10 Terrific American Barbecue Sauce Recipes

Take a Delicious Tour of America's Top Regional Barbecue Sauces

By John Mitzewich

Updated 06/26/19

From thick and sweet to thin and tangy, these barbecue sauces are all fast and easy to make. No matter which meat you decide to barbecue, one of these delicious sauce recipes will work perfectly.
They're all here - from the Carolina coast, where mustard is king, to the thick, dark sauces of the Midwest, to the fiery, chili-spiked versions out west - a list of barbecue sauces for all tastes.

  • 01 of 10

    Kansas City Barbecue Sauce Recipe

    Ribs. Pam McLean/Photographer's Choice RF/Getty Images

    Kansas City barbecue sauce is probably America's most popular barbecue sauce recipe. Rich, dark, thick, sweet, and tangy, this barbecue sauce recipe is great on everything from smoked beef brisket to the classic rack of pork ribs.

  • 02 of 10

    "Magic Mustard" South Carolina Barbecue Sauce Recipe

    Mustard. Diana Rattray

    When it comes to barbecue sauce recipes, mustard and vinegar is king in this part of the country. There's no ketchup allowed in this delicious and tangy South Carolina barbecue sauce recipe.

  • 03 of 10

    Memphis Barbecue Sauce Recipe

    BBQ Sauce. Jackson Vereen/Photodisc/Getty Images

    Memphis barbecue sauce is considered by many barbecue enthusiasts to be the best all-purpose barbecue sauce recipe. It has a great balance between hot, sweet and tangy. It's traditionally served with pork but works just fine with beef and chicken.

  • 04 of 10

    Kentucky Bourbon Barbecue Sauce Recipe

    Bourbon. Tetra Images/Creative RF/Getty Images

    This barbecue sauce recipe gets it' kick from Kentucky's famous bourbon. This is a great all-purpose barbecue sauce recipe that goes well with almost any barbecued meat.

    Continue to 5 of 10 below.
  • 05 of 10

    Big and Bold Texas Barbecue Sauce Recipe

    Big and Bold Barbecue Sauce. Bill Boch/Photographer's Choice RF/Getty Images

    Everything is bigger in Texas, including the flavor of this great Texas barbecue sauce recipe. Not as thick or sweet as its Midwestern relatives, this spicy barbecue sauce recipe is traditionally used with beef.

  • 06 of 10

    Honey Dijon Barbecue Sauce Recipe

    Honey mustard sauce. Krosnick Studio/Getty Images

    Sweet and tangy, this honey Dijon barbecue sauce recipe is perfect when you feel like a tasty break from the usual tomato-based barbecue sauce recipes.

  • 07 of 10

    St. Louis-Style Barbecue Sauce Recipe

    St. Louis-Style Ribs. Rachel Weill/Photodisc/Getty Images

    This St Louis-style barbecue sauce recipe is similar to the more popular Kansas City barbecue sauce but is a bit less sweet, and a little tangier. This is a delicious barbecue sauce recipe to use on baby back ribs or grilled chicken.

  • 08 of 10

    Alabama-Style White Barbecue Sauce Recipe

    Alabama White Barbecue.

    Dan/Flickr.com (CC by 2.0)

    This white barbecue sauce recipe from the northern part of Alabama may be America's most unusual barbecue sauce recipe. It doesn’t contain any tomato but uses mayonnaise as the base, which is where this barbecue sauce recipe gets its name.

    Continue to 9 of 10 below.
  • 09 of 10

    Southwestern Barbecue Sauce Recipe

    Souhwest Barbecue Sauce.

    foodiecrush.com 

    This Southwestern barbecue sauce recipe uses chipotle chili pepper to give it a smoky, spicy zing. Great on any slow-roasted meats, this Southwestern barbecue sauce recipe is also a perfect match for chicken.

  • 10 of 10

    California Asian-Style Barbecue Sauce Recipe

    Asian BBQ Sauce. Westend61/Getty Images

    This California Asian-style barbecue sauce recipe combines some classic American barbecue sauce ingredients, with a few traditional Asian flavors, for a great all-purpose sauce.