pork egg rolls.
yakitori turkey breast

Want A Happy Mouth? Paint This Japanese Yakitori Sauce On Any Grilled Meat

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Try my recipe for Japanese Happy Mouth Yakitori Sauce on grilled chunks of meat. It is also great on ribs!
ssam jang on Korean grilled pork belly

Ssam Jang: The Secret Sauce of Korean Grilling

By:

Dave Joachim

Here's the classic Korean sauce for grilled meats rolled up in lettuce leaves. This savory, slightly sweet and spicy ssam jang recipe includes doenjang (Korean miso), gochujang (Korean chile paste), green onions, garlic, and sesame oil. It's perfect for any grilled meat. Roll up and enjoy!
Jazzy Hog BBQ sauce glazed pork chops

Jazzy Hog Competition Barbecue Glaze

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This sweet, slightly spicy glaze will jazz up your barbecue and is a nod to the much loved Blues Hog sauce.
The Ultimate Brown Sugar And Mustard Glaze Recipe

The Ultimate Brown Sugar And Mustard Glaze Recipe

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Danny Gaulden's recipe for a barbecue sauce glaze with brown sugar and mustard is simple and wonderful on barbecue or ham. While most sauces hides the meat and rub, this glaze really lets your rub shine through. It is great on ribs, and it is killer on smoked sausage and that Easter ham.
Brushing glaze onto a smoked ham

Chris Lilly’s Spiced Apricot Sauce

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

This sweet apricot glaze recipe is not only perfect for ham but is wonderful on many other pork cuts as well. Developed by one of the world's top pitmasters, Chris Lilly, this sauce is sure to be an instant hit with your family and guests.
Guy Fieri Food cookbook cover

Guy Fieri’s Cuban Mojo Sauce Recipe For Ribs

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Here is a recipe for a flavorful Caribbean style mojo sauce. Mojo sauce is extremely popular in Cuba and Puerto Rico where every mother has her own recipe, usually relying heavily on garlic, olive oil, citrus. Here Fieri has paired his mojo with pork ribs, but it is also wonderful on chicken, fish, and beef.
smoked mullet at starfish

The Best Tartar Sauce For Fish And Other Seafood

By:

Meathead, BBQ Hall of Famer

Tartar sauce is the popular condiment for grilled or smoked fish. While many store bought tartar sauces can be bland and boring, this home made version is sure to become your go-to side sauce for your favorite fish dishes.

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Published On: 5/3/2019 Last Modified: 2/13/2024

 

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