The Best Gluten Free Barbeque Sauce Recipe Ever
BBQ sauce is possibly one of the few staples of year-round barbecuing. Whether you use it for adding flavour to freshly barbecued ribs during an outdoor barbeque party during the summer or add a dash to some oven-baked pulled pork for a warm, winter sandwich, a good bottle of barbecue sauce can bring back memories of a summer day.
There are many occasions where the guests that you invite to your party will avoid the barbecue sauce. Often this may be a case where they just don’t like barbeque sauce or there are other sauce options that they just prefer more than it. It can also be that their diet or even allergies prevent your guests from trying it out, mostly due to the amount of gluten in barbeque sauce. As a result, there is a wide range of gluten-free available to buy but not many great recipes.
So, to help you make a great gluten-free barbeque sauce that everyone at your table will love, we’ve searched the world wide web for what makes a perfect sauce and made a recipe that removes gluten from it. And if you want to get a few barbeque sauces to test your new gluten-free barbeque sauce against, you can get them from our online catalogue.
What goes into BBQ sauce?
The only problem is that many store-bought barbeque sauce bottles cost quite a lot of money, so many chefs and pitmasters often make their own sauces in the comfort of their own home or their restaurant. A simple batch of barbeque sauce is incredibly easy to make and you can easily use what’s already in your kitchen or pantry.
In its most basic form as a sauce, all you need to make barbeque sauce is a tomato base, brown sugar, vinegar, and water. Depending on how sweet you want it to be, you can swap out a can or two of tomato sauce for an equal amount of ketchup or even have the entire tomato base be ketchup. Water and vinegar are used to make the BBQ sauce more pourable while the vinegar also ensures that the combined sweetness of the brown sugar and the tomatoes aren’t overpowering.
If you prefer to make the BBQ sauce more complex in flavouring, you can also add some seasonings and even hot sauce to add some heat! Typically, in most barbeque sauce recipes, many people add Worcestershire sauce, paprika, or dry mustard, in addition to the usual salt and pepper
What is Gluten?
When it comes to what gluten is, many people have only heard of it in passing. To be more specific as to what it is, gluten is a type of protein that’s typically found in several different kinds of grain. The ones that have the most gluten are the kinds of grains that are used in quite a lot of foods, specifically wheat, rye, and barley.
While gluten is often found in these grains, other more unexpected foods also contain gluten. Since many foods are likely to have some form of gluten, people with an intolerance for the protein can often have a hard time finding alternatives.
Even something like barbeque sauce, where none of the ingredients seem like they would contain gluten, could be contaminated with it at its manufacturing plant or be made with wheat-distilled vinegar. That’s why making your own gluten-free barbeque sauce is a great idea.
When to use barbecue sauce when grilling
Whether you’re grilling up ribs or even burgers, the best time to add your barbecue sauce to the food is a few minutes before it’s done cooking. This allows the meat to properly absorb the flavours and seasonings that you’ve put into the barbeque sauce while also adding some moisture back. The vinegar can also act as a way to tenderize the meat further and adds a tartness to the meat that cuts through any excess fattiness that makes it overly filling.
You might find that some sources online suggest putting the sauce on after the food’s been barbecued or even a few minutes after it’s been on the grill. While you can leave some of the barbeque sauce to act as a sauce after barbecuing, any time other than a few minutes before isn’t correct.
Unless your sauce is thick enough to not drip off the food, most of the sauce you spent so long picking out or even making would drip onto the grates and burners only to sizzle away. So, waiting until three to four minutes before it’s done not only makes sure you get a deliciously moist rack of ribs but also ensures that the flavour stays on the meat instead of on your grill.
The best homemade gluten-free barbeque sauce
If you’re looking for a great gluten-free BBQ sauce recipe, you’ll want to start with many of the same ingredients used for normal barbeque sauce. However, since you’re looking to make it gluten-free, you’ll need to find ingredients that are certified free of any gluten.
At first, that fact may be highly intimidating, since many brands and gluten-free products are frequently rather expensive. Heinz, an internationally known, popular brand, is considered gluten-free, and its vinegar is said to be made from corn instead of wheat.
From there, many of the other ingredients are more than likely going to also be either gluten-free or have different brands that also sell gluten-free versions of their product.
Step by Step Process for Making Your Gluten-Free Barbecue Sauce
Once you’ve gathered your four main ingredients for the gluten-free barbeque sauce recipe – as well as any seasonings and spices – you’ll want the four main ingredients into a saucepan and stir it.
When your ketchup, brown sugar, water, and vinegar combine into a sauce that’s just a bit thinner than standard barbecue sauce, add your salt and other ingredients. You’ll want at least half a teaspoon of salt to emphasise the flavours, and a minimum of a quarter teaspoon of any chilli powder or paprika if you want some spice. Bring the entire mixture to a gentle boil and let it simmer until it’s thickened, and you’re done!
Once you’ve made sure that your main ingredients are gluten-free, the rest of the recipe is simple. Add whatever seasonings you want after making sure they’re gluten-free. Some people even add liquid smoke for a more authentic taste!