# Bbq Sauce Refrigerator Life Span?



## markh024 (Jan 27, 2018)

What is the general life span of homemade Bbq Sauces in refrigerators that are not air sealed? I'm sure ingredients play a big part but wondering if there is a guide to refer to. I'd like to make more of my own sauces but volume will depend on life.


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## dave schiller (Jan 27, 2018)

As always, it depends.  If it has molasses, sugar, ketchup, etc. in it, I would guess it will last for about 6 months.  If it is the Eastern North Carolina style containing only water, vinegar, and pepper, it should last indefinitely.  Not sure what you mean by "not air sealed."


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## markh024 (Jan 27, 2018)

Thanks Dave. Meant just jarred and not vac sealed air tight.


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## SonnyE (Jan 27, 2018)

Mine consists of Sweet Baby Rays, doctored up with (dried) granulated Garlic, black pepper, Lowery's Seasoned Salt, Montreal Steak Seasoning, and a glob of Sage Honey.
I mix it up in a glass bowl with an air tight plastic lid. The longer it sits, the more the flavors mellow together. I don't recall a time line, but typically I have some setting ready for a small BBQ. 
Fresh mixed, I like to do a few hours ahead of time.
I smell it, and it has always smelled good. Taste it, and it has always tasted good. And will often just add more SBR and dry ingredients. Or mix up a brand new batch.
But I buy my SBR in a half gallon jug at Sam's Club, and keep it in the fridge.
I don't remember any ever going 'bad' on me.

Truth be told, it may have enough preservatives in it to mummify a small cat.
And after I dose it up, probably nothing could grow out of it. :rolleyes:


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## SmokinAl (Jan 27, 2018)

I'm not sure either, but I have some homemade sauce that's at least 1 year old & it still tastes like the day I made it. 
Same situation as you, in a jar, but not vac sealed in the fridge.
Al


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## johnmeyer (Jan 27, 2018)

I make a lot of Jeff's BBQ sauce (I highly recommend you buy his rub & BBQ sauce recipes). I usually go through it pretty fast, but have sometimes kept it around for 2-3 months. I store it in the fridge in an empty squeeze Ketchup plastic containers. Given the ingredient list and the refrigeration, I am not worried at all about food safety, and I'm also not particularly worried about the taste going off. The vinegar in the sauce makes a pretty good preservative.

My only slight worry is that it does contain bits of real garlic, and I am sure that this will break down over time.

I almost never throw anything away unless it really smells or tastes foul, and my homemade BBQ sauce has never come close to doing either.


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## chef jimmyj (Jan 27, 2018)

There is not much in BBQ Sauce that is conducive to bacterial growth. High acidity, salt and water binding sugar all inhibit bacteria. Add refrigeration and I see 6 to 12 months as no issue with ketchup/tomato based sauces...JJ


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## dave schiller (Jan 28, 2018)

Consider that from an historical aspect, one of the primary purposes of bbq sauce was as a *preservative*.  Also, it added flavor.


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## tallbm (Jan 28, 2018)

As guys are hitting on.  If you have proper acidity content and haven't done anything odd with/to it then it should last a good long while.

I bought a digital PH tester and base testing liquids for making sure my sauces had the proper acidity to be safe when canned and would hold up in the fridge

It isn't as hardcore as what is suppose to be done for commercially approved recipes but it seems like a viable option that is heavily used for this purpose or similar ones.  I read that the PH strips are not acceptable at all.

Safety rules for canning and sauces like you are talking about are that a PH of 4.6 or lower and you can water bath can the item.  A PH greater than 4.6 needs to be pressure canned.  So a PH of 4.6 is the borderline, you want lower.

I think my few sauces are a PH of 3.4-3.8 so they are well under the 4.6 borderline.  I also believe that over time the PH of your sauce will go up so items that are around 4.6 will not be safe longer than an item at 3.6 :)

Please be sure to read up on this stuff and double check what I am saying.  We are all responsible for our own safety :)

Anyhow, make good safe sauce and it will last in your fridge or in a canned format for a loooong time :)


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## noboundaries (Jan 28, 2018)

All this is good to know. One of the reasons I haven't made my own sauce is that I remember reading somewhere that an uncanned homemade sauce should be used up in 2-3 weeks.  I don't can and I don't use sauce enough to meet that timeframe, so I've stuck to SBRs.  Time to make my own!


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## tallbm (Jan 28, 2018)

noboundaries said:


> All this is good to know. One of the reasons I haven't made my own sauce is that I remember reading somewhere that an uncanned homemade sauce should be used up in 2-3 weeks.  I don't can and I don't use sauce enough to meet that timeframe, so I've stuck to SBRs.  Time to make my own!



Often when making sauce you will simmer it.  This makes it sterile.  I will then just pour it into a bottle and viola it is ready to use or go in the fridge.  I bought these BPA free food grade plastic bottles with disk lids (like shampoo bottle lids) and I fill them up and use them in the fridge, just don't melt them lol.

I also fill them with my canned sauces and put them in the fridge.  I almost cached out my Peri Peri sauce with some grilled Peri Peri chicken I made last night and ate again for lunch today.  I have a few quarts of the sauce left, I love the stuff!  I also need to make some some hot sauce again sometime soon.  One batch produces 32 ounces for me which lasts indefinitely in those bottles in the fridge.


