This delicious homemade BBQ offers the perfect balance of savory, sweet, and just the right amount of heat!
We have a favorite brand of store-bought barbecue sauce which we enjoy quite a bit; however, this is our absolute favorite of all BBQ sauces! I've tried my hand at homemade sauce over the years, but could never get it just right. It was either too sweet, too tangy, too hot, or not hot enough. This recipe has the perfect amount of seasonings, heat, and sweetness that our family loves.
The original recipe titled “Stampede Style” is from The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving which you can find here. I did make a few alterations based on preference and what I had on hand. I felt comfortable making these changes, however, home canning is a science that should be followed very closely. I encourage you to review the original recipe and make changes that are recommended as safe and that you feel comfortable with.
Y’all this homemade BBQ sauce is everything! We use it as a delicious sauce on BBQ Chicken Pizza, Homemade BBQ Meatballs, and even as a dip for Homemade Fried Potato Chips. It's good on just about anything, and having a whole shelf in our pantry full of this perfectly seasoned goodness makes us very happy!
To Make The BEST Homemade BBQ Sauce you will need:
Tomatoes
I like to use Amish Paste tomatoes or Roma tomatoes. They typically have less water content than other varieties and are great for canning recipes.
Bell Peppers
I use green bell peppers because they're milder in flavor. If you use other colors, your sauce may be sweeter than intended.
Onions and Garlic
Garlic and onion both offer delicious umami flavor.
Molasses and Sugar
These are key ingredients for adding sweetness!
Vinegar
White vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used in this recipe. You want to make sure the acidity of the vinegar is at least 5% to ensure it's safe for home canning. Vinegar helps to balance the sweetness.
Liquid Smoke
This is a not-so-secret ingredient that helps to provide that savory, smokey flavor.
For home canning you’ll need a few tools:
Water Bath Canner with a canning rack
Pint sized canning jars with lids and rings
Canning jar lifter
Wooden skewer or canning debubbler tool
Do I Have To Can This BBQ Sauce?
If you’re not a home canner yet, no worries! You can still make this homemade BBQ sauce. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
Let’s Get Started!
Yield: 6 pints
Ingredients
20 cups pureed plum tomatoes, deseeded and peeled
2 ¼ cups pureed green bell peppers, deseeded
2 cups pureed onions
1 cup pureed celery
6 cloves minced garlic
2 Tablespoons ground mustard
4 dried cayenne peppers, finely chopped
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons of liquid smoke
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Directions:
Using a large stainless-steel pot, over medium-high heat bring tomato puree to a rolling boil, making sure to stir frequently.
Cook for approximately one hour or until reduced by about half.
Carefully add in pureed peppers, onions, celery, minced garlic, chopped cayenne peppers, and ground mustard.
Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and boil gently for approximately 45 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Continue stirring frequently throughout.
If you're canning the sauce, keep the sauce hot and move on to the canning instructions below.
If you are not canning the sauce, allow it to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Prepare for Canning:
To prepare jars for canning, I like to place my clean, room-temperature jars into my canning pot with room-temperature water. I allow my jars and water to come to the same temperature at the same time. You don’t want boiling water; you’re just heating everything up.
Place a clean kitchen towel on the counter space where you intend to place your hot jars once removed from the canner.
Once your sauce is ready for canning, carefully remove the jars from the pot using your canning jar lifter and empty the hot water back into the pot. Place the hot jars on the prepared kitchen towel and begin ladling in the sauce.
Ladle the BBQ sauce into prepared jars leaving a ½ inch headspace. Using a wooden skewer or canning debubbler tool, remove any air bubbles. Wipe jar rim using a clean paper towel with a little bit of vinegar on it. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling-water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
Place filled jars into water bath canner. The water should cover jars by 1 inch. You may need to add additional hot water to ensure the proper amount of coverage. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner, and bring water to a rolling boil. Process pint jars for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude as needed.
After Processing:
Once your homemade BBQ sauce has completed the 20 minutes in the canner, remove the lid from the canner completely. Allow the jars to rest in the pot for about 5 minutes or so. This will allow them to adjust to having the lid taken off of the canner.
Carefully remove the jars from the canner using your canning jar lifter, and place on the prepared kitchen towel. Do not place hot jars directly on a counter surface. The temperature difference can cause the jars to break. Allow the jars to rest on the counter for 24 hours and listen for pops of the lids (my favorite part!).
Remove the rings from the jars and gently press the center of the canning lid on each jar. If the lid pops back up, your lid did not seal properly, unfortunately. It happens! If it's just one jar, place that one in the refrigerator and use it within a couple of weeks. If it's several jars, remove all of the lids, wipe the rims of the jars with vinegar, add new lids, and reprocess again in the canner.
If your jars are all sealed properly (YAY!), use a little vinegar or soap and warm water to wipe the outside of the jars before storing.
Store jars in a cool, dark place.
Tips & Tricks for the Canning Process:
If you have a water bath canner, you’ll want to use it here. I don’t have a separate canner for water bath canning, so I just use my pressure canner with the rack. However, I do not lock the lid in place and allow the canning lid to sit slightly ajar.
If you don’t have a water bath or pressure canner, no worries! You can simply use a large stock pot with a makeshift rack. Your pot should be tall enough so that the water covers the jars.
To make a DIY canning rack, you can simply tie five or six canning rings together and place your jars on top. If you have an Instant Pot rack, you can use that instead. The main thing is you don’t want to place your jars directly inside the pot. Air and heat need to be able to circulate around the jars completely to ensure proper processing.
When placing your rings onto the jars, you want to tighten them with just your fingertips. If the rings are too tight your lids will buckle and can result in an unsealed jar. If you don’t tighten them enough, the water can seep into your jar and ruin your product.
Freezing Instructions:
This homemade BBQ sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months if stored properly in a freezer-safe container. Allow the sauce to thaw completely in the refrigerator before using.
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