St. Louis BBQ Sauce: A Snappy Red Sauce

St. Louis BBQ sauce is essentially a less sweet Kansas-city style sauce that’s also slightly thin like Memphis-style sauce.

My recipe is slightly sweet and thinned out with vinegar that then finishes with a pop of spice – it pairs perfect with a rack of St. Louis spare ribs.

Sweet, tart, and spicy.

Ingredients for St. Louis Style Barbecue Sauce

These are the ingredient quantities I usually use:

• 1 Cup Water
• 3 oz Tomato Paste
• 2/3 Cup Distilled White Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Molasses
• 1/2 Tbsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 Tbsp Table Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tbsp Cornstarch + 1/2 Tbsp water added as a Slurry
• 1/2 Tsp Dry Mustard

Optional:

• 1/2 Tbsp Liquid Smoke

Ingredient Explanations and Possible Substitutes for this Recipe

Tomato Paste

This style of sauce is tomato-based and I prefer to use tomato paste and water.

If you aren’t a fan of using tomato paste, you can use something like ketchup – you’ll just want to omit the vinegar and stick to using more water.

I’d still add 1 tbsp of cider vinegar regardless for added tartness.

Water

This is regular tap water and it’s used to thin the sauce out.

Alternatively, you can further thin the sauce with more cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar.

The Vinegar

This sauce has a slight tartness but less-so than Memphis-style barbecue sauce. For this I use distilled white vinegar and a small amount of cider vinegar.

The cider vinegar will go a long way and I often find that it’s too strong for people.

If you aren’t a fan of cider vinegar, use just distilled white vinegar.

Dark Brown Sugar

While this sauce isn’t as sweet as say Kansas-city style barbecue sauce, it does still have some sweetness.

If you don’t have dark brown sugar, use light brown sugar or white sugar.

Juice of 1 Lemon

The purpose of the lemon is to brighten the rest of the ingredients via the acid.

If you don’t have a fresh lemon, use 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Other Ingredients Because They Taste Good

The other ingredients in this recipe are used because they taste good. Most of them being umami that light up your tongue – offering a number of taste sensations.

While none of these are absolutely necessary, you’ll know they’re missing if you make both side-by-side.

Making the Sauce

In a medium sauce pan, add your water, vinegar(s), Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice.

Then add your dark brown sugar and molasses. Ensure these ingredients are well combined and dissolved.

Then in a separate bowl, combine 2 tbsp of cornstarch and 1/2 tbsp of water. Ensure they are well combined to create a slurry. Then add this to your sauce.

Then add your tomato paste and ensure it is well combined.

Then add the rest of your ingredients and whisk thoroughly.

Your sauce should look like this:

Then set your burner to medium heat. While whisking the sauce, get it to a slight boil.

When the sauce reaches a slight boil, lower the heat to low/simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for around 20-25 minutes or until at your desired consistency.

Note: This sauce is supposed to be slightly thin.

Once the sauce is at your desired consistency, allow it to cool.

Once cooled, transfer to a mason jar or similar storage container.

You can refrigerate this sauce for 1-2 weeks.

Print Pin Recipe

St. Louis BBQ Sauce Recipe

A Snappy Red Sauce

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Active Time10 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Condiments

Equipment

• Medium Sauce Pan
• Whisk

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Cup Water
• ▢ 3 oz Tomato Paste
• ▢ 2/3 Cup Distilled White Vinegar
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• ▢ 1 Lemon Juice from 1 Lemon
• ▢ 1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
• ▢ 1/4 Cup Molasses
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp Onion Powder
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp Table Ground Black Pepper
• ▢ 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• ▢ 1/2 Tsp Dry Mustard

Cornstarch Slurry

• ▢ 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp Water

Optional

• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp Liquid smoke

Instructions

• In a medium sauce pan, combine water, distilled white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, juice from 1 lemon, and Worcestershire sauce. Then add dark brown sugar and molasses and ensure they're dissolved and combined.
• Add tomato paste and similarly ensure it's well combined.
• In a separate bowl combine 2 tbsp of cornstarch and 1/2 tbsp of water. Once combined, add to sauce.
• Add remaining dry ingredients and whisk until well combined.
• Set your burner to medium heat and get your sauce to a slight boil. Whisk the sauce intermittently.
• Once the sauce reaches a slight boil, lower the burner to low/simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for 20 minutes or until your desired consistency.

  Note: This sauce is supposed to be slightly thin.
• Once at your consistency, take off the heat and allow to cool.
• Once cooled, transfer to a mason jar or similar container.
• You can enjoy from there or refrigerate for 1-2 weeks.

Notes

If you want some smoke flavor, add 1/2 tablespoon of liquid smoke.