The best Memphis BBQ Sauce is perfect for chicken, pull pork, pork ribs, and brisket. The sweet and tangy flavor of Memphis-style BBQ sauce complements smoky BBQs like pulled pork, pork ribs, or beef brisket.
Ingredients
Ketchup
Mustard—yellow
Liquid smoke—optional but not required. Hickory recommended.
Worcestershire sauce
Pantry ingredients—brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, celery salt (optional), chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper
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Featured Comment by Heather:
"Simply the best BBQ sauce I have ever made. And I have tried many! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!"
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It's time to impress your family and friends with the perfect sticky fingers tangy BBQ sauce with a bit of heat that could make cardboard taste good.
Easy to make with pantry ingredients. Change it to make your own "world-famous sauce" by adjusting the heat from the cayenne pepper or the other ingredients, like the mustard.
👨🍳How to Make Memphis BBQ Sauce—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in a medium to large non-reactive saucepan with a glass lid.
2. Place over medium heat, stirring aggressively until starting to boil, carefully avoiding splatter. Cover and occasionally remove from heat and stir well.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes. As little as 15 minutes works reasonably well, but 30 is better for combining the flavors.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
🥣Ingredient Options
- Ketchup–Use a brand-name household ketchup like Heinz®️ or Hunts®️. I believe you get what you pay for in ketchup. Fancier ketchup is not needed, and cheap ketchup may ruin your sauce.
- Mustard—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 liking. I usually go for ⅜ cups.
- Liquid Smoke—Liquid smoke does add something special to this sauce, but some people object to it. I highly recommend it, but please only use good-quality liquid smoke. It should only have smoke and water—no chemicals. I recommend Wright's and Hickory, but other flavors are okay.
- Brown sugar—light or dark. They can be used interchangeably. The only difference is the amount of molasses is more in the dark. You will detect a more robust taste with the darker version.
- Vinegar—apple cider, but white vinegar will do.
- Celery salt—Celery seed is the spice you will most likely not have in the pantry (I always do). It will add some aromatic, astringent, earthy taste. It is generally used ground or as a combination with salt. Leave it out if you want—I can tell the difference, but most people will not.
- Chili powder—there are several variations of chili powder. It is ground chilies with some cumin and garlic. Paprika is just ground chilies and will tend to be less hot and have a sweeter flavor. You can use some or all paprika and different varieties to make this BBQ sauce recipe your own.
- Cayenne pepper—can be varied to adjust the heat. The heat (spiciness) here is about 3/10 with ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Adjust to your taste.
Related Memphis BBQ Recipes
It is always good to match a sauce to the rub you are using—the best matches are Memphis BBQ Dry Rub and Marlowe Black Magic Seasoning. For the complete Memphis treatment, check out The Best Grilled Pork Tenderloin–Memphis Style.
When to use Memphis BBQ sauce
Serve this sauce with Pork Roast in the Oven, BBQ Ribs on the Grill, Smoked Brisket, or Oven Baked BBQ Brisket. And it is even great with Grilled Boneless Pork Ribs or Grilled Pork Tenderloin.
❄️How to store homemade Memphis BBQ sauce
Like other homemade BBQ sauces, there are no food preservatives; although the acid from some ingredients may act that way, they are not tested. I suggest no longer than 2 hours at temperatures between 40° and 140°.
It is good in the refrigerator for 5-7 days—probably a lot longer, but it has not been tested. It will store frozen for about 3 months. I like to put small amounts in smaller freezer bags to use as needed.
❓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 typical examples of reactive cookware. Stainless steel and standard non-stick cookware are examples of non-reactive pans.
No, but they will add special touches—especially the liquid smoke. If you have ground celery seed, you can make celery salt with 2 parts ground celery seed and 1 part table salt.
This recipe should be gluten-free but check the ingredients.
Worcestershire sauce made in the US is usually gluten-free, but imported versions may not be. Ketchup and even liquid smoke should be gluten-free.
As always, check all the labels.
🥣Kansas City vs. Memphis Style BBQ Sauce
There are several differences between KC and Memphis BBQ, but I will discuss only the sauces today.
Kansas City-style BBQ sauce is a sweet and thick sauce with a tomato and molasses base. Kansas City-style sauce can be very sweet and tangy but usually not too spicy.
Memphis-style BBQ sauce is different from Kansas City-style barbecue sauce. It isn’t as sweet but 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. Like Memphis BBQ sauce, St. Louis is thinner and less sweet than KC sauce. But Memphis will add some mustard taste and is spicier.
Other common sauces are the Carolina vinegar-based sauce and Alabama white BBQ sauce, which is mayonnaise-based. There is a wide variety of sauces in Texas, and I'm not getting into that fight, but there are regional variations. And there are many more I'm leaving out.
📖 Recipe
Memphis BBQ Sauce
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Ingredients
- 2 cups ketchup - good quality
- 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 - hickory preferred, optional but recommended
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper - adjust to taste
Instructions
- Combine in a medium to large 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 tablespoons 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 heat, stirring aggressively until starting to boil, being careful to avoid splatter. This stuff is thick and will burn you. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer. Occasionally remove from heat and stir well. Please remove from heat before mixing to prevent splattering and burns.
- Simmer for 30 minutes. As little as 15 minutes works reasonably well, but 30 is better for combining the flavors.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Use ketchup you love. I prefer Heinz or Hunts only.
