This sweet and tangy Memphis barbecue sauce is the perfect complement to pork, beef, or chicken. With a touch of spice, it is the best homemade bbq sauce for special occasions, or make it your everyday sauce.
Introduction
This is the best BBQ sauce you will ever try. I don't use the term "best" lightly, but this qualifies—it would make cardboard taste great.
Change it around a little to make your own "world-famous sauce" to impress your friends and family with your "secret" homemade BBQ sauce.
This is a copycat recipe from an Ann Arbor institution, Zingerman's Roadhouse. The pork is great, but the sauce even better. Their "Red Rage"- Memphis barbecue sauce is wonderful. It was sweet and spicy, all at once.
There are several variations of Memphis sauce floating around. I chose the version from Fine Cooking as the inspiration recipe. I varied the spices a bit and eliminated what I thought was unnecessary oil. I also added some options so you can adjust to your tastes.
My Rating
An absolute 5. As high of a 5 as possible. And my wife agrees. What more is there to say?
🥣Kansas City vs. Memphis Style BBQ Sauce
There are several differences between KC and Memphis BBQ in general, but today I will discuss only the sauces.
Kansas City-style BBQ sauce is a sweet and thick sauce that is tomato and molasses base. Kansas City-style sauce can be very sweet and tangy but not too spicy.
Memphis-style BBQ sauce is different from Kansas City-style barbecue sauce. It isn’t as sweet and is spicier. It also is thinner and has a bit of vinegar.
Memphis and St. Louis sauces are similar, and some experts will classify them as types of Kansas City sauce. But there is a distinct difference.
Other common sauces would be Carolina vinegar-based sauce and Alabama white BBQ sauce, which is mayo-based. There is a wide variety of sauces in Texas, and I'm just not getting into that fight, but I will say there is regional variation.
✔️FAQs
Use a non-reactive pan for tomato based cooking. Some pans are "reactive," meaning they contain metals that might interact with certain foods like tomatoes and change the taste. Cast iron and copper would be common examples. Stainless steel and normal non-stick cookware are examples of non-reactive pans.
I'm specifying Heinz or Hunts Ketchup. I believe you get what you pay for in ketchup. Any other than Hunts or Heinz will never come into my house.
Plain old yellow mustard. Nothing fancy or with other spices added. The mustard taste is a bit heavy at ½ cup. Cut it down to your taste. I usually go for ⅜ cup.
Liquid smoke does add something special to this sauce, but some people object to it. I highly recommend it, but please only use a good quality liquid smoke. It should only have smoke and water—no chemicals. I generally use Wright's.
The heat (spiciness) here is about 3/10 with ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Adjust to your taste.
Good in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Probably a lot longer but not tested.
It will store frozen for about 3 months. I like to put small amounts in smaller freezer bags so I can use small amounts when needed.
📖Memphis BBQ Recipes
Marlowe of Memphis BBQ Dry Rub
The Best Grilled Pork Tenderloin – Memphis Style
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Combine in a non-reactive saucepan with a glass lid: 2 cups Heinz or Hunts Ketchup, ¼-1/2 cup yellow mustard, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoon celery salt, 2 teaspoons liquid smoke, ¼ to ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Place over medium-high heat, stirring aggressively until starting to boil being careful to avoid splatter. This stuff is thick and will burn you. Reduce heat to low and cover with a glass lid so you can see the action.
Occasionally remove from heat and stir well. Please be sure to remove from heat before stirring to prevent splattering and burns.
📖Recipe
Memphis Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups ketchup - Heinz or Hunts
- ¼-1/2 cup yellow mustard - Adjust to taste
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar - firmly packed
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons celery salt
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke - optional but recommended
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper - adjust to taste
Instructions
- Combine in a non-reactive saucepan with a glass lid : 2 cups Heinz or Hunts Ketchup, ¼-1/2 cup yellow mustard, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoon celery salt, 2 teaspoons liquid smoke, ¼ to ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- Place over medium-high heat, stirring aggressively until starting to boil being careful to avoid splatter. This stuff is thick and will burn you.
- Reduce heat to low and cover with a glass lid so you can see the action
- Occasionally remove from heat and stir well. Please be sure to remove from heat before stirring to prevent splattering and burns.
- Simmer for about 30 minutes.
My Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Use ketchup you love. I prefer Heinz or Hunts only.
- Adjust the mustard to your taste. A full ½ cup will give a heavy mustard taste. I usually use a ⅜ cup.
- The heat (spiciness) here is about 3/10 with ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Adjust to your taste.
- Good in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Probably a lot longer but not tested.
- Spoon some into small baggies and freeze for 3-4 months.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally Published April 19, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Heather Wall
Simply the best BBQ sauce I have ever made. And, I have tried many!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Michael Schertz
Hi this looks great. Question; do you then mix this in with the pulled pork and serve/store like that or would you layer the sandwhich with the pulled pork and then pour bbq over it?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Michael,
Welcome to the blog.
I do love this sauce.
You ask a common question since most of America does this wrong. BBQ sauce should be added just before eating. Meat should not be stored or heated in the sauce.
BBQ sauce (tomato-based here but also vinegar-based) have an acid that will rapidly destroy the texture of the meat you worked so hard to get right. Heating or storing in a sauce will almost guarantee mushy results. So I reheat my meat covered on a tray in the oven. If for a party, I use a crockpot or roaster to keep warm and put a varity of sauces next to that for the guests. The Memphis sauce is always gone first.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Sandra
Made this for the first time a couple of weeks ago with the pulled pork. My family won’t let me buy it from the store anymore! Sweetened it up a bit more and reduces the heat but amazing! Thank you!
Bobby from Point St-Charles, QC, CANADA
Anyone who tries it wants the recipe
Elizabeth from Canada
This BBQ sauce is amazing. I’ve been making it for years now and never buy store bought BBQ sauce anymore. The recipe is quite forgiving if you have a bit more or less than what’s called for. And in a pinch, 15 minutes of cooking time works too. And I don’t use the liquid smoke but just because I don’t like it. I make it in large quantities and can it - for gifts and also so I never run out. EVERYONE asks for the recipe and brings me their empty jars to refill. 😋
smmus.es
Memphis barbecue means pork. This ketchup-based barbecue sauce is equally good on pulled pork as it is on ribs. What makes it perfect for pork is the vinegar-to-tomato ratio. The result is a thick, sweet, and spicy sauce.
Eric Miller
Made this several times and it’s amazing. This time I took a cue from my favorite chili recipe and put in a tablespoon of cocoa powder and it really pushed it over the top. Was licking it off a spoon while the pork finished.
Tara
Delicious. I took the advice and cut back on the mustard and it was perfect. Rave reviews from the table. Used it on ribs and chicken. Great universal sauce.
Deanna
I don't eat BBQ sauce but I made this for my husband tonight. I can say that there is now a BBQ sauce that I will eat! I love this sauce! The amount of pepper is a little strong for me so next time I will cut it in half and I didn't have any celery salt. This stuff is SO GOOD! I'm going to be using it with the crock pot pulled pork from butt I'm making tomorrow :)