Vinegar Barbecue Sauce

This vinegar barbecue sauce might be the one to convert people to vinegar-based barbecue sauces. On its own, it’s very sharp and bright, too much so, but once mixed with rich, juicy, fatty pulled pork, they harmonize and balance each other perfectly. A must-have in your summer barbecue arsenal. Not to mention every cupboard has these ingredients on hand.

From cupboard to jar, this barbecue sauce took probably 10 minutes to put together. I had it on the stove for 3 to 4 minutes, just long enough to heat it and mix everything uniformly. I added a healthy amount of black pepper (2 teaspoons roughly ground) because I like a lot of it in my barbecue.

We used this on a pork shoulder which I prepared for a weeknight meal by braising it in the slow cooker with onions, Worcestershire, hard cider, and barbecue spice rub. Once the meat was shredded, I added 1/4 cup barbecue sauce and tossed it with some of the cooking juices. Then I piled it high on butter-toasted buns with coleslaw and more sauce. It was perfect. The best pulled pork sandwich I’ve ever made—and with plenty leftovers.

As far as other uses to go, I would hesitate to use this on anything but a rich, fatty meat dish seeing as it is so acidic from the vinegar, it really needs balance. Maybe wings?

I’m a big fan of thick, sweet, Kansas City-type barbecue sauces. This is NOT that type of sauce. But even if you’re like me, there’s a place for a vinegar-based sauce in your barbecue repertoire. It makes smoked pulled pork even more moist and tangy and is a perfect counter to the cool creamy coleslaw that I like to pile on my pulled pork sandwiches. I think this type of barbecue sauce was made for pork but it’s nice on grilled chicken, too.

The recipe couldn’t be easier to put together. Just toss all the ingredients in a saucepan and warm. It’s really as simple as that. The recipe directs you to use salt and pepper to taste. For me that worked out to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.

One taste and this vinegar barbecue sauce transported me back in time more than 20 years to my family’s Saturday night barbecues! This sauce reminds me of my granddad, who always shunned the store-bought variety of barbecue sauce and made his own. Throughout the year, he usually had at least three vegetable gardens and was always canning or pickling. He had a taste that often veered towards things with a vinegar base and most of the foods he cooked were definitely memorable.

And, thanks to this recipe, I’m able to revisit some of my fondest childhood memories. And believe me, my granddad would absolutely love this sauce as well! In honor of granddad, I paired the sauce with chicken breasts slow-cooked all night in a crock pot. De-lic-ious!

This is a great sauce if you want quick and easy. I mopped it over ribs during the last few minutes of grilling and put a bit on the bottom of the plate when serving. It’s really tangy, bright, and acidic—the only adjustment I’d make is to maybe throw in some cayenne or ancho chili powder for some heat.

We used Cholula hot sauce as it was in the fridge and ended up with just under 3 cups after simmering the sauce for a few minutes.

The first thing to know about me and this recipe is that barbecue sauces are my “currency” and this, while not a C note, ranks up there with the big spenders. The finished product is the perfect jumping-off point for any modification or extra pizazz you might want to add to a really, really good mopping sauce. For a vinegar-based sauce, it has a perfect ratio of tart to smooth with the ketchup balancing out any of the mentioned “puckers” you might encounter!

This is a straight-forward easy peasy recipe and the hardest part is to resist tasting every time you stir it—yes, it is that good. I used Franks Hot Sauce (original version) for this sauce and I think you could get some really great results changing out brands and intensities since this is a basic generic recipe that depends on so few ingredients to give it its kick.

I will add this to my collections of sauce recipes and it will be up near the top of the list. It is a brilliant canvas upon which to paint whatever embellishments you wish—additions or substitutions will work here! I plan to use this on ribs, brisket, and tonight on a plain ole grass-fed beef burger. And I think I might add some of this to some homemade mayo for a special sauce for the bun! Have fun and play with your food!

This recipe is so easy to put together yet delivers a clean, straightforward vinegar barbecue sauce. The ingredients needed are everyday pantry items, but obviously the key ingredients are the vinegars and ketchup. As the ketchup is so dominant in the flavor, it is important to choose one that you like. This is a good base recipe for experimenting with other flavors. Beyond fatty meat, this sauce is versatile and can be used to provide a sour kick to eggs, chicken, and other dishes that could benefit from an extra boost in flavor.

I used Sriracha for the hot sauce. It paired well with pork. It makes 3 cups and I used it on sausage and chicken as well.

If more people knew how easy it was to whip up their own homemade barbecue sauce, we would put sauce companies out of business. This barbecue sauce took less than 20 minutes from start to finish using ingredients most folks would find in their pantry or refrigerator. It’s a sauce meant to be drizzled rather than thickly slopped on pulled pork, ribs, or your favorite grilled meat. If you have an aversion to vinegar skip this sauce but if you love a nice tang and a touch of heat to your sauce get ready to drizzle!

I used Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (always). I served this using the Slow Cooker Pulled Pork recipe by Nick Evans from this website and the combination was perfection.