# Homemade bbq sauce questions



## stinkypetejones (Jun 8, 2022)

What’s up folks! So I recently tried my hand at making my own bbq sauce. I used a ketchup base using whataburger spicy ketchup. It turned out ridiculously good so much so that all the fellas at my job loved it too and want some, surprised me honestly. Here’s my question, using a ketchup base like that makes it almost seemed too easy and makes me feel like a fraud like I stole it kinda lol. So I’m wondering if anyone can point me to a post or website with a crash course of making my own sauce with my own flavor I can serve and be proud that people enjoy as much as I do. Sounds dumb I’m sure but I’m hoping someone can help me out a bit. Thanks in advance.


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## schlotz (Jun 8, 2022)

The 'my own flavor' part is what's going to be the hard part. Only you can determine what that might be.  There are plenty of recipes on the web and it doesn't take much a google search to bring them to light. Find one you think you might like. Try it, then experiment with changes in amounts, adds or deletes. No silver bullet here, at least not that I know of.  If interested there are a few in the sig below.


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## DougE (Jun 8, 2022)

stinkypetejones said:


> Here’s my question, using a ketchup base like that makes it almost seemed too easy and makes me feel like a fraud like I stole it kinda lol.


You are taking off the shelf ingredients and formulating them into your own recipe already, so I wouldn't call it stealing. Unless you want to make your own ketchup from tomatoes you grew, make your own vinegar, grow your own spices, etc, you will always be combining stuff you bought off the shelf into your own recipe.


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## 1MoreFord (Jun 11, 2022)

Most home made BBQ sauces start using store bought ketchup and other ingredients from a store.
The ones that make it to the store shelves themselves are then generally reverse engineered by the co-packer to make use of cheaper ingredients and obscure the recipe even more.


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## noboundaries (Jun 11, 2022)

I tried to make my own sauces from scratch using spices, herbs, bottled sweeteners (molasses, etc), vinegars, and canned tomato products. Avoided ketchup. Many yucks and discards. Tried a few with ketchup. Meh. Finally decided to just keep doctoring Sweet Baby Rays original.

Much respect to folks who can make their own sauce.


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## stinkypetejones (Jun 11, 2022)

Thanks for the replies. Like you all have said a pastry chef friend of mine said as well. Any addition or subtraction to a recipe makes it my own recipe so keep trucking with it. So that’s what I’ll do, keep tweaking what I’ve made and really nail it down. Again this forum helps again.


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## danbury (Jul 25, 2022)

stinkypetejones said:


> What’s up folks! So I recently tried my hand at making my own bbq sauce. I used a ketchup base using whataburger spicy ketchup. It turned out ridiculously good so much so that all the fellas at my job loved it too and want some, surprised me honestly. Here’s my question, using a ketchup base like that makes it almost seemed too easy and makes me feel like a fraud like I stole it kinda lol. So I’m wondering if anyone can point me to a post or website with a crash course of making my own sauce with my own flavor I can serve and be proud that people enjoy as much as I do. Sounds dumb I’m sure but I’m hoping someone can help me out a bit. Thanks in advance.


Late to the party, but I have been using a ketchup based bbq sauce now for almost 45 years and don't feel the least bit like I was cheating.  I made some today and modified it slightly, but that good old ketchup is still there.  It's an ingredient like anything else and as some have said, "make it your own".


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## SmokinVOLfan (Jul 25, 2022)

I like the idea of using spicy ketchup. I make sauce all of the time and its always from ingredients such as ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, spices, etc... Make it your own and have fun with it!


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## danbury (Jul 25, 2022)

SmokinVOLfan said:


> I like the idea of using spicy ketchup. I make sauce all of the time and its always from ingredients such as ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, spices, etc... Make it your own and have fun with it!


I have to remember to try some spicy ketchup some day.  My wife can't handle spicy things very well anymore.  Thanks for the tip!


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## sawhorseray (Jul 25, 2022)

noboundaries said:


> I tried to make my own sauces from scratch using spices, herbs, bottled sweeteners (molasses, etc), vinegars, and canned tomato products. Avoided ketchup. Many yucks and discards. Tried a few with ketchup. Meh. Finally decided to just keep doctoring Sweet Baby Rays original.
> 
> Much respect to folks who can make their own sauce.


I quit trying to make my own eons ago. I don't even try a little doctoring of the SBR, what comes out of the bottle is good enough for me. RAY


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## Nate52 (Jul 25, 2022)

I'm sure just about everyone's secret homemade sauce is going to be based on off the shelf ingredients. And a lot of times off the shelf bbq sauces that they just add to. No shame in it.

My father in law made his sauce for over twenty years before he decided to go into business. He obviously couldn't put stuff like "ketchup" or "worcestershire sauce" on the ingredients part of the label. So before he could go legit, he had to work with a professional chef to break everything down to its base ingredients for submittal.


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## SmokinVOLfan (Jul 26, 2022)

Nate52 said:


> I'm sure just about everyone's secret homemade sauce is going to be based on off the shelf ingredients. And a lot of times off the shelf bbq sauces that they just add to. No shame in it.
> 
> My father in law made his sauce for over twenty years before he decided to go into business. He obviously couldn't put stuff like "ketchup" or "worcestershire sauce" on the ingredients part of the label. So before he could go legit, he had to work with a professional chef to break everything down to its base ingredients for submittal.



Nice! Is his sauce still in production?


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## Nate52 (Jul 26, 2022)

SmokinVOLfan said:


> Nice! Is his sauce still in production?


Still going. He got big enough that he had to get a co-packer to make it.

Things slowed down a couple years ago between his real job, aging parents, and the pandemic. He had been talking to Kroger about selling it regionally, but that fell through. He's mostly in smaller markets in the Detroit area.


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## bbqjefff (Aug 1, 2022)

Great idea using Whataburger spicy ketchup!


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## Hijack73 (Aug 1, 2022)

My homemade sauce is 75% Sweet Baby Rays........

And as RAY said above, it's good enough put of the bottle that I don't do anything else to it 90% of the time!


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## normanaj (Aug 1, 2022)

I make my own with Melindas habenero ketchup and RC cola/Coke or root beer.Basically equal parts which is a can of cola to a bottle of ketchup and let it simmer till I get the consistency I want.Super simple yet totally tweakable.


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