Paul’s Southern California BBQ Sauce

This is SO good. What a thick, rich, spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce. The only problem is that it doesn’t make a whole lot. I got a thick sauce and only cooked for a total of 30 minutes. I only used a few sprinkles of cayenne, and it still had a nice kick. I will be making this again.

This BBQ sauce was so tangy and delicious! We served it with vegan burgers and it was a huge hit.

MY FAMILY LOVES LOVES LOVES THIS SAUCE!!!! I ACTUALLY QUAD THIS RECIPE AND THEN HOME PRESERVE IT FOR FUTURE USE OR GIFTS. IT IS AMAZING ON PORK OR A CHEAPER CUT OF BEEF….USE IT AS A MARINADE…….YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS RECIPE.

I made this the other day and am still trying to determine what I might have done wrong; it’s much too sweet and much too vinegary for us! I used Splenda, which is measured the same way sugar is, and cider vinegar, as called for.

My all time favorite bbq sauce recipe. Easy to make and super tasty!

This sounded really good, so I followed the recipe exactly, with the exception of chili powder & cayenne pepper. (Many family members with tummy issues!). The first & most overwhelming “problem” was the strong vinegar smell & taste. It was too acidic. So to cut through the acidity, I added about a cup or slightly more of brown sugar. It was still too sour from the vinegar, so I added about 1/4 cup honey. I also added about 2 Tblsp. Heinz chili sauce, about 2 Tblsp. Liquid Smoke, & 1 Tblsp. Wocestershire sauce. I simmered it for about 15 minutes, but it wasn’t thickening very well. So I added a Tsp. of corn starch in about 2 Tblsp. cool water, then added it to the sauce. That’s what it took to achieve a final product I was happy with, that wasn’t too sour from vinegar, & my family was thrilled with! I used shredded roast beef right into the pan & let it caramelize a bit, then placed it in buns for BBQ sandwiches! Everyone raved about the final product! Thanks for the recipe, even though I modified it, it was a great outline for me to start with!

This BBQ sauce is excellent. I followed the recipe exactly except for omitting the cayenne pepper. In its place, I added about a tablespoon of chipotle in adobo because I wanted a bit of smoky-spice. It’s the perfect blend of spicy, sweet, smoky, and tangy. I reduced it for about 45 minutes and it’s the perfect consistency. I will make this again and again.

This was certainly tasty, but after it cooked down, I was left with less than a cup of sauce, which is certainly not 12 servings. So some of us got to enjoy this sauce, and the rest of our guests were stuck with bottled.

This was a good sauce but I spiced it up a bit more by adding some hickory smoke BBQ flavor and just a 1/4 tsp of wasabi horseradish. Perfect tang and bite. Will make again. Thanks to Paul for a superb base!

Very good sauce, except a little strong vinegar and to spicy for some people. I cut the vinegar to 1 1/2 cups and added 1/4 cup water. Cut the Chili Powder and Cayenne to 1/2 tsp Ea. Over all it is a very good sauce. Thanks

I didn’t want to give this even one star, because for us it was inedible. I don’t know if there’s a wrong kind apple cider vinegar, I just used our store brand, but my daughter and I tried this recipe and it burned our nose and throat. There seemed to be way too much vinegar and it didn’t taste good at all.

I prepared this 3 days ago. I wasn’t sure about it at first. It has a sweetness to it but then the heat creeps up the pallet. However…I said the rest in a sealed glass container in the fridge and after a few days the ingredients have mellowed. The sauce is thicker, tangier, and the heat is mellowed too. To me, it rivals most store bought sauces. Nice!

Just made a batch tonight and brushed some on my porksteaks the last five min. they were on the grill the bestever will make many more times !!!

I used this sauce on pulled pork sandwiches at a cookout last night and was blown away. I first I used my pork drippings to saute the onion with some garlic, celery, serrano peppers, and green bell pepper all finely chopped. Then I added the vinegar and made the sauce as written (with a dash of liquid smoke). Phenomenal!

Fantastic BBQ sauce !! I made it exactly as written and it is fabulous. The only kind of bad thing is that is does make your house smell of vinegar for quite a while, even if you add all ingredients at once. I plan on quadrupling or more this recipe to keep some on hand in the fridge !!! Great sauce, my hubby loves it !!

Put it in the crockpot; didn’t thicken up but it was yummy!

In spite of the reviews about the excess vinegar smell, I tried this. It was ok but I failed to fully appreciate the reviews regarding the extent of the vinegar smell and taste. Probably won’t make it again.

Of course, you can mix things up while cooking this sauce, but I guarantee, as long as you follow the basics, everyone will love this. People have asked and received this for XMAS. I have heard people walking by on the street exclaim about the delicious smell while reducing the recipe. Awesome stuff! Gonna have to make another batch soon! Hint: Save some large GLASS bottles to store this in. I have trouble waiting for it to cool before bottling and plastic causes issues.

This was great! I did cut the cider vinegar by 1/4, otherwise a great recipe with a different twist!

Amazing! I used the directions and it turned out super duper hot. Maybe next time i’ll go a little lighter on the cayenne. I used this recipe with the bbq chicken calzone recipe on this site and it was amazing!

My favorite BBQ sauces are vinegar-based. I’ve made a sauce in the past that uses a large amount of melted butter – this is so much easier & healthier that this will be my choice from now on. I read the other reviews and thought about cutting back on the amount of vinegar. Glad I didn’t…