Old Bay® Homemade Barbecue Sauce

This delicious barbecue sauce is the perfect blend of sweet & spicy, and it’s delicious on chicken, pork, and beef. The best part – it’s so easy to make!

As you may have guessed this Homemade Barbecue Sauce recipe is an Old Bay® classic. The old recipe used to be on the original Old Bay® can. Over the years, all the original recipes on the can have been swapped out with different ones.

Growing up, this was always one of my favorite barbecue sauces of the different one’s mom made. After we were married, it quickly became one of Pete’s favorites too. You can count on this being an oldy-but-goody for sure!

Did I change anything about this recipe?

Nope! Not one thing! Well, unless you count adding a little more Old Bay®. My gang loves that stuff, so the attitude around here is the more, the better.

The recipe doesn’t specify light or dark brown sugar, but I use dark when I have it. This homemade barbecue sauce is delicious right out of the gate, so I never saw reason to add or take away any ingredients.

A little about this homemade barbecue sauce

This sauce is a robust sauce with a sweet and spicy flavor. There is no real heat in this recipe, but the spices in the Old Bay® do kick it up a notch.

What’s in the sauce?

• Ketchup – often the base of most barbecue sauce recipes
• Brown sugar – adds the sweetness to offset the bold spices
• Worcestershire sauce – adds an overall depth to the flavor
• Dijon mustard – offsets the sweetness and adds a bit of tang
• Old Bay® seasoning – lends the robust and unique flavor

That’s it – Old Bay® Homemade Barbecue Sauce consists of only five ingredients, and you can prepare it in less than five minutes. How awesome is that?

What foods pair well with this homemade barbecue sauce?

The question is, what isn’t good with this sauce. It just makes everything taste delicious! Here are a few of my favorites:

• chicken wings – (I will be doing a post on this soon.)
• chicken (pieces in general)
• pork ribs
• beef ribs
• barbecue chicken pizza – or any other kind that uses barbecue sauce
• baked beans (you can stir a bit into your baked beans for added flavor
• pork chops
• drizzled over pulled pork sandwiches
• burgers
• quesadillas
• as a dip for chicken tenders
• stirred into macaroni and cheese

Those are a few ways that come to mind, but I bet you can think of other ways to use it.

Why not just buy barbecue sauce from the store?

Well, because there’s nothing better than being able to make your own favorite food items homemade! The biggest advantage in making your own is knowing what ingredients are in it.

You can avoid ingredients that are not good for you. One of the biggest health offenders in my very favorite store-bought sauce is high fructose corn syrup.

Why am I giving you the recipe for this Old Bay® Homemade Barbecue Sauce that has been around for ages?

Well, it seems that so many people I serve this to has never had it or even heard of the recipe. In fact, a few of my friends have never even bought a can of Old Bay® … gasp!

I couldn’t help but be a little shocked at that admission. I couldn’t imagine! It’s just as common as salt and pepper for those of us on or from the East Coast.

Since quite a few of my local friends have never heard of this sauce, it dawned on me that maybe you haven’t either, so I thought I would share it here. This Old Bay® Barbecue Sauce is one I think you will love adding to your favorites!

You can see the same recipe on the McCormick site here.

Should I refrigerate my homemade barbecue sauce?

Yes! This sauce should be stored in a sealed container and be refrigerated. Kept this way it should last for 7 to 10 days. Since this particular sauce doesn’t have any fresh ingredients (like onion, garlic, peppers, etc. it may last even longer.

Can I freeze my homemade barbecue sauce?

Yes, you can freeze your sauce for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to freeze your sauce you will want it to be completely cooled. You can put it in freezer bags, plastic containers, or glass jars. I like to keep mine in Mason jars.

Other recipes you might like to try:

• Crock Pot Roasted Chicken
• Slow Cooker Barbeque Chicken Sliders

What types of food do you like to eat with barbecue sauce? I would love for you to tell me in the comments!