Barbecue sauce is a popular condiment used to flavor and complement grilled meats like ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and brisket. The sweet, tangy, and often smoky flavor of barbecue sauce adds a signature taste to barbecue dishes.
There are many varieties of barbecue sauce, with distinct styles across different regional barbecue traditions. The ingredients in barbecue sauce can vary widely, but commonly contain some combination of tomatoes, vinegar, spices, and sweeteners like brown sugar or molasses.
The role of molasses in barbecue sauce
Molasses is a thick, dark syrup that is produced as a byproduct of refining sugar cane or sugar beets into table sugar. Molasses has a rich, robust flavor with notes of bittersweetness and complexity.
Molasses is commonly used as a sweetening and flavoring agent in cooking. In barbecue sauces, molasses imparts a touch of sweetness, depth, and darkness that balances the acidity, spiciness, and smokiness of the other ingredients.
The amount of molasses used can range from a splash to a few tablespoons per cup of sauce. Too much molasses can make the sauce overly thick and sweet. The level varies based on the style of sauce and personal preference.
Molasses in regional barbecue styles
Here is an overview of the role molasses plays in some classic regional barbecue sauce styles across the United States:
- Kansas City: Kansas City barbecue sauce has molasses as a key ingredient. It contains molasses along with tomatoes, vinegar, spices, and sometimes mustard for a sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy profile.
- Memphis: Memphis barbecue sauce contains a moderate amount of molasses as a sweetening agent. It combines molasses with tomatoes, vinegar, and spices for a glossy, balanced sweet-tangy flavor.
- Texas: Texas-style barbecue sauce uses little to no molasses. The sauces focus more on bold spices, chili powder, black pepper, garlic, and vinegar for a hot and savory flavor.
- North Carolina: Traditional North Carolina barbecue sauce is a type of vinegar sauce without molasses. However, some modern riffs add a touch of molasses for undertones of sweetness.
- South Carolina: South Carolina mustard sauce gets its distinctive flavor from generous amounts of prepared yellow mustard and vinegar. Molasses is generally not used.
- Alabama: Alabama white barbecue sauce is mayonnaise-based without molasses. However, some Alabama recipes use molasses in tomato-based red barbecue sauces.
As these examples show, molasses usage depends on the specific regional style. Kansas City and Memphis sauces rely on molasses most heavily for classic sweet barbecue flavors.
Commercial barbecue sauce ingredients
For popular mass-market and supermarket brands of barbecue sauce, molasses may or may not be present depending on the product. Barbecue sauces vary in their relative sweetness and flavor profiles.
To determine if a particular commercial barbecue sauce contains molasses, you can read the product ingredient label. Molasses may be listed directly as an ingredient. It also may be included under names like brown sugar,invert sugar, refiner’s syrup, or natural flavors.
Here are some examples of popular barbecue sauce brands and whether molasses is included:
| Brand | Contains Molasses? |
|---|---|
| KC Masterpiece | Yes |
| Sweet Baby Ray’s | Yes |
| Stubbs | Yes |
| Stubb’s | No |
| Jack Daniel’s | Yes |
| Heinz | No |
As you can see, popular Kansas City-style barbecue sauces like KC Masterpiece and Sweet Baby Ray’s contain molasses. Texas-style brands like Stubb’s do not contain molasses. Heinz barbecue sauce goes without molasses for a tangier, less sweet flavor.
Should you make your own barbecue sauce?
Making homemade barbecue sauce allows you to control the ingredients and customize the flavor to your tastes. You can experiment with the type and amount of sweetener, spices, vinegar, and other components.
Here are some pros and cons of making your own barbecue sauce:
Pros:
- Total control over ingredients and proportions
- Adjust sweetness and molasses amount to preference
- Make it exactly how you want it flavored
- Avoid unwanted ingredients like preservatives, artificial flavors, etc.
- Cheaper than buying ready-made sauce
- Fun to experiment with flavors
Cons:
- More time consuming than buying pre-made sauce
- Need right ingredients on hand
- Trial and error to perfect recipe
- Makes a lot; leftovers must be stored
- Shelf life not as long as commercial sauces
Overall, making your own barbecue sauce can be very rewarding but requires more effort. Make sure you plan to use up a homemade batch within a week or two. Properly stored in the refrigerator, homemade sauce should stay fresh for 1-2 weeks.
Basic barbecue sauce recipe
This basic barbecue sauce recipe lets you choose whether to include molasses or not:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar OR molasses
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions:
- In a medium saucepan, combine ketchup, brown sugar OR molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently.
- Reduce heat and let sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Remove from heat and let cool. Sauce can be used immediately or refrigerated.
For a sweeter, more molasses-forward flavor, use 1/4 cup molasses instead of brown sugar. For a lighter, tangier profile, use brown sugar.
You can also tweak and embellish this basic recipe with extra ingredients like chili powder, tomato paste, herbs, vinegar, onion, spices, liquid smoke, etc. Have fun tailoring it to your preferences!
Using barbecue sauce
Barbecue sauce can be used:
- As a condiment for dipping/drizzling over cooked meats
- As a marinade, coating raw meats for extra flavor
- Mixed into ground beef as a flavor boost for burgers
- In cooking applications like barbecue baked beans or meatloaf
- As a sauce base for pizza, flatbreads, etc.
Try mixing a few tablespoons of sauce into servings of shredded or diced chicken, pork, or beef once they are fully cooked and ready to eat. You can also brush sauce on meat during the final 5-10 minutes of grilling for a caramelized coating.
If using as a marinade, reserve some extra sauce for serving rather than marinating the whole batch. Marinade should not be reused after raw meat has soaked in it.
Storing barbecue sauce
An opened bottle of barbecue sauce will last 1-2 months in the refrigerator. For optimum freshness and quality, use within this timeframe.
Look for expiry dates on commercial bottles. Unopened, barbecue sauce can typically be kept 12+ months in the pantry.
For homemade barbecue sauce, store in airtight containers in the fridge for 1-2 weeks max. The higher moisture content means it will not keep as long as a thick, shelf-stable commercial product.
Signs that barbecue sauce has gone bad include mold, separation, changes in texture, and unpleasant odors. Discard if expired or showing signs of spoilage.
Conclusion
Whether barbecue sauce contains molasses depends on the specific recipe and style. Some regional barbecue sauces rely heavily on molasses as a key ingredient, while others do not include it at all. Many commercial barbecue sauces feature molasses for its rich, caramelized sweetness and depth of flavor.
Reading ingredient labels allows you to look for molasses or alternate terms for it in prepared barbecue sauce. Making homemade barbecue sauce offers full control over the sweeteners used. Overall, molasses contributes complex sweetness and thickness that complements barbecue’s savory, spicy, and tangy taste profile.