Name: Tangy Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 3/4 C ketchup; 3/4 C water; 1/4 C apple cider vinegar; 1 tsp white vinegar; 1/4 C plus 2 tbsp brown sugar; 2 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce; 1 tbsp chile powder; 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp black pepper; pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste; 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

A couple of weeks ago our friend had us over for a smoked brisket dinner and he made this outstanding bbq sauce to slather all over the meat. Being from Texas I’m used to thick, sweet and smoky sauce, but after having this tangy/sweet homemade sauce, I’ve seen the light!

This Tangy Homemade Barbecue Sauce originated with Aaron Franklin – the famous barbecue guy down in Austin, Texas. Texas monthly says that Franklin’s BBQ is “Serving the Best Barbecue in the Known Universe!”

I leave the brisket-making in our house to Bret. His method is super simple – get a brisket (fat on, also called ‘packer trim’). Put that brisket in a roasting pan fat side up and stick it in a 200° oven for about 10 hours until a giant fork slides easily in and out of the meat.

No salt, no pepper – no seasoning whatsoever. Drizzle this awesome bbq sauce on that brisket and your life is complete. Really.

It takes all of 15 minutes to make the sauce, including measuring out the ingredients. You put everything in a big saucepan, stir them together and simmer for a few minutes.

I adapted Mr. Franklin’s recipe a bit to our tastes and will note those changes in my Tips and Stuff notes. The original is too vinegary for us (1/2 cup) so I cut that in half, added some red pepper flakes for a tiny kick, a squirt of lemon juice, and a little more brown sugar. Perfection.

The point is you can taste and adjust as you simmer the sauce. Remember though, the flavors meld and mute a bit after the sauce is cooled.

If you’ve never thought about making bbq sauce at home, try this one. Easy ingredients, easy preparation and you end up with a fresh, delicious, tangy/sweet bbq sauce that’s great on brisket, steaks, or burgers.

Tangy Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Yield: 2 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Outstanding homemade barbecue sauce!

Ingredients

1 3/4 C ketchup
3/4 C water
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1 tsp white vinegar
1/4 C plus 2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp chile powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients into a large saucepan and warm gently over medium heat, stirring until all ingredients are combined.
Lower heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to a jar or bottle and refrigerate. Keeps up to 1 month.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

Changes I made from Mr. Franklin's original recipe: added a little more water, omitted 1/4 cup of the white vinegar, added a bit more brown sugar, added red pepper flakes for a little kick, and stirred in lemon juice.

If you're using regular salt instead of kosher salt, use 1/2 teaspoon less.

Before removing from the stove, adjust the spices to your tastes.

It may seem very vinegary, but the flavors meld and the vinegar taste wanes a little after cooled.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 32 Serving Size: 1 tbsp
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 18Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 189mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 0g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

Bret worked in a barbecue joint in East Texas in high school and learned a few tricks of the trade, including this tangy and Spicy BBQ Sauce.

Every time he makes brisket, I insist that he makes this wonderful sauce to go with it. After he had made it two or three times, I shadowed him and finally got the recipe written down for the recipe file.

First, you need to understand the brisket. It’s such a simple recipe that I’m not going to make a separate post for it.

OK, here it is (drum roll, please): turn the oven to 225 degrees, stick the packer brisket (not trimmed) fat side up in the oven and leave it there for 10 hours or until a large fork pulls out freely when stuck into the brisket.

No salt, no pepper, no rub. The fat from the brisket melts down into the brisket and creates the most flavorful, tender brisket you can imagine.

Then, of course, you top it with this delicious homemade barbecue sauce!

The sauce is easy to make, but takes a bit of time to simmer while cooking. There’s nothing better than homemade sauce, and this is one of the best I’ve had.

If you want a tangier, delicious BBQ sauce, try my Tangy Homemade Barbecue Sauce. It’s outstanding!

Spicy BBQ Sauce

Yield: 2 Cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Sweet, spicy, kind of smokey BBQ sauce.

Ingredients

1 sauce pan of water, about 2/3rds full (about 5 Cups of water)
1/2 large onion, quartered
1/2 lemon, quartered
1/4 C. liquid smoke (mesquite is best)
3/4 C. ketchup, room temperature
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne

Instructions

Simmer the water, lemon and onion until they are decimated, about 2 hours. Strain the mixture and throw away the onions and lemon, pouring the
flavored water into a larger pan (like a Dutch oven).
To the flavored water, add the liquid smoke, ketchup, brown sugar and cayenne
and simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally.
Cool and pour into glass jar(s). Refrigerate after completely cooled.
If desired, while the mixture is simmering, put 1 tbsp. flour into a cup and pour about 1/2 C of the sauce into it. Stir until creamy and all lumps are gone. Pour it back into the pan with the bbq sauce and stir thoroughly until blended in. Simmer and occasionally stir at least 15 more minutes until thickened. You can add more flour if you want a thicker sauce.

Notes

Start with the 1/8 tsp. cayenne, but taste - you may want to add more. I accidentally added 1 tsp. instead of 1/2 tsp. and it was wayyyyyy spicy. I then added double ingredients to it (except for the cayenne) and it was still spicy (but good!)

Can be easily doubled. Next time I might even add a little honey to see how that tastes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 32 tablespoons Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 13Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 76mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 0g

Nutrition Values are Approximate