Memphis BBQ Sauce

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

15 Comments

5 from 7 votes
12 servings
Prep Time 7 minutes
Cook Time 33 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
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Memphis BBQ Sauce is a tangy, sweet condiment that’s perfect to add to your pulled pork or grilled chicken. Or serve it up as a dipping sauce!

The crowd-pleasing condiment is the go-to Sauce Recipe for any Summer cookouts! For equally tasty sauces give my Easy Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce and Root Beer BBQ Sauce a shot too.

top down view of bbq sauce with slaw on the side
ingredients in a pot before and after for bbq sauce

Sabrina’s Memphis BBQ Sauce Recipe

This tasty, sticky, sweet Memphis BBQ Sauce is so finger-licking good! It’s packed with so many layers of flavor and made completely from scratch in about 40 minutes. It is a kid-friendly barbecue sauce with the perfect balance between tangy and sweet. Now down over Memphis, there is a bit of a debate whether a sauce or a rub should be used on BBQ meat. Especially when it comes to pulled pork. This recipe is the best of both worlds! Find more ways to use it below the recipe card. If you’re looking at something specifically for steak, try my A1 Steak Sauce Copycat!

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Memphis BBQ Sauce Recipe

Memphis BBQ Sauce is a tangy, sweet condiment that's perfect to add to your pulled pork or grilled chicken. Or serve it up as a dipping sauce!
Yield 12 servings
Prep Time 7 minutes
Cook Time 33 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
top down view of bbq sauce with slaw on the side
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion , diced
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 29 ounces tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar , packed
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons molasses
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Add oil and onion to a large pot on medium heat.
  • Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent and just starting to brown, about 6-8 minutes.
  • Add in garlic and stir until fragrant.
  • Add in the tomato sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, chili powder, cayenne pepper, celery seed, salt and pepper to the pot and stir well.
  • Cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes until thickened.
  • Use hot or keep in refrigerator until needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 600mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 534IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg

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Notes from Sabrina

For a smokier, more pit-style flavor, I like to add a dash of liquid smoke. A little goes a long way so be careful when adding it. A good rule of thumb is to add just a bit, taste it, and add a touch more if you want it. Check out my Variations Section below for more ways to customize this sticky sauce to your preferences.

Table of contents

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About this Recipe

This sauce combines Memphis BBQ Rub seasonings with a sweet sauce perfect for any recipe. A good Memphis BBQ Sauce has a tomato sauce and vinegar base sweetened with both brown sugar and molasses. Molasses is sugarcane syrup that has been refined a second time. This second time around cuts the sweetness of the cane syrup and gives it a slightly bitter taste that is perfect for making barbecue sauce! This condiment is great as a finishing sauce brushed on grilled meats or used in shredded meats. This sauce will be Pulled Pork Sandwiches‘ best friend! It’s thinner than a Kansas City style sauce since there is no tomato paste and a lot more vinegar. It’s not quite as thin as a Carolina BBQ Sauce so you don’t want to use it as marinade.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes, this sauce will actually benefit from being made ahead of time. The longer it sits the more the flavors will continue to meld together. So go ahead and make it a day or two ahead of time if you would like! You can also keep your spices pre-mixed for this recipe in an airtight container.

Recipe Tips & Tips

  • Add Memphis BBQ Sauce to grilled recipes like Easy Grilled Chicken. Brush meat with the sauce in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking so the sugar doesn’t burn off.
  • If you want a thicker sauce, add a can of tomato paste and cook for an additional 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it cools, too.
  • To make the recipe ultra smooth, use an immersion blender or strain the barbecue sauce when it is finished cooking.
  • This barbecue sauce can be canned and stored for up to a year. Use a water bath canning method or a pressure canner. I have include instructions below for you!

Serving Ideas

You should use this Memphis BBQ Sauce in slow cooker recipes like BBQ Beef Sandwiches. Make some Easy Cole Slaw Macaroni Pasta Salad and Honey Bacon Baked Beans for the perfect meal! Or toss this finger lickin’ sauce with BBQ Chicken Wings.

How to Store

  • Serve: Use this sauce right away or chill and store for later. Don’t leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Store: Place cooled sauce in a glass jar or airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. 
  • Freeze: Cool sauce completely and transfer in 1 cup portions to sealed containers. Freeze for up to 6 months, thawing in the refrigerator before serving.

Water Canning Method

  • Prepare water bath canner.
  • Sterilize pint size mason jars (2 cups) and lids in boiling water, then reduce to a simmer while making the BBQ Sauce.
  • Ladle hot BBQ Sauce, using a wide funnel, into the hot jars leaving about 1 inch headspace.
  • Remove any air bubbles and wipe any filling off the rim and the jar.
  • Center lid on the jar and screw on band until fit is fingertip tight.
  • Process jars in water bath canner for 25 minutes.
  • Remove jars and completely cool on a thick towel or cooling rack.
  • Check lids for seal after 24 hours, they should not pop or flex when pushed.

Variations

  • Whiskey BBQ Sauce: Add a splash of Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey to give your BBQ sauce a kick. You may need to simmer an additional 5-10 minutes to get the sauce thick.
  • Vinegar: You can substitute white vinegar for the apple cider vinegar, or try fruitier vinegars like Balsamic vinegar for a sweeter tangy barbecue sauce.
  • Spicy BBQ Sauce: Make this sauce spicier by adding chipotle powder, more cayenne pepper, or your favorite hot sauce.
  • Molasses: Instead of molasses, you can use honey, maple syrup, cane syrup, or dark corn syrup. Be sure to taste and reduce the amount as needed so the sauce isn’t overly sweet.
  • Mustard: Make this a cross between a Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce and Memphis BBQ sauce by increasing to a ¼ cup of yellow mustard. You could also use spicy brown mustard or Dijon mustard in this recipe.

More Delicious Sauces Recipes

Collage of homemade sauce with prep steps

Photos used in previous versions of the post:

BBQ Sauce in glass jar with spoon
BBQ Sauce ingredients
finished sauce in black pot

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  2. Must confess: I was a bit adamant about trying a bbq sauce with no ketchup involved but damn… this was simply marvelous. My chicken wings have never tasted this good. Thank you for sharing, Sabrina!

    Reply

  3. Hi Sabrina,

    I want to use this BBQ sauce in your chicken wing recipe which calls for 2 cups of the sauce. Your recipe says 12 servings. Would I need to make less of this in order to have the 2 cups for the wings? Thank you.

    Reply

  5. BBQ Sauce is my fav and this Memphis style sauce looks to die for! I love that it has mustard in it as that would add such a great hit of flavour. I can see what I would use this on everything. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  6. This came out fantastic slow cooked with chicken. I shredded the chicken and we ate it as a messy delicious sandwich!

    Reply