St. Louis Barbecue Sauce

St. Louis barbecue sauce is a ketchup-based sauce with a tangier taste and a thinner consistency than Kansas City barbecue sauce.

It has a strong tomato taste and a pronounced vinegar tang, making it a flexible sauce for those looking for a more savory flavor on their barbecue.

This recipe will lead you through the steps to prepare a tasty St. Louis-style barbecue sauce that works wonderfully with all sorts of grilled meats to give your dish a little additional taste.

What is St. Louis-style barbecue sauce?

This sauce style may be traced back to the early 1900s and a shopkeeper called Louis Maull.

He sold goods and delivered them to customers in the St. Louis region, and he also started producing condiments and sauces to sell.

In 1926, he released his Maulls Barbecue Sauce, which he claimed had 20 distinct ingredients.

The acidic, vinegar taste of St Louis-style barbecue sauce is more savory than sweet. It complements grilled chicken, smoked pig ribs, and pork chops.

Because St. Louis barbecue tends to be hot and quick rather than the low and slow manner seen in other locations, this sauce is best served as a finishing sauce because the sugar in the sauce has a high risk of burning when exposed to too much heat.

Ingredients you’ll need

This sauce is fast and simple to make using things you most likely already have in your home.

Ketchup

Ketchup is the first component in this sauce. Sure, you could make your own ketchup by combining tomatoes, sugar, and vinegar, but I feel that store-bought ketchup is the right taste combination for this sauce.

Apple cider vinegar

You may add a splash of apple cider vinegar for a little more zing. It adds sharpness to the ketchup and stops the sauce from being excessively sweet.

You may also use distilled white vinegar or rice vinegar instead.

Brown sugar

While this sauce is not intrinsically sweet, a little of brown sugar is required to help balance the vinegar’s punch of tastes.

You may use either light or dark brown sugar, and you can even add a little more if you like it sweeter.

Mustard

A dash of yellow mustard is added to balance out the acidic taste character of this sauce.

If you want a stronger taste, try Dijon mustard or spicy brown mustard, but I think basic, yellow mustard is excellent for this sauce.

Spices/Seasonings

You may customize the spices and ingredients to your liking.

I prefer to season with garlic powder, cayenne pepper for spice, salt, and crushed mustard. If you want to add more onion taste, you may use onion powder.

Tools you’ll need

Medium-sized saucepan or pot

A saucepan or pot with a capacity of at least 2 quarts is required. I like to use a pan since the sauce comes to a boil quicker, but a pot works just as well.

Choose one with a cover, since the sauce will need to boil with the lid on for around 20 minutes.

Large spoon or silicone spatula

Whatever spoon or utensil you normally use to make a sauce will suffice.

I like to use a silicone spatula (rather than a wooden spoon) since the sauce does not adhere to it.

Wire whisk

You don’t need a whisk to mix your sauce, but I prefer to use one to speed things up.

This sauce whisk is a favorite of mine.

Mason jar (or similar storage container)

Because you can keep this sauce in the fridge for up to a week, I suggest using a container with a lid rather than wrapping a bowl with plastic wrap.

You want a container with a good seal to keep your sauce from deteriorating, therefore I think mason jars are the ideal way to preserve homemade barbecue sauce.

What to serve St. Louis-style barbecue sauce with

This sauce is flavorful and adaptable, and it goes well with a variety of foods. It has a distinct ketchup taste and is not too sweet.

It is excellent on all sorts of grilled meat (rather than smoked meat) and does not overshadow the taste of your dish.

This sauce goes well with pork ribs, grilled chicken, and grilled pork chops.

Because it contains sugar, you must be cautious not to sauce your dish too early in the cooking process so that the sauce does not burn.

It’s finest served as a finishing sauce or with your dish on the table.

Here are a few dishes that go excellent with St. Louis-style barbecue sauce:

• Whole smoked chicken
• Smoked chicken thighs
• Smoked pork chops
• Smoked rack of pork
• Pork spare ribs