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    Home » Type » Sauces and Condiments » Savory Sauces

    BBQ Sauce

    Published: Sep 1, 2010 · Modified: Apr 17, 2022 by Faith · This post may contain affiliate links · 47 Comments

    I wanted to share my favorite recipe for BBQ sauce in time for Labor Day grilling this weekend.  I know there are a few decent varieties of BBQ sauce available in the grocery store, but once you make it yourself you may never want store-bought again.  Which is ok because from start to finish, it’s less than 30 minutes until you are (or the grillmaster in your house is) in BBQ sauce heaven. 

    BBQ Sauce

    (Yield:  About 1 c)

    1 c pomegranate juice (such as POM Wonderful)

    ½ c apple cider vinegar

    ⅓ c lemon juice

    3 oz tomato paste

    ⅓ c plus 1 TB brown sugar, lightly packed

    1 clove garlic, peeled and cracked

    1-inch piece ginger

    1 bay leaf

    1 teaspoon mustard powder

    1 teaspoon ground cumin

    ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)

    ½ teaspoon salt

    ¼ teaspoon black pepper

    Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to low and simmer (uncovered) until thickened and reduced by half (about 25 minutes).  Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve; store in the fridge.

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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. My Carolina Kitchen says

      September 08, 2010 at 5:41 am

      Yum. I love your BBQ sauce. I've got to try it with the POM.
      Sam

      Reply
    2. FOODESSA says

      September 07, 2010 at 5:51 am

      Faith...with all these incredibly flavourful ingredients...how can it not be the very best...second in line to mine of course. LOL
      I may no longer have my grill...but I can assure you...this recipe of yours will be put to good use ;o)

      Ciao bella...have a great week.
      Claudia

      Reply
    3. Julie says

      September 06, 2010 at 2:38 pm

      Thanks for linking this up to our SO Long Summer Blog BBQ. This looks delicious.

      Reply
    4. Chiara says

      September 04, 2010 at 3:04 am

      I love home made BBQ sauce... so much better than what you can buy at the store. I love it because it's customizable and one can play with different flavors to make it perfect!

      Reply
    5. MaryMoh says

      September 04, 2010 at 2:32 am

      Love that sticky look. Beautiful sauce. I can't wait to have another BBQ :D

      Reply
    6. theUngourmet says

      September 03, 2010 at 10:07 pm

      Such a great sauce. I love the POM in here! :) Have a great Labor Day weekend!

      Reply
    7. ingrid says

      September 03, 2010 at 8:40 pm

      Alright! I have some POM juice and the last BBQ sauce recipe I tried with it wasn't very good. Can't wait to try yours.
      ~ingrid

      Reply
    8. marla {family fresh cooking} says

      September 03, 2010 at 5:54 pm

      Thanks for sharing your favorite BBQ sauce with us. POM is such a wonderful ingredient. It thickens so nicely and adds lots of flavor. This sauce would be great slathered over everything. Have a wonderful long weekend :) xo

      Reply
    9. Emily Z says

      September 03, 2010 at 4:01 pm

      I am curious how sweet this is. Matthew's very picky about his BBQ sauces (we ARE from Kansas City, after all!) but this could be worth trying sometime.

      Reply
    10. Alessandra says

      September 03, 2010 at 11:54 am

      What a great sauce, I could use it for tofu!!!

      Reply
    11. kirsten says

      September 03, 2010 at 11:23 am

      Love the pomegranate juice, secret ingredient! Definitely need to try this soon.

      Reply
    12. Lynn says

      September 03, 2010 at 9:32 am

      Well, all I have to say about this is . . . yum! Your sauce looks so appetizing. It's hard not to salivate ;)

      Reply
    13. Reeni says

      September 03, 2010 at 7:23 am

      What a delicious barbecue sauce! I like that you used POM as the base for it - I can only imagine how rich the flavor is.

      Reply
    14. kim says

      September 03, 2010 at 5:19 am

      I love how you incorporate all the healthy ingredients into the BBQ sauce. Makes you feeling less guilty about eating more during the Labor Day cookout. :)

      Reply
    15. coco says

      September 03, 2010 at 4:15 am

      WOOOO!!! homemade BBQ sauce! Thanks for sharing! :)

      Reply
    16. Barbara says

      September 03, 2010 at 3:59 am

      Homemade BBQ sauce is a must, Faith. I love that you used Pom in your recipe! Great balance of flavors.
      Have a great Labor Day BBQ!

      Reply
    17. Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella says

      September 03, 2010 at 12:03 am

      Mmm I love a good home made BBQ sauce! It jsut really signs with flavour and has all of these lovely spices in it! Yours looks amazing Faith! :D

      Reply
    18. BeadedTail says

      September 02, 2010 at 7:41 pm

      Since I grew up near Kansas City, BBQ sauce is a staple in our house! Love the idea of adding POM to it!

      Reply
    19. Carol says

      September 02, 2010 at 7:18 pm

      Love homemade bbq sauce and especially the addition of pom juice! This looks fantastic!

      Reply
    20. Heavenly Housewife says

      September 02, 2010 at 8:53 pm

      Your BBQ sauce makes me wish that I actually got to do a barbeque this summer. Ahhh... drool...
      Great sauce, sweet and spicy.
      *kisses* HH

      Reply
    21. The Southern Cookbook says

      September 02, 2010 at 6:43 pm

      I know this has got to be good. I could of used this one on my chicken wings I made last night! yummy!

