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My delicious Honey Barbecue Sauce is the perfect blend of sweet and tangy. Honey BBQ sauce is versatile because it can be placed on a variety of meats such as grilled chicken, pulled pork, brisket, chicken wings, and nuggets, or as a dipping sauce and is excellent on ribs for almost anything.
Here are a few delicious sauces: Hot Honey, Chimichurri, Honey Sriracha, and Garlic Parmesan Sauce, Alabama White BBQ Sauce.
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If you've been looking for a sauce that can be made in bulk, placed in a jar, and used all year long. You've found the recipe.
The best part about making honey BBQ sauce at home is making as much or as little as you like. Plus, all the ingredients are readily available at your local grocery store.
Did I mention that making this recipe is easy, it takes less than 30 minutes, and has only 7 ingredients? The average store-bought honey BBQ sauce has a minimum of 17 ingredients.
History of BBQ Sauce
Barbecue sauce is a tomato-based sauce, typically made from ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and spices. The ingredients vary, but common flavors include mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and smoke flavoring.
Honey barbecue sauce is a variation of the traditional barbecue sauce that includes honey as one of its main ingredients instead of sugar. The addition of honey gives the sauce a sweet and sticky texture.
It can also be used to glaze ham or turkey during cooking. Honey barbecue sauce is a popular choice for tailgating, parties, and barbecues.
Key Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need for this amazing honey BBQ chicken wing sauce recipe.
Ketchup
Ketchup is the base for my barbecue sauce.
Honey
Usually, when I make my barbecue sauce, I use brown sugar, but the honey was an excellent swap.
Cajun seasoning
I love using Savory Cajun seasoning in my recipes. You can also use my Homemade Creole Seasoning too.
Worcestershire sauce
Any time I make my homemade BBQ sauce, I have to mix it in this sauce.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is the perfect blend of tangy sweetness needed to cut through the richness of this sauce.
How To Make Honey BBQ Sauce Recipe
My honey barbecue chicken wing sauce should only take you 20 minutes to make from start to finish. The sauce just needs to cook down, and all you need to do is stir it occasionally to make sure it's not burning.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add Cajun seasoning, worcestershire, orange juice, vinegar, ketchup, honey, and beer; stir together, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 20 minutes until the sauce is reduced by half. Cool completely before storing in a jar or airtight container.
How to store leftover Honey BBQ sauce?
Honey barbecue sauce is best 7 days after making but will remain fresh in an airtight container for 30 days in the fridge. I don't recommend you freeze BBQ sauce.
Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks
Here are the best practices for building flavor in your own honey barbecue sauce.
- You can omit beer if you do not consume alcohol. The alcohol will cook out completely by the time the barbecue sauce is ready.
- Use your favorite all-purpose seasoning as a swap for the Cajun seasoning.
- White vinegar is a great swap for apple cider vinegar.
- Use local honey for a better flavor.
- Occasionally I'll use sugar-free ketchup for my BBQ sauce.
- They do make a vegan-worcestershire sauce.
- Add some cayenne pepper to make your sauce spicer.
- Add a teaspoon or two of smoked paprika for a smokier barbeque sauce.
- Try making variations of the sauce by using tomato sauce or tomato paste.
FAQs
Here are the top questions readers have about making a homemade honey barbecue sauce recipe.
The ingredients for honey BBQ sauce will vary depending on the recipe, but most are made with ketchup or tomato puree, honey, garlic powder, onion powder, and apple cider vinegar.
Honey BBQ has a sweeter taste than traditional barbecue sauce.
The ingredients for honey barbecue sauce vary per recipe, so if you need a gluten-free version, check your ingredients. Making a homemade barbecue sauce would be best for ensuring you have gluten-free ingredients.
Honey BBQ sauce does not have dairy. Confirm by checking the ingredients in the recipe to make sure.
In order to make BBQ sauce into honey barbecue sauce, just add honey to the sauce. Depending on how sweet you like it, start with ¼ cup of honey for every 1 ½ cups of BBQ sauce.
More Recipes
Now that you know how to make an amazing bbq sauce, it's time to find something to drown, drizzle, and dip in.
- Southern Fried Chicken Wings
- Grilled Lamb Chops
- Texas Brisket
- BBQ Chicken
- Texas Style Oven Beef Ribs
Before You Begin
Before getting started, here are the steps I use to get organized.
Step 1: Place all the honey BBQ sauce ingredients onto the counter.
Step 2: Measure everything out into small bowls.
Step 3: Follow the recipe and get ready for some incredible honey BBQ sauce.
Making your own barbecue sauce is a fun and easy way to get that perfect flavor every time. This honey barbecue sauce recipe is simple, and you can customize it to your liking. Be sure to leave a comment and star rating below if you give this recipe a try!
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📖 Recipe
Honey BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons Savory Cajun seasoning
- ½ cup worcestershire
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 24 oz. bottle ketchup
- ½ cup honey
- ¾ cup beer
Instructions
- In a medium pot over medium heat, add Cajun seasoning, worcestershire, orange juice, vinegar, ketchup, honey, and beer; stir together, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 20 minutes until sauce is reduced by half. Cool completely before storing in a jar or airtight container.
Notes
- You can omit beer if you do not consume alcohol. The alcohol will cook out completely by the time the barbecue sauce is ready.
- Use your favorite all-purpose seasoning as a swap for the Cajun seasoning. You can also make my Homemade Creole Seasoning.
- White vinegar is a great swap for apple cider vinegar.
- Use local honey for a better flavor.
- Occasionally I'll use sugar-free ketchup for my BBQ sauce.
- They do make a vegan-worcestershire sauce.
- Add some cayenne pepper to make your sauce spicer.
- Add a teaspoon or two of smoked paprika for a smokier barbeque sauce.
- Try making variations of the sauce by using tomato sauce or tomato paste.
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