Best barbeque sauce (served with meatballs)

This is the best barbeque sauce recipe I’ve ever made. It’s sweet and tangy, with a hint of smokiness and it takes only 15 minutes to make. Poured over a dish of spaghetti and meatballs it makes a quick and easy family supper. I can guarantee that if you try this homemade barbeque sauce, you’ll never buy the store-bought version again.

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Homemade barbeque sauce

There’s something about the thought of barbeque sauce that sends the tastebuds into overdrive. I don’t know whether it’s the sweet yet tangy taste or the hint of smokiness that is so characteristic of this sauce, but whatever it is, it certainly gets my tastebuds working.

I think you’ll love it.

You can use this bbq sauce in so many ways:

• As a marinade for anything you want to grill on the barbeque – steak, chicken or pork spare ribs;
• As a dipping sauce for french fries or crispy fried onions;
• Use it in place of ketchup for fries, sausages or burgers;
• Slathered over a pulled pork slider;
• Pour it over crispy chicken wings;
• Mix with mayonnaise for a tangy dip for your potato crisps or crispbreads;
• Mix a few spoonfuls of barbeque sauce with a can of baked beans for instant BBQ bean salad;
• And of course, as I’ve done here, use it as a sauce to pour over a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.

This barbeque sauce takes only a few minutes to make. All you have to do is combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, then just leave it to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened to your liking.

I like to leave the sauce to simmer on the stove until it has reduced by about one-third. I find this gives the perfect consistency – pourable, but thick enough to coat whatever it is that you are pouring it over.

The recipe for barbeque sauce that I’m sharing today makes approximately one cup of sauce. If you want to make a larger batch you can simply double the ingredients.

The meatballs

Of course, you don’t have to make the meatballs – the barbeque sauce can be used in so many ways. But these meatballs have such a great flavour that goes perfectly with the barbeque sauce that I decided to include them as a bonus recipe for you.

These meatballs have a light texture, thanks to the addition of Panko breadcrumbs rather than bread soaked in milk. And I’ve used a blend of Indian spices for flavouring, which gives the meatballs a slight curry flavour which pairs beautifully with the smokey flavours of the barbeque sauce.

I like to arrange the meatballs on a bed of linguine and pour the barbeque sauce over the top, but there’s absolutely nothing to stop you from serving them on a bed of white rice or even fluffy mashed potatoes.

And however you choose to serve them, a dish of fresh green salad is all you will need by way of accompaniment.

What you will need

Equipment

To make the barbeque sauce you will only need a saucepan.

For the meatballs you will need a mixing bowl and large frying pan (with a lid). I like both these items – the mixing bowls because they have lids which makes them easy to cover, and the frying pan because it doesn’t have a metal handle so there’s less chance of burning yourself.

You will also need a box (or cheese) grater for grating the onions.

Ingredients

This recipe will serve 2 to 3 people as a main meal. To make a larger batch, simply double the ingredients.

**You can get the full list of ingredients and complete instructions for making both the barbeque sauce and the meatballs on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

For the meatballs

Mince – I like to use a mixture of half pork and half beef mince for the meatballs but you could use all beef if you prefer. Try to get mince with a low fat content so that the meatballs don’t shrink too much when you fry them.

Onions – this should be grated on the largest holes of a box grater.

Panko breadcrumbs – these are used to help bind the meatballs and stop them falling apart. If you can’t get panko you can substitute with a slice of bread soaked in milk and then squeezed out, but I would recommend the panko as they give a lovely light texture. I’ve included a link to the brand that I buy on Amazon.

Egg – also used for binding

Spices – the spices are a mixture of ground coriander, ground cumin and garam masala, with the addition of a small amount of cayenne pepper for heat. If you don’t have these spices in your kitchen you can substitute them with the equivalent amount of mild, medium or hot curry powder, depending on your heat preference.

Salt – for seasoning. I always think that meatballs without any salt taste quite bland, but it’s up to you whether you add any or not.

For the barbeque sauce

Passata – this is pureed tomatoes that have been sieved to remove any seeds and bits of skin. It’s normally sold in bottles or cartons in any supermarket, alongside canned tomatoes. If you can’t get passata, you can substitute it with tomato ketchup.

Fruit chutney – I use mango chutney, but you can use any fruity chutney.

Brown sugar – for sweetness

Vinegar – provides the tanginess

Worcestershire sauce – for the saltiness

Paprika – to add a touch of smokiness

Water – not too much, a quarter of a cup is plenty.

What to do

Barbeque sauce

If you find the barbeque sauce does not thicken sufficiently, you can thicken it by stirring in a slurry made with one heaped teaspoon of cornflour (cornstarch) and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir this mixture slowly into the sauce, over a low heat, until the sauce thickens to your liking. You may not need all the cornflour.

Meatballs

While the sauce is simmering, you can mix the meatballs.

Tip – I turn the heat down and cover the frying pan with a lid until the meatballs are ready to be turned. The lid keeps the heat in the pan and helps the meatballs to cook through.

Test that the meatballs are cooked by cutting one in half – there should be no pink showing.

Serve the meatballs on a bed of spaghetti or linguine and pour the barbeque sauce over the top.

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FAQ

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Other recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe you may like to see some of my other sauce recipes:

• Crispy fish fingers with homemade tartare sauce
• Crispy air-fryer chicken wings with blue cheese sauce
• Jack Daniels dipping sauce
• Crispy roast duck with cherry sauce
• Hunter’s sauce
• Cheesy honey mustard sauce

The recipe

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