Sweet & Tangy BBQ Sauce

The classic table sauce — ketchup, cider vinegar & brown sugar, simmered to a glossy cling

~1½ cups · 5 min

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1 cup ketchup
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar · 2 Tbsp molasses (or more brown sugar)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire · 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp smoked paprika · ½ tsp garlic powder · ½ tsp onion powder
salt & pepper · pinch cayenne

What you need

1 cup ketchup

⅓ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup brown sugar · 2 Tbsp molasses (or more brown sugar)

1 Tbsp Worcestershire · 1 Tbsp yellow mustard

1 tsp smoked paprika · ½ tsp garlic powder · ½ tsp onion powder

salt & pepper · pinch cayenne

Whisk it all in a pot. Combine everything cold and whisk smooth.
Simmer to meld. Bring to a low simmer and cook 10–15 min, stirring, until it darkens, thickens, and coats the back of a spoon. Thin with a splash of water if it gets too thick.
Taste & balance. More brown sugar for sweet, more vinegar for tang, more cayenne for heat. Cool and store.

Steps — tap one to keep your place

1. Whisk it all in a pot. Combine everything cold and whisk smooth.

2. Simmer to meld. Bring to a low simmer and cook 10–15 min, stirring, until it darkens, thickens, and coats the back of a spoon. Thin with a splash of water if it gets too thick.

3. Taste & balance. More brown sugar for sweet, more vinegar for tang, more cayenne for heat. Cool and store.

✨ Untested — Claude drafted this one from scratch; it hasn't been cooked and amended in our kitchen yet, so treat the amounts as a starting point. No alcohol? swap the wine or beer for the same amount of stock, with a splash of vinegar or lemon for the brightness. Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.