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## johnmeyer (Jan 28, 2018)

Just curious: why use shampoo bottles when old Ketchup bottles are made for the purpose (i.e., safe plastic) and have a nice squeeze feature? One other bonus, minimal cleanup: I made BBQ sauce last night after reading the first post in this thread, and used up the Ketchup in one bottle. I just poured the finished BBQ sauce back into the Ketchup "bottle" (it is a plastic squeeze bottle) when I was finished, without even bothering to rinse it out, other than to clean the lid of any old crud.

As for sterility, does any of that matter for something that is refrigerated? While refrigeration won't stop spoilage, I always thought it stopped growth of bacteria that create toxins.

Finally, my memories of childhood were greasy-spoon hamburger joints (before McDonalds, etc.) where they'd leave the Ketchup and mustard out on the counter, in the summer, outdoors, all day, every day. I'm not suggesting anyone do that with their homemade BBQ sauce, but it does seem to indicate that Ketchup, which is the main ingredient in my sauce (probably 85% by volume), is pretty darned stable and safe.


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## tallbm (Jan 28, 2018)

johnmeyer said:


> Just curious: why use shampoo bottles when old Ketchup bottles are made for the purpose (i.e., safe plastic) and have a nice squeeze feature? One other bonus, minimal cleanup: I made BBQ sauce last night after reading the first post in this thread, and used up the Ketchup in one bottle. I just poured the finished BBQ sauce back into the Ketchup "bottle" (it is a plastic squeeze bottle) when I was finished, without even bothering to rinse it out, other than to clean the lid of any old crud.
> 
> As for sterility, does any of that matter for something that is refrigerated? While refrigeration won't stop spoilage, I always thought it stopped growth of bacteria that create toxins.



I went on a kick where I was going to stock 3-6 types of sauces in my fridge so I bought the BPA free Food Grade plastic bottles.  I didn't have enough ketchup or other bottles to reuse and there was no way I was going to go through that much existing condiment to save the bottles unless I figured out a ketchup or bbq sauce martini recipe :p 
The disk lids were the best option because the bottle vendor/site didn't offer snap shut or twist top lids (like mustard) and the disk lids were the cheapest :)
I was also able to get them in 16oz and 32oz sizes so I could pour an entire quart or pint jar of my canned sauces into the containers and be fridge ready as needed :)

I made sure to sterile wash all the bottles and lids before using and storing away.  I'm not sure if it really really matters or not but that is basic "canning" practice so I figured it wouldn't hurt to do so with these plastic bottles as well :)

I made it to using Hot Sauce, Peri-Peri sauce and Carolina BBQ sauce.
I have yet to perfect my Rudy's BBQ Sause clone or come up with a good Teriyaki sauce yet to be able to can them or bottle them so they are on the back burner to figure out and once I do then they will be canned and get a bottle in the fridge as well :)
I'll have room for 1 more sauce to come up with or I can just double up on any of the 5 existing sauces that are complete or in the works :)


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## chef jimmyj (Jan 28, 2018)

When it comes to bacteria and food there are two types of concern. Pathogens those that make you sick through eating large numbers of the bacteria or their toxin and Spoilage Bacteria that are harmless if eaten but give the food a bad taste. Most Pathogens don't grow below 40°and the Pathogen Listeria, that can grow in the refrigerator, does not grow in a low pH environment. Spoilage Bacteria can grow at refer temp, milk, meat and other foods go bad even kept at 36°, but they too don't do well with the acid, salt and sugar in BBQ Sauce and if they became an issue, your nose would let you know...JJ


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## markh024 (Jan 29, 2018)

Thanks for all the added info to those who contributed.  Great info and definitely a relief to start experimenting and making my own creations more often.


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## oddegan (Jan 29, 2018)

The only homemade sauce I ever worried about was a mayo based white sauce. It had some vinegar in it but not enough for me to trust it to kill anything that might have been hiding in the eggs. Used almost all of it but after about 10 days I tossed what was left.


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## chef jimmyj (Jan 30, 2018)

oddegan said:


> The only homemade sauce I ever worried about was a mayo based white sauce. It had some vinegar in it but not enough for me to trust it to kill anything that might have been hiding in the eggs. Used almost all of it but after about 10 days I tossed what was left.



This too is nothing to worry about using a commercial Mayo brand like Hellman's. The eggs in the commercial Mayo are pasteurized and the Vinegar puts the pH around 4, similar  to Ketchup. Add the Salt and additional Vinegar and White BBQ Sauce has the refer shelf life of Twinkies...JJ


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## oddegan (Jan 30, 2018)

I agree with you on the Hellmans but I usually make my own and that is a different kettle of fish.


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## johnmeyer (Jan 30, 2018)

oddegan said:


> I agree with you on the Hellmans but I usually make my own and that is a different kettle of fish.


Just curious: when you make your own, do you pasteurize the eggs? I have a sous vide, which let me pasteurize the eggs while still keeping them liquid, so they can be use to emulsify the oil. It tastes about the same, but is a long extra step, so I don't always do it. Just curious if you do.


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## oddegan (Jan 30, 2018)

I've only had my sous vide since Christmas and I haven't had an opportunity to do that yet. Next time I make I will be taking that extra step.


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