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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!
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Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe for Ribs
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.
Rib Sauce Ingredients
- brown sugar
- ketchup
- apple cider vinegar
- water
- Worcestershire sauce
- chili powder
- paprika
- dry minced garlic powder
- dry minced onion powder
- salt
- black pepper
- cayenne pepper
A blend of brown sugar, ketchup, and apple cider vinegar make this BBQ sauce recipe essentially a North Carolina BBQ sauce.
BBQ Sauce Recipe for Ribs
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately drop the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Let the sauce cool. Pour into an airtight container to store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. Or use immediately!
Best 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.
- Pair this BBQ sauce with one of our homemade BBQ rubs.
Pork Ribs 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.
BBQ Sauce for Ribs FAQs
Beef ribs pair well with a BBQ sauce that is a combination of sweet, spicy, and tangy. My homemade ribs BBQ sauce combines brown sugar with spices like chili pepper and cayenne, along with ketchup, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce, to create the best blend of flavors for ribs.
You can easily make your own BBQ sauce for ribs by combining BBQ sauce ingredients in a saucepan and cooking the sauce down to your desired consistency. By making homemade BBQ sauce, you can control how thick or thin the sauce is and what spices go into it.
It is less expensive to make your own BBQ sauce than to buy it bottled. By combining a few pantry ingredients you likely already have on hand, you can create several cups worth of BBQ sauce for much less than it would cost to buy a single bottle of sauce.
Barbecue Sauce Types
- 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 with authentic maple syrup to make maple BBQ sauce.
How to Store Barbecue 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.
Ribs Recipes
Pair my ribs recipes and BBQ sauce for ribs with my Dry Rub for Ribs!
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BBQ Sauce for Ribs
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups ketchup
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
2
teaspoons salt- 1 tablespoon dry minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dry minced onion
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon of cayenne more for a spicier result
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine all the ingredients.1 ½ cup brown sugar, 1 ½ cups ketchup, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 ½ tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon dry minced garlic, 1 tablespoon dry minced onion, 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon of cayenne
- Bring to a boil and immediately drop the heat to low.
- Pour into an airtight container for storage. Or use immediately!
Video
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
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