Quick to whip up and a star on the grill, this Quick and Easy Barbecue Sauce is bound to become your grilling go-to. It makes a decent dipping sauce if you need something quick,. but where it really shines in being used as a marinade and then brushed over your finished flame-grilled meats. We’re talking finger-licking good here!
Ingredient Notes
- Ketchup
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Dry Mustard
- Smoked Paprika
- Tabasco Sauce
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
How to Make Quick and Easy Barbecue Sauce
- Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl: ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, dry mustard, smoked paprika, Tabasco sauce, Kosher salt, black pepper, and water.
- Whisk until smooth and use as a topping, a dipping sauce, or a marinade.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished sauce in an airtight jar or container in the fridge. It should last for a quite awhile, as it doesn’t contain any ingredients that spoil quickly.
- Try this sauce on Baby Back Ribs. My absolute favorite is on grilled chicken thighs. Marinate the thighs for at least a few hours, then grill and brush with more sauce in a the last few minutes of grilling.
Frequently Asked Questions
The tabasco sauce here adds flavor, but it doesn’t add a ton of heat. Feel free to mix up the rest of the sauce and just add a little at a time, tasting as you go, to make sure you like the level of spice.
I have not tried tomato paste in this particular recipe, but many barbecue sauces start with a tomato paste base to produce a nice, thick sauce. If you’d like to try it, remember that ketchup has sugar and vinegar added to it already, so you may need to make some adjustments to your finished sauce according to your taste.
Quick and Easy BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups ketchup
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse freshly-ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Whisk ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
- Store finished sauce in an airtight jar or container in the fridge. It should last for a quite awhile, as it doesn’t contain any ingredients that spoil quickly.
- Try this sauce on Baby Back Ribs. My absolute favorite is on grilled chicken thighs. Marinate the thighs for at least a few hours, then grill and brush with more sauce in a the last few minutes of grilling.
Questions & Reviews
Thanks, Kate! Hi. And just so you know, your site is as addicting as all the foods you post! We just had the muddy buddies for a snack and this last week alone we've had the baked potato soup, to which my hubby replied, "this can't be good for you." I took that as a compliment. 😉 Then we had the Jambalaya and Italian Turkey soup, not on the same night. Thanks so much for all your hard work! I can't wait for the BBQ legs, they've been marinating all night. mmmmmmm. I'm also an obsessor of food. 😉
Amy Ruth–What I would probably do is just stick them in a 450-degree oven for about 5-7 minutes per side and then maybe turn the broiler on for a minute or two to get a little bit of char on them. They won't taste EXACTLY like they were on the grill, but close! 🙂
Hi, by the way! 🙂
And when I say 'bad boys', I'm referring to the BBQ chicken legs. That is what's for dinner tonight!
Do you think these bad boys could be thrown into a crockpot??? We just got 6 inches of snow and the grill isn't coming out. 😉 Thanks!
This sauce is amazing! We tried it tonight for the first time and LOVED it. Thank you so much. My husband compared it to Famous Dave's bbq sauce.
Katrina!!! Thanks SO much for calling me out on the Worcestershire Sauce! I fixed it. I’m so glad it was still good for you, even with my gigantic, GLARING omission! 🙂
question – why is there a picture of worcestershire sauce in the ingredient picture and none listed on the ingredient list?
(PS – i made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING despite no worcestershire and substitutions for hot sauce and red wine vinegar Ãœ)
Erin, you could totally do that! I think it would probably stay good in the fridge for about a week and in the freezer for a couple of months. But it’s never made it that far in my house… 🙂
Sara, mind-reading is just one of my many special abilities… 🙂
you read my mind Kate- I’ve been wanting a good homemade bbq sauce!
Also- love that bowl!
How long will this stay good in the fridge? Have you ever tried freezing it? (Like maybe putting some chicken in it, freezing it, and then thawing it to bbq?)