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BBQ Sauce for Ribs

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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!

bbq sauce in a jar with a spoon
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Best Ribs BBQ Sauce

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.

I would love to know what you serve with my ribs BBQ sauce! Leave a comment and let me know.

overhead photo of bbq sauce in a jar

Ribs Sauce FAQs

What BBQ sauce is good on ribs?

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.

How do I make BBQ sauce 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.

Is it cheaper to make your own BBQ sauce?

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.

BBQ Sauce Ingredients

  • brown sugar
  • ketchup
  • apple cider vinegar
  • water
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • chili powder
  • paprika
  • dry minced garlic
  • dry minced onion
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • cayenne

A blend of brown sugar, ketchup, and apple cider vinegar make this BBQ sauce recipe essentially a North Carolina BBQ sauce.

bbq sauce ingredients on a table in bowls

How to Make BBQ Sauce for Ribs

  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately drop the heat to low.
    mixing ingredients for bbq sauce in a pot
  2. Pour into an airtight container to store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
    bbq sauce in a pot ready to use

Making 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.

Ingredients for 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.

Types of BBQ Sauce

  • 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 for authentic maple syrup to make maple BBQ sauce.
bbq sauce in a jar up close

How to Store BBQ 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.

Best Ribs Recipes

Pair my ribs recipes and BBQ sauce for ribs with my Dry Rub for Ribs!

a spoonful of bbq sauce in a jar

Beef Sauce Recipes

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Best BBQ Sauce for Ribs

Learn how to make BBQ sauce for ribs and never buy store-bought again! You will love this easy homemade BBQ sauce for grilling and more.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time15 mins
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bbq ribs sauce, bbq sauce for ribs, how to make bbq sauce, ribs bbq sauce
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 878kcal
Author: Isabel Laessig

Equipment

  • 1 saucepan

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 ½ cups ketchup
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ 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. Bring to a boil and immediately drop the heat to low.
    1 ½ cup brown sugar, 1 ½ cups ketchup, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, ½ 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
    mixing ingredients for bbq sauce in a pot
  • Pour into an airtight container for storage.
    bbq sauce in a pot ready to use

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

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 878kcal | Carbohydrates: 224g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1898mg | Potassium: 1118mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 201g | Vitamin A: 3911IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 220mg | Iron: 4mg
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About Isabel Laessig

Isabel Laessig, better known as Family Foodie and the founder of the Sunday Supper Movement, is passionate about food and family! She is the author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook, and makes regular television appearances to spread her mission of bringing Sunday Supper back around the family table in every home.

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