I’ve been meaning to start making my own barbecue sauce, because most of the store bought ones have corn syrup or anchovies in them. gross. I’m a big fan of sweet barbecue sauces (like sweet baby rays), so this is my attempt at home made barbecue sauce:

Sweet Texas Barbecue Sauce
makes about 8oz/1 cup

• 1/4c molasses
• 1/4c tomato sauce
• 1/4c pineapple juice
• 2T distilled vinegar
• 1T onion powder
• 1/2T garlic powder
• 1t liquid smoke
• 1/2t dry mustard
• 1/4t salt
• 1t black pepper
• 1/2t chili powder (optional, if you like some heat)
• 1T brown sugar (optional, if you like it REALLY sweet)

combine all ingredients in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, and let boil for approx 5-10 minutes, or until thick. You can add a starch (like cornstarch) to thicken it up a big more, if you’d like, but I prefer to just cook the liquid out. Allow to cool, then store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

For a sauce with more body, consider adding 1/4c crushed pineapple. Sweet Baby Ray’s ingredient list also includes tamarind paste, so if you can get your hands on some, I’d suggest adding it.