Before you jump into the below great recipe, if you’re looking for my Competition Barbecue Sauce, click this link! It’s thick, rich and sweet, with just a little heat on the back end. That recipe also describes how to bottle it, just like the below recipe. Check it out!
Now back to our Barbecue Story:
We had such a great time at Leatha’s Bar-B-Que Inn, and their barbecue sauce was something special. It was full of tomato and vinegar flavor, with a light sweetness and a savory onion, garlic and black pepper base. We loved it so much, we bought some of their sauce to take home. We were really excited to dive in and use it on some of our own home-smoked barbecue, but when we opened the bottle, it seemed too ketchup-y and lacking in the nice broad spiciness the original had. So we decided to make our own barbecue sauce. We also went big, and made enough to bottle.
We took inspiration from Leatha’s ingredient label and our memories, but gussied it up to our tastes with white and brown sugar and cider vinegar. This is tomato-y and sweet, with a nice underlying heat and spice. It is an easy sauce to make, and if you make it in bulk like we did, you can bottle it and keep it for a good long while. This made 13 lucky pints of goodness.
Here’s what you need (the full recipe is at the end):
One 114 oz (7lb 2 oz) jug of Heinz ketchup—that was the biggest one they had at the Walmart. If you go to the big box stores, you can buy giant gallon cans. That’s only 14 ounces more than what I used, and it will make no real difference overall. Just adjust things to your taste as you go.
Add 2 cups Worcestershire sauce
Stir those together and take few pictures. It was pretty neat to watch them mix. (It’s like a lava lamp, right?)
Add:
- 3 cups cider vinegar
- 1 T onion powder
- 1 T garlic powder
- 2 T black pepper, freshly ground
Mix those in. It can get clumpy, so you may have to take out your favorite immersion blender 
and give it a zizz…
Add 2 cups white sugar plus 1 cup brown sugar (you can use all brown sugar, but it will make it much darker)
Finally, add 10 cups of water. Of course I underestimated the volume of this so I had to switch to my turkey roasting pan
. I’m really glad I have a turkey roasting pan.
Bring to a boil and cook it for 10 minutes, then cook over medium heat for 30 more minutes. Put it through its final taste tests, adding spices as you like them. If it tastes too vinegary, you can add more sugar, or you can take the bite out of the vinegar by making a volcano… I mean, adding 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda. Stir it in, watch the foam subside, and taste again. If it is still too vinegary, add some more. (That’s a serious BBQ sauce making geek trick I just taught you.)
Now it’s time to bottle this magic.
Bottle it and sterilize it via the water bath method. You need a giant pot like this 
, and can get them pretty inexpensively at the big box stores. Make sure you get one with a bottle rack
inside. That’s the thing to the right of it, on the counter. Fill up the pot so that the water will cover the jars by 2 inches, and get it boiling hot. I like to heat up the kettle next to it too, so that I have extra water hot and ready, just in case I need it.
Fill clean, new, sterilized glass mason jars 
within 1/8 inch from the top with hot barbecue sauce and process in that boiling hot water bath for 15 minutes. Make sure the jars are covered by two inches of boiling water while they process.
Pull the bottles out after 15 minutes of boiling, let them cool and listen for the pops as the jars seal, check the seals and tighten the mason jar twist lids, add a mighty nice label (or do what I do and just write on it with a magic marker), and stock them in your pantry.
- 114 oz (7lb 2 oz) jug of Heinz ketchup
- 2 C Worcestershire sauce
- 3 C cider vinegar
- 1 T onion powder
- 1 T garlic powder
- 2 T black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 C white sugar AND
- 1 C brown sugar (you can use all brown sugar, but it will make it much darker)
- 10 C water
- Mix all ingredients together in a large pot.
- Bring to a boil and cook it for 10 minutes, then cook over medium heat for 30 minutes more.
- Put the sauce through its final taste tests, adding spices as you like them. If it tastes too vinegary, you can add more sugar, or you can take the bite out of the vinegar by making a volcano… I mean, adding ⅛ teaspoon of baking soda. Stir it in, watch the foam subside, and taste again. If it is still too vinegary, add some more. (That’s a serious BBQ sauce making geek trick I just taught you.)
- Bottle it and sterilize it via the water bath method. You need a giant pot for this, and can get them pretty inexpensively at the big box stores. Make sure you get one with a bottle rack inside.
- Fill up the pot so that the water will cover the jars by 2 inches, and get it boiling hot. I like to heat up the kettle too, so that I have extra water hot and ready, just in case I need it.