      Reply
    22. Joanne says

      September 02, 2010 at 8:25 pm

      I absolutely refuse to buy BBQ sauce anymore! After making my own, the store ones taste way too sweet. I love the pomegranate juice in this. It must give it such a nice tangy flavor!

      Reply
    23. Priyanka says

      September 02, 2010 at 6:22 pm

      Great recipe, I love the addition of POM to the sauce. I am going to try this recipe soon!

      Reply
    24. Maria @ ScandiFoodie says

      September 02, 2010 at 5:14 pm

      Great recipe Faith! Thanks for sharing, I'll keep this in mind for the upcoming BBQ season!

      Reply
    25. Mary says

      September 02, 2010 at 4:34 pm

      What a terrific sauce. Your photos look professional. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

      Reply
    26. grace says

      September 02, 2010 at 3:02 pm

      pomegranate juice is an interesting touch! and for me, it wouldn't be barbecue sauce without that dried mustard--it's key!

      Reply
    27. Jen says

      September 02, 2010 at 1:43 pm

      Sounds delicious and no high fructose corn syrup - yay!

      Reply
    28. Louanne says

      September 02, 2010 at 12:52 pm

      Yum! Add POM to my grocery list for this weekend's bbq!

      Reply
    29. Mo says

      September 02, 2010 at 12:48 pm

      Oooh I bet this is spectacular! Nice touch with the POM! :D

      Reply
    30. Rosa says

      September 02, 2010 at 11:28 am

      So delicious! That spiy BBQ sauce must be divine.

      Cheers,

      Rosa

      Reply
    31. Nicole, RD says

      September 02, 2010 at 11:16 am

      With POM!? YUMMMM! I've made my own before, too...and you're right, so much better than anything bottled from the store! I am definitely saving this to try! And tonight (or maybe tomorrow) I'm making your spumoni cake! Can't wait!

      Reply
    32. Katerina says

      September 02, 2010 at 11:14 am

      Pomegranate on BBQ sauce. I love it. You are right, it is far more better the homemade than the store bought.

      Reply
    33. Blond Duck says

      September 02, 2010 at 11:01 am

      I LOVE bbq sauce!

      Reply
    34. Carolyn Jung says

      September 02, 2010 at 9:59 am

      I like the addition of the pomegranate juice for tang and fruitiness. This sounds like one complex and satisfying sauce.

      Reply
    35. Lazaro says

      September 02, 2010 at 9:49 am

      Faith,

      Great flavor profile on your BBQ sauce. Bravo!

      Reply
    36. Ameena says

      September 02, 2010 at 9:34 am

      It never occured to me that I could make my own BBQ sauce! This is brilliant because now I don't have to invest in a giant bottle, only to throw it out a few months later since I use it so rarely.

      Thanks Faith!

      One week to go!

      Reply
    37. nancy at good food matters says

      September 02, 2010 at 7:52 am

      Fantastic, Faith! I am all about using other fruit ingredients for Barbeque sauce (I tried one with black raspberries earlier this year) Pomegranate is a terrific idea---
      Have a fun and tasty Labor Day!

      Reply
    38. HPD says

      September 02, 2010 at 7:12 am

      BBQ ... some think the Hatfield and McCoy split started over a BBQ sauce argument. To use mustard or not, sweet or not, hot or not ...

      Reply
    39. Roti n Rice says

      September 02, 2010 at 7:02 am

      Your homemade bbq sauce sounds fantastic! Must be great with all kinds of meats.

      Reply
    40. Dana says

      September 02, 2010 at 6:55 am

      I love the idea of making your own BBQ sauce! I'm sure this is delicious. Added bonus: I can identify all of the ingredients, unlike in many store-bought varieties.

      Reply
    41. Angie's Recipes says

      September 02, 2010 at 5:51 am

      Homemade bbq sauce! I would love to try it too.

      Reply
    42. 5 Star Foodie says

      September 02, 2010 at 7:23 am

      Wonderful bbq sauce - love the pom in it!

      Reply
    43. indie.tea says

      September 02, 2010 at 2:12 am

      Oo, it looks delicious, and the photographs are lovely. I bet the homemade sauce is sooo much better than store-bought.

      Reply
    44. Louise Mellor says

      September 01, 2010 at 8:36 pm

      You are right about making it yourself, it's soooo much better. POM... huh? That sounds like a really great idea, the fruity tartness would be perfect for bbq sauce. I use to make tons of homemade jelly and preserves with the help of pomegranate juice. You should check out my blackberry chipotle sauce, I think you would like it.
      http://2besatisfied.blogspot.com/2010/07/pulled-chicken-sliders-with-blackberry.html
      ~Chef Louise

      Reply
    45. Anna Johnston says

      September 01, 2010 at 8:16 pm

      I'm off to the store to buy Pomegranate juice, its the only thing I'm missing. Thanks for sharing :)

      Reply
    46. Cara says

      September 01, 2010 at 7:42 pm

      All those ingredients together, I am sure, would make the perfect BBQ sauce...a keeper for sure.
      I love BBQ sauce for its usual purpose...but I also like dipping other things into it as well...grilled veggies for example. Yum

      Reply
    47. Veronica says

      September 01, 2010 at 8:49 pm

      Wow, you're too cool for making your own sauce. I've always wanted to and now I have the perfect recipe to try! Thanks.

      Reply

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