Cue the BBQ recipes this holiday week! For me, it’s all about the sauce. THIS sauce! I love any and all BBQ sauces, so it’s hard for me to pick a favorite. I love sweet sauces, smoky sauces, bold sauces, even spicy sauces! So I created this recipe to incorporate all of my favorite elements using simple ingredients.
This sauce is fantastic on grilled chicken drumsticks, hamburgers, ribs, anything! And the best part, this sauce can be totally customized. Use your imagination and make it your own, but I guarantee you’ll WOW your guests with this sauce at any get-together!

Homemade Sweet & Smoky BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 16 ounces beer dark or lager works best, but any beer will work
- 1 1/2 c organic kechup
- 1/2 c brown sugar
- 4 T honey
- 1/2 c brown sugar
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 c molasses unsulfured
- 2 t pepper
- 1 t liquid smoke
- 1 t cumin
- 1 T garlic powder
- Coarse salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat stove to medium heat and add olive oil
- Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes
- Add a splash of the beer to deglaze bits from bottom of pan
- When beer stops intense foaming, add remaining beer a simmer until reduced by half
- Add remaining ingredients and stir until fully combined
- Simmer until desired thickness
- Turn off heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth (carefully, sauce will be hot)
- Taste to adjust any spices
- Cool completely and store for up to 2 weeks
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