Homemade Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce Recipe

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I’m originally from Little Rock, Arkansas but my father is from Kansas City, MO. Around 8 years of age I was introduced to the magical world of Kansas City BBQ and have been hooked ever since. I’ve resided in Texas for over a decade and please believe I’ve eaten my fair share of Texas BBQ. The focal point of Texas BBQ is the spice rub. That’s cool, but to me, good BBQ is nothing without a full-flavored balanced BBQ sauce.

After researching the ingredients of the best bbq sauce from a few of my favorite bbq restaurants like Gates, Simm’s, and Feastro’s, I was surprised to find simple, everyday ingredients. Ketchup, brown sugar and spices, were the cohesive threads in all of them! As this recipe is my first attempt at making scratch bbq sauce, I wanted to find a recipe that was easy to follow and yielded delicious results. Vindulge’s recipe for Easy BBQ Sauce – Kansas City style provided a great guide for me to follow.

WHAT MAKE KANSAS CITY BBQ SAUCE DIFFERENT?

This specific recipe does require the use of an immersion blender. The reason for that is because it includes fresh ingredients. Most bbq sauce recipes call for onion or garlic powder. Not this one. Freshly, chopped onion and garlic are used in this recipe. These ingredients need to be blended to ensure your scratch bbq sauce is smooth.

• Extra virgin olive oil
• freshly chopped onion
• freshly chopped garlic cloves
• ketchup
• blackstrap molasses
• jarred tomato sauce
• apple cider vinegar
• dark brown sugar
• cayenne pepper
• smoked paprika
• salt & pepper

I truly appreciated the way the recipe laid out the exact steps of how to create the best bbq sauce, so I listed them below.
Soften Fresh Ingredients: Start by warming up a stockpot, then sautéing the fresh onion until translucent and soft, but not caramelized. Add garlic and stir for another minute.

Add Liquids: Pour ketchup, tomato puree, molasses, and apple cider vinegar into the pot and bring to a simmer.

Add Seasonings: Finally add sugar, salt, cayenne, and black pepper and stir.

Blend: Using a hand immersion blender, blend the ingredients to grind up the onion and garlic and get a nice smooth consistency.

Simmer: Bring back to a simmer and cover for another 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and then using a funnel, pour the sauce into an airtight container with a lid.

OTHER BBQ RELATED POSTS:

Tangy Baked BBQ Turkey Meatballs

Crispy Gluten-Free Baked BBQ Chicken Wings

AMAZON PICKS FOR THIS RECIPE

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Homemade Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce Recipe

This easy homemade recipe for Kansas City Style BBQ is sweet, tangy, and delicious. Add this zesty bbq sauce to your ribs, chicken, or pork dishes. You'll never buy BBQ sauce again.

5 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Condiment

Servings 2 Cups

Calories 49 kcal

Equipment

• Immersion Blender

Ingredients

  

• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Yellow or white onion Diced
• 2 Garlic Cloves Diced
• 1 1/2 Cups Ketchup
• 1 Cup Jarred Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 Cup Blackstrap Molasses
• 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar Tightly-packed
• 1 tsp Cayenne
• 1 tsp Smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper

Instructions

 

• Preheat a 3 1/2 quart sauce pot over medium heat. Add olive oil.
• Next add onions and sautee for 5 – 6 minutes, stirring often, or until translucent and soft, but not caramelized. Add garlic and stir for another minute.
• Add ketchup, tomato puree, molasses, and apple cider vinegar and bring to a simmer. Should take about 5 minutes to come to a simmer.
• Finally add brown sugar, salt, cayenne, and black pepper and stir. Using a hand immersion blender, blend the ingredients to grind up the cooked onion and garlic.
• Bring back to a simmer and cover for another 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and then using a funnel, pour the sauce into an airtight container with a lid.

Notes

Keyword BBQ Sauce, Best BBQ Sauce, Homemade BBQ Sauce, Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce, Scratch BBQ Sauce