- Fill clean, new, sterilized glass mason jars within ⅛ inch from the top with hot barbecue sauce and process in that boiling hot water bath for 15 minutes. Make sure the jars are covered by two inches of boiling water while they process.
- Pull the jars out after 15 minutes of boiling, let them cool and listen for the pops as the jars seal, check the seals and tighten the mason jar twist lids, add a mighty nice label (or do what I do and just write on it with a magic marker), and stock them in your pantry.
Hi! Thanks for the tips, how long does the sauce keep for roughly?
Ikepo, it keeps a couple of years if you do jar it using the water bath method. I store it in my pantry and check and make sure it is still sealed before I open it. If it doesn’t look or taste right or has fermentation signs, toss it out!
Can I add fresh garlic and grated onion to this recipe and still water bath can it?
Yes! You sure can! It is terrific with fresh grated onion and garlic. Just make sure you process the whole length of time. Take care!!!
How long does your sauce last once it’s been opened? So if I’m giving it as a gift what’s the fridge life on it ?
Thank you
That’s a great question! My general go-to is to try and use within two weeks of opening. (While originally sealed it lasts just about forever. At least a couple years.) Since this has been cooked and canned, you might get far longer when opened. I keep my fridge cold and only pour out of it, not dip food into it, and get a month or two just fine. I toss it after a month or so, so I make it in little jars of 8 or 16 ounces, so it’s always fresh. I hope you enjoy your sauce!!!
I looking to bottle my sauce what can you do for me
You’ll want to bottle yours in a local commercial kitchen following your local health laws, or contact what is called a co-packer. Search for one on Google.
Hey I saw you comment about bottling your own sauce I want to do the same….I just emailed you to ask how is it going?….And what did you have to do?
Hey Kyle, so you just need to follow the recipe from above. That will guide you through the process. You’ll want to water-process your barbecue sauce when you’re done, to seal the jars up from the bad stuff. Good luck!
Hey woopigfoodie, I want to bottle and sell my bbq sauce.Can I use ketchup instead of tamato puree are tamato paste?
Yes, you sure can. Most folks use a ketchup base. You can buy in in the big gallon cans over at the warehouse store.
Hi there! This looks awesome! Is there any adjusting I need to do if I put the sauce in smaller jars? Thanks!
Hi TD! You’re good to go, no changes to the recipe needed for smaller jars. You’ll still heat them as long, but since you’ll just cover the jars with an inch of water you’ll be putting in less water in the water bath than if you used larger jars. That will making the preserving step faster! Good luck!
Does it thicken after its cooled?
Yes, Tabetha! It will thicken as it cools. You can keep reducing it in the pot to make it even thicker if you don’t think it is thick enough. If you’ve already canned it and only later think it’s too thin, you can also pour one jar into a pot and reduce it over medium low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally until it reduces down. Have fun!!!
What if you didn’t do the hot water bath how long will the sauce last?
Hi Jenna! It will generally last as long as any other homemade sauce. So, maybe a month in a cold fridge. Perhaps 6 months if you were to freeze it.
The water bath process is super easy to do, so if you plan on making a batch for keeps or gifts you should definitely do the water bath method! Have fun and be safe!
Is the 10 cups of water for the canning process? Or does this actually go into the sauce? Seems like a lot of water.
Hi Jeremy! Yes, the 10 cups of water are for the sauce. (This makes about 4 gallons.) For the water bath, it takes about 3-4 gallons of water, too. When making the sauce, add more or less water to get to the thickness you prefer!
Just so you know it doesn’t look like your recipe on the bottom doesn’t have the Worcestershire sauce.
Thank you Aaron! I have it fixed now!
So, I was thinking of using this recipe but putting it in 12 oz bottles with lug lids. Would the water bath processing time and jar head space stay the same? The last thing I want to do is get someone sick by not processing it correctly! Thanks for helping out this newbie.
Hi Catherine! I have only used the screw down Ball-type lids before, but yes,even changing to this size you will process for the same time and cover with the same amount of water. I used the timing and instructions for the ketchup recipe from my Ball jar cookbook to come up with that so feel free to explore Ball on the web further!
I want to start make my own sauce I don’t know how to start, can you tell me
Hi Angie!
Just find a recipe that looks tasty and follow the above bottling instructions.
Take care!
