How to Can Your Own Barbecue Sauce
This homemade barbecue sauce brings the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, thanks to brown sugar, orange marmalade, and just the right kick from chili powder and hot sauce. A hint of cumin and coriander adds a subtle smoky depth that’ll have you slathering it on everything!
You’re going to love this sauce! It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, just a hint of smoke… so good.
I know, making your own is an extra step and who has time for that, right? I never have time to make complicated meals on a weeknight, but I like to eat those meals, so I try to plan ahead when I can. We do lots of make-ahead meals in the Juggling Act household!
Trust me when I say this barbecue sauce is easy to make, and easy to can, too. I’m so excited to have a bunch of jars on my pantry shelf ready for any recipe. Plus, these lovely housewarming or holiday gifts (there’s that juggling again!)
Download the FREE Labels
Once the jars cool, you can unscrew the pans and add these pretty little labels – they fit perfect on a canning jar lid. (Use Avery 5294 or similar labels – 2″ circles). Download the labels here.
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Serving Suggestions
This sauce is great with BBQ pork ribs, BBQ chicken tacos, and BBQ chicken flatbread pizzas. Try it on top of a Cowboy Burger or use it as a dip for Breaded Onion Rings!
Sweet & Spicy Barbeque Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 sweet Vidalia onion minced
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 20 oz tomato paste
- 2 cups red wine vinegar
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 1/2 cup orange marmalade
- 1 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 cups Hoisin sauce
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons coriander
Instructions
- To make the barbecue sauce, start with a medium-sized saucepan on medium heat. Dice the onion and cook in the oil until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or so, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn the heat town to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- I used an immersion blender to give the sauce a smoother consistency. You could use the sauce right away, I poured mine into a mason jar and refrigerated it until needed.
- To can the sauce, first prepare all your jars, lids and bands. I run mine through the dishwasher to sanitize. Have your water bath ready so you can process the jars as soon as you have them prepared.
- Set a kitchen towel on the counter next to your pot, and arrange the jars on the towel. Using a funnel, fill the canning jar with the hot barbeque sauce, leaving 1/2″ head space. Take care not to drip it on yourself – ouch! Wipe the rim of the jar clean with a damp paper towel. Place the lid and screw on the cap – I use another kitchen towel to tighten the lids since they are hot.
- Process the jars in a water bath for 35 minutes. Move the jars back to the kitchen towel to cool and wait for that lovely plink sound (any that don't properly seal should be refrigerated immediately). Don't worry if that happens – I have a couple of fabulous recipes to use it up – Try my Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Ribs or Sweet and Spicy Crockpot Chili.
Equipment
- Canning Jars
Nutrition
Similar Recipes
If you enjoyed this simple sweet and spicy barbecue sauce, you’ll also love these homemade sauces:
- Cherry BBQ Sauce Recipe – dark cherries sweeten the flavor of this easy BBQ sauce for pork, chicken, or beef.
- Homemade Pineapple Bourbon BBQ Sauce – a thick, delicious sweet sauce with balanced flavors that are perfect for meat or veggies.
- Strawberry Peach BBQ Sauce for Grilling Season – a blend of smoky, spicy, and sweet flavors to add to chicken or pork.
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This is wonderful! I am really looking forward to canning more this year and sauces and jams are something I want to get into! I love the flavors you have pumped into it. Pinned and tweeting.
Thanks Rachel! You will not regret making this – it’s so tasty!! I have a few more canning recipes on the blog that you might want to check out too – Mild Salsa (for the freezer) and Strawberry Lime Jam – find them under the Recipes tab 🙂
Great recipe, thanks for sharing! Pinning today 🙂
Elaine
I love canning and I love BQ sauce, so I will definitely give it a try!
I bet this is AMAZING! My mom used to make bbq sauce whenever I was a child and I remember it was so good!
love it but where is the printable
Thanks Doris! You must have missed the link in the post – you can download the labels here: https://app.box.com/s/ag8ljva496pycfe8lde8
Do you have to use onions since I don’t have an immersion blender?
Hi David! You have a couple of options… the onions really add awesome flavor so it’s shame to leave them out. If you have a regular blender, you can put the mixture in there and whiz it up. You could also minced the onions very tiny. I would say leaving them out is a last resort as it will change both the flavor and texture of the BBQ sauce.
Good luck!
After putting the bbq sauce in the mason jars for canning,do you have to put all five pints of the sauce in the refrigerator or just the one you are going to use immediately. This would make a great Christmas gift ideas. Thanks for sharing
Hi Debi! Great question, I’ve updated the post to make it more clear in the future. Any jars that don’t properly seal after canning should be refrigerated immediately, but the rest can be kept on a shelf in your pantry.
When canning this recipe how many jars does it make? Pints or quarts? Sounds good I’m using it this weekend ! But, it sounds so good I want to go ahead a can a batch for future use!
Hi! Thanks so much for your note. This makes about 5 pints. 🙂