Let me tell you, homemade BBQ sauce is 1000 x's better than the bottled stuff.
I guess it's no surprise, since homemade anything is better than store bought (well...usually).
This BBQ sauce (or a similar version) was given to our family by a colleague of my husband. He gave us a nice big mason jar full of the stuff, and we really enjoyed it. When my husband asked for the recipe, he was told that it had a "secret ingredient" in it. Huh? What kind of secret ingredient could you put in BBQ sauce? Funny..
Well, turns out the secret ingredient is iced tea! Since I love iced tea, this was a must try. You can't taste the iced tea, but it was still intriguing.
For years and years, I've been on a hunt for a good BBQ sauce recipe and nothing really knocked my socks off. This here though...this is a winner!
It is a bit bold, but of course, the recipe can be tweaked easily. If you'd like a milder version, you can cut back on the black pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
Source: BBQ University
📖 Recipe
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- ¾ cup iced tea
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons A-1 steak sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (see note)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in medium sized saucepan
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes until thickened
- Makes about 2 cups; recipe can be doubled.
- Enjoy!
Lu ann says
Why would you use luquid,smoke when you can use lapsong souchong tea or one from tge Yunnan province of china
Marie says
that sounds good! but are these teas easy to find I wonder?
Carole says
Lovely work! Would you be happy to link it in to the current Food on Friday which is about all things BBQ? This is the link . I do hope to see you there. Cheers
Mo says
Interesting recipe! What kind of iced tea do you suggest?
Marie says
I would stick with regular iced tea- canned, or homemade is fine. Just avoid the flavors like peach etc. I used pre-made diet cause that's what I had onhand .