I have my own BBQ sauce recipe that consists of ketchup, smoke, pepper, and sugar. All are store bought. Do I need to heat up the sauce first before canning? Will that change the consistency? And how do I go about bottling and selling my sauce? I’m new at this. Thank you.
Hi Michael! Yes, you would want to heat it up since the canning method needs everything hot to kill any bacteria for a long and safe shelf life. Heating should not change the consistence of these ingredients. If you intend to bottle and sell commercially, google a “co-packer” in your area. They’ll bottle it for you. If you want to do it yourself, check with your local health department. They may require you to prepare it in a commercial kitchen or you may fall under a “cottage industry” exception that doesn’t. They will help you understand that! Good luck!
Can I use a pressure canner instead of the hot water bath method?
Hi Jason! I have not used a pressure canner myself, but a google search shows that the National Center for Home Food Preservation has instructions for a method to do so! Good luck!
I made my own sauce and was looking how to can. But after reading your recipe, I noticed you added 10 cups of water. I added no water to mine. I’m just wondering did you boil it to cook down and thicken? Or was it thinner than a regular prepackaged bottle of sauce. Hope that makes sense.
Hi Micheal! I vary on how much water to add, and I do cook it down somewhat when I add water. I like to add water in general just to make sure that everything mixes up well. It does make it thinner. If you want it thick, you don’t need to add water. I actually made some today (I’ll put the new recipe up in a link above) and did not use much water, just about 1/2 cup since I was cleaning out the ketchup bottle! No worries; you can add or leave out water as you like!
Hi,
I want o avoid canning, what do I need to do if I want to preserve in a plastic bottles to put on the shelves?
Hi Sienna, for that you need a professional! You should Google “co-packer” and your city and one should come up. They will use a different process to make it safe. That’s not something to try at home! Take care!
Can you add honey to this recipe for honey BBQ sauce? If so, how much?
Hi Rainey! Yes, you can add honey! You’ll want to eliminate the 2 cups of white sugar and add about 1 1/2 cups of honey instead. Still add the 1 cup of brown sugar. Taste the bbq sauce and see if it is balanced and adjust accordingly with more honey or vinegar to your taste! Great luck to you!!!
how many pints or quarts does this make
This makes about 16 pints or 8 quarts! If you add more ingredients or more water add that volume to your math too!
If you can’t have sugar can you leave out the brown sugar? If no. Why? Going to pressure can the sauce.
You are certainly welcome to leave out the sugar. That will leave it more savory and smoky, but likely tasty nonetheless! I really like vinegar tomato sauce myself. Take care!
Hi. I want to make it a little spicy. Can I add chopped jalapeños to the recipe? If so how much?
Kathy, you sure can! The heat is harder to control with fresh jalapeños than jarred or canned. At these quantities you could easily use a whole cup of canned jalapeños with some juice on top of that. Generally, I would add in the jalapeños to taste. See how 1/4 cup treats you and go from there. Stir, let it simmer for say 30 minutes then taste again and add more as needed. Have fun!
Thx!! I’ll give it a try. 🙂
Can I add honey to the recipe even though I already added the 2 cups of white sugar?
Jamie, yes, you sure can! It will be a bit sweeter but that’s perfectly fine. You could add a touch more vinegar if you wanted to balance it!
I didn’t add any water and it still seems too thin. I used members mark catsup from Sams.
Hi Barbara! If it’s too thin, continue to cook it. That will reduce it down by evaporating water out of it. Keep tasting it until it has the right thickness and taste for you. If you go too far, you can just add some water back.
How long will these stay good once canned? My personal recipe has Irish whiskey and apples in it. I want to do the water bath canning and I’ve heard it stays for a year or so if canned properly. But I’ve also heard botulism presents itself in ways you can’t really tell… so how do I know?
Hi Nolan! I keep my sauce a year after canning it. I write a date on the top so I know when it was made. If I open a jar and anything looks or smells funky, I toss it. You may be able to find other more definitive methods to check for something gone bad by searching Google. There is a lot of good information from reputable sources out there!
Can you use distilled vinegar instead of apple cider
Yes, you sure can Pamela! Any 5% acidity vinegar would work. Take care!
Thanks for sharing. Great article. I was greatly impressed with how carefully and completely you answered all the questions. Thank you for the lesson. J
You are welcome Bo!!! I hope you have fun with this!!!
Can I Dd liquid smoke? And if so, how much?
Thanks!
