Martha Stewart's Pantry-Friendly Homemade BBQ Sauce Is Perfect for Last-Minute Memorial Day Parties
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It might already be Memorial Day weekend, but we can’t be the only ones who still can’t believe summer is basically here. That means that we’re still scrambling to stock up on summer basics, from s’mores marshmallows and sunscreen to, yes, barbecue sauce. Now, we usually keep a bottle or two of store-bought sauce in the pantry all summer, and we’ve been known to make elaborate homemade barbecue sauce recipes too. But what if you’re caught last minute? Not to worry. Martha Stewart has a simple, last-minute barbecue sauce recipe, and the best part is that it’s made using ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
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You don’t even have to cook this sauce before you use it, so if you’re having a last-minute get-together and decide to grill up that chicken you’ve had in the freezer, you can simply whip up this easy homemade barbecue sauce while the grill is heating up, then brush it on the meat as needed.
So, what goes into Martha Stewart’s simple barbecue sauce? It’s all stuff you probably have on hand. Ketchup acts as the base, with brown sugar to sweeten, white wine vinegar for tang, Worcestershire sauce for umami, and paprika and cayenne pepper to round things out. Stewart doesn’t specify the type of paprika, but if you like sauce with a smoky flavor, we recommend using smoked paprika. We especially love this trick when we’re making barbecue inside, in the oven or on the grill pan, because it helps give the food that authentic grill flavor.
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You can also customize this recipe based on your own preferences and what you have on hand. No brown sugar? White sugar, a glug of molasses, or even honey can work in a pinch. Like things spicy? Use hot paprika and add extra cayenne. You can really use pretty much any light vinegar, from champagne to distilled, to make the recipe, and you can add additional spices if you’d like — onion powder, garlic powder, coriander, and black pepper would all work well here.
The bottom line is, once you have this easy sauce recipe bookmarked, you’ll never have to panic about picking up sauce at the store, or needing to carve out an hour or two to make some from scratch, again. Just reach for the ketchup, open up the pantry, and you’ll have homemade barbecue sauce ready to go in minutes.
In search of more summer recipes? Giada De Laurentiis has plenty:
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