- Be sure to use a non-reactive pan to avoid a metallic taste.
- Adjust the mustard to your taste. A full ½ cup will give a heavy mustard taste. I usually use a ⅜ cup.
- If you wish, skip the liquid smoke and celery salt. Both will add some to the taste, but it is still excellent without them. Other options are discussed in the post.
- If you use liquid smoke, I suggest hickory, but other wood flavors are okay.
- The heat (spiciness) here is about 3/10 with ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. You can adjust to your taste.
- For food safety, the sauce should not be between 40° and 140° for more than 2 hours.
- Good in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
- Spoon some into small baggies and freeze for 3-4 months.
Your Own Private Notes
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
© 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.
Based on Fine Cooking Magazine's version of Memphis BBQ sauce (no link available) with some minor adjustments and added options for you.
This recipe is featured in Memorial Day Recipes, Fourth of July Recipes, and the Pulled Pork Recipes roundups.
Originally Published April 19, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Lara says
An update: I did end up making this over the Memorial Day weekend. I may have gotten a little heavy-handed on the vinegar, so to balance it out, I drizzled in some honey. Used it on pork on the crockpot -let it go all day for pulled pork sandwiches. It was delicious!! At the end of the day, my kid was dunking potato chips into the last of the sauce - a true testament to its deliciousness! The leftovers were even better than the original day. No more bottled bbq sauces for me. Thanks for posting this!!
Lara says
Perfect timing! I am doing crock pot pulled pork sandwiches this weekend and have all ingredients on hand to whip up this sauce. Can't wait!!
Cindy says
Which flavor Hickory Smoke do you use?
DrDan says
Hi Cindy,
I only use Wright's. I have used other brands over the years and really I'm dissatisfied with every other brand. If you can't find Wright's, read the ingredients and if there is anything other than smoke and water then just skip the liquid smoke. It is never required in any recipe.
Dan
Ron says
This looks fantastic, I like the idea of using yellow mustard. With BBQ season upon us, we'll be making a batch of this.
American yellow mustard is bloody expensive here, so we'll use Swedish mustard. we'll let you know how it turns out.
DrDan says
Hi Ron,
As long as the mustard doesn't have a lot of spices, I would think it is fine. If they have lots of other spices then you many need some adjustments.
I see you pop up on FBP frequently with questions and helping others. Keep it up.
For the readers, Ron is a fellow food blogger who is American but living in Sweden. Check his site, Lost in A Pot, out at https://lostinapot.com.
Dan
Laura says
I remember when you first posted this, I always make it (spices to my taste) and pour it over a pork ribeye roast in the slow cooker to make pulled pork.
Eric Chamberlain says
I dropped the liquid smoke. No self respecting grill master uses thst. BBQ done right doesn't need that. I also used molasses instead of the brown sugar and added a bit of lager.
Fantastic!
Peter E Beckles says
Is the liquid smoke really necessary?
DrDan says
No... but it will be a 9.7 not a 10.0 if you can tell the difference...
DrDan
LaRue says
I used Hungarian paprika and it's awesome
Johann says
Thank you very much Dan for sharing this recipe, we've used this all the time. Our guests are going crazy and we shared your recipe whit them.
Everytime a succes!
Good luck and greetings from the Netherlands
SugarDee says
I am making your recipe in the crockpot following directions but stirring it and then turning it on low so far it's not even done it taste great
DrDan says
I do love this sauce.
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
Mitchell Tuckness says
Hi, I am sorry, but is there a difference between the little t's and the large T's? Do the large T's mean Tablespoons and the little t's mean Teaspoons?
Wanted to make sure before I made this. Thank you.
DrDan says
T=tablespoon t=teaspoon c=cup
This is one of the older posts... Newer posts have it spelled out and it's in FAQ but not obvious.
You picked a great one to try.
DrDan
Dr Dan says
Thanks for the comments. This is one of my favorite recipes. So glad you liked it.
Karen says
My guests all raved over this and were just about drinking the extra that I placed on the table! I used it on chicken drums and boneless ribs. Great on both, thanks!! (I cut the mustard to a 1/4 cup. I also had no celery salt, so I used a small amount of celery seed and 2 tsp. of regular salt.)
Zaak says
DrDan,
You rocked it with this one!
While some of my neighbors might not like it, I'm in Texas, You've recreated the sweet tangy flavors of Memphis BBQ!
Only thing I changed was I added about a 1/4 cup of brisket juice I always have on hand.
5 stars too ya'
Zaak
Dr Dan says
I truly think it is a 1-2 week in the frig and 6 months in a freeze but I have not nor will I be testing so I'm always conservative and I'm sure I toss things that are still ok. I'm going to freeze some later this week after the pork is gone.
The 1/4 t of cayenne is the most my wife will tolerate but it was good for me. You should probably got to 1/2 teaspoon plus some.
Chris says
I'm not a food safety expert but with all of that vinegar in there, that sauce should hold very well in the fridge or freezer.
I haven't tried a Memphis sauce even though I'm in Tennessee. I might have to give this one a try soon. Wonder how it goes on ribs.
islandeat says
I definitely will try this promising recipe soon. Thanks for all your efforts to replicate this tempting BBQ sauce.
While I've not eaten there for two decades or so, I always liked Zingerman's food!