Yes! You sure can! At this amount of sauce I would start with 1 teaspoon and stir it in really well and taste, then continue to add it by half teaspoonfuls stirring each time and tasting until you get to the smokiness you like. When you get close to the smokiness you like you might want to cut it down to quarter teaspoon additions because the smokiness can creep up on you fast!
Can I add bourbon to this recipe? Substitute a cups or 2 or bourbon for the same amount of water?
Hi Brent! Yes, you can add bourbon. One cup would be an easy add. Since the alcohol portion will burn off, I don’t think it is an exact 1:1 swap for the same quantity of water. Try it and see what you think. If you think it is too loose, cook it longer. If too thick, add water or more bourbon.
Hi WooPigFoodie, I appreciate your site here and all the hard work. I have got a bit of a stumper and you seem like a guy who might be willing and able to help. Me and my wife have started a small food company and BBQ sauce is one of our main features. We are mid way through the process in many ways. We have developed a BBQ sauce that has a flavor and consistency we enjoy- Its a great sauce iMO. However, once we bottle the sauce, seal it, and refrigerate it, something seems- off. It does not retain its original flavor and hard to pin down why. The smell is a little off, the taste is off ever so slightly, but enough to render it useless IMO
My contention is that it may condense and thicken in the fridge and bring out some other flavors that cause the imbalance. I have thought maybe cooking it slightly less may help;
Jud, this is a great question. The first thing I’d check is whether you made it in an aluminum pot. That will very definitely cause an off flavor and possibly color. Use your stainless steel or enamel pots.
Now for the hard part. Like spaghetti sauce making, things change overnight in the fridge. I personally think that the cooking process severs all those molecules and proteins apart and when they cool they reform in different combinations. They taste different. So the hard part is figuring out how to jigger your recipe for that rested and cool flavor. Here, I amp up the spices and tartness. That seems together to brighten things.
Since you’ve already bottled it, try adding some vinegar or lemon to it when you serve it and see if that makes the difference. Take notes and amp that up when you make your sauce.
If you’ve ever had a packer professionally bottle your sauce or rub, you’ll recall that it is an iterative process. You go back and forth a few times before everything is tasting right. You may need to do that here.
Finally, check how you store it. If it was outside in the hot garage, that really affects it. Store it in a cool, dry place.
Take care and good luck! I’d love to hear what you figure out!
I was wondering if you had any experience with this or what in your opinion could be causing the change in flavor, simply by jarring, sealing and refrigerating? Sorry for the long question, but its important!! Thanks Woo!
Jud, see the below longer explanation. Good luck and let me know what worked for you!
Can I use white vinegar and increase the amount of vinegar used? Also can I add honey?
You sure can! Just make sure you complete the full water bath process.
How can I make this thicker?
Just cook it down longer before you bottle it! As it cooks water evaporates out of it and it thickens.
I assume if I did not want to make as much sauce I could cut all ingredients in half for a smaller portion?
Hi Charlie! You sure can reduce the quantity. You can go ahead and cut the liquid quantities in half, but you’ll have to “taste test” the other ingredients to get them just right. Start small with those and work up. Do process it with the water bath for the full 15 minutes as set forth in the recipe though. Have fun with this one!
Can you can the sauce after it cools down? I’m looking for ways to can sauce I made last week.
Yes, you sure can, BUT you want to reheat it first. You want to put hot bbq sauce in the jars in order to properly can it safely. This prevents cracking of the jars and helps ensure they reach the right temperature for sanitization/preservation during processing. Good luck!!!
Hello
Love this can’t wait to try it
Could I add some Dr Pepper with the water and still can it ?
Thank you
Michael, I do think you can, but I haven’t tried it. I would cut down the sugar by the amount of sugar in the Dr. Pepper volume you add so that it’s not too sweet. You can Google that to figure out how much sugar that is. Then before bottling it, taste it. If you think it needs more Dr. Pepper flavor, I’d try taking a can of Dr. Pepper and reduce it down in a pot over medium hi heat to a thicker syrup, maybe 75-80% reduction, taste that, and if it’s right, add that to the pot before you ladle it out to the jars. Good luck. I’d love to hear about how it goes!
For some reason I just can’t figure out, I absolutely hate the taste of cider vinegar. Could I replace with white vinegar?
Yes, you sure can!
Have you tried adding fruit like blueberries?
I have not, but I have a good friend who adds cooked blueberries to his! It is quite delicious!
Are the T amounts in the recipe for tablespoons?
Yes! “T” is for tablespoons and “t” is for teaspoons. It’s how my mother always did it.