Bull's Eye BBQ Sauce

This homemade barbecue sauce nails the thick, tangy-sweet-smoky flavor of Bull’s Eye using ingredients already in your pantry, no specialty shopping required.

Ketchup and tomato sauce form the base, brown sugar brings the sweetness, and mustard, Worcestershire, and a dash of hot sauce layer in tang, depth, and a little heat. Onion, simmered right in, melts down and rounds everything out.

The one rule: don’t judge it raw. As the recipe wisely warns, the sauce tastes harsh and disjointed before it cooks. A full 45-minute simmer is what melds the flavors and thickens it into a glossy, clingy sauce that tastes just like the bottle.

Slather it on barbecued pork steaks, ribs, chicken, or burgers. There’s even a beer option in place of the water for a little extra depth, though the original sticks with water.

Chef Tips

• Simmer the full 45 minutes; the flavors need time to meld and the sauce to thicken.
• Don’t taste and adjust before simmering, since raw it tastes far harsher than the finished sauce.
• Blend it smooth after cooking if you prefer a sauce without onion bits.
• Store it in a jar in the fridge, where it keeps for a couple of weeks.

Variations

• Use beer in place of the water for a deeper, maltier sauce.
• Add smoked paprika or a little liquid smoke for extra smokiness.
• Up the hot sauce or add cayenne for a spicier version.