How to make sauce for BBQ just like a Texan

Like hot sauces, salsa, and spice rubs, barbecue sauce is something of a spectacle in the culinary world. From mass produced favorites like Sweet Baby Ray's to local recipes with limited availability, America's barbecue sauces are either bland and laden with sugar and preservatives or highly secretive and tough to mimic.

But who needs a jar or someone else's secret recipe? The next time you fire up the grill, don't settle for supermarket sauce. Whip up your own instead. Experiment with flavors to better match the taste profile to what you're grilling, and hey, who knows—you might just whip up the next BBQ ambrosia and make a fortune selling it at street fairs. There's a multitude of styles of barbecue sauce, from tangy mustard-based varieties to the distinctive mayonnaise-based white sauce of Alabama. Choosing the right sauce largely depends on what's cooking and where you're cooking it. Putting regional flame-broiled feuds aside, here's a guide to a basic tomato-based sauce to get you started.

1. The necessary ingredients for homemade tomato-based barbecue sauce are pretty basic, so chances are you'll already have them on-hand. Grab a medium saucepan and heat about three tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. Avoid olive oil as this can cloud the taste of the rest of your ingredients.

2. Peel and press six cloves of garlic. Stir them into the oil.

3. As the garlic cooks, add two tablespoons of tomato paste.

4. While the tomato paste and garlic is cooking, head over to the spice rack. Add one tablespoon of chili powder (add less or more depending on the desired spice level), one tablespoon of paprika, a dash of ground clove, and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes.

5. Continue stirring as the the sauce cooks. At this stage, it won't resemble a sauce at all, but that means you're on the right track. 

6. After about five minutes, it's time to liquify. Add two cups ketchup, two cups water, a third cup of apple cider vinegar and a quarter cup of dark molasses.

7. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir continuously.

8. Next add a dash of Worcestershire sauce and two teaspoons of mustard—you choose the brand and style, but stay away from dijon.

9. Add salt and pepper, liberally, and simmer for about a half hour. Use the sauce right away or jar it and throw it in the fridge.

10. Last but not least, remember to experiment every step of the way. Add fresh herbs when you're simmering, swap ingredients, and most importantly, don't forget about the meat on the grill. Not even the world's best sauce can save a charred cut of steak.