Thickening Bbq Sauce: Tips For A Perfectly Thick, Tangy Sauce

Thick BBQ sauce is a key ingredient in making the perfect sandwich or steak. Both store-bought and homemade BBQ sauce can be too thin, but there are several ways to change the consistency. One of the easiest ways to thicken a sauce is to reduce it by boiling off the excess liquid. Alternatively, you can add ingredients such as flour, cornstarch, or fats like butter, coconut oil, or heavy cream.

Boil off excess liquid

Boiling off excess liquid is a great way to thicken your BBQ sauce without changing its flavour. This method is all about evaporation, using heat to 'dry' the sauce and make it denser and thicker.

To do this, pour your sauce into a medium-sized saucepan and place it on the stove. Set the temperature to medium and stir the sauce occasionally with a spoon as it heats up. When the sauce starts to boil, turn the temperature down to low and continue to stir. The steam that evaporates is the liquid leaving the sauce, so the more liquid that is removed, the thicker the sauce will become. Keep checking the consistency of the sauce by lifting small amounts with a spoon. When it reaches your desired thickness, turn off the heat and remove the saucepan from the stove.

Note that the sauce will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.

This method is best used with a simple mop sauce, to which you can add drippings or meat juices. It may take around 30 minutes to achieve your desired thickness. To speed up the process, use a shallow pan, as a larger surface area will increase the reduction time. Leave the pan uncovered, as exposing the sauce to the air will also speed up evaporation.

If you want to add ingredients to your sauce, this method is also a good base for adding starches, gums, fats, or purees to further thicken your sauce.

Use flour or cornstarch

If you want to make your BBQ sauce thicker, you can use flour or cornstarch. These are both common kitchen ingredients, and they can be used to adjust the consistency of your sauce without changing the flavour too much.

How to Thicken BBQ Sauce with Flour

To use flour as a thickening agent, you will need two tablespoons of flour and a quarter of a cup of cold water for each cup of medium-thick sauce. Mix the flour and water together thoroughly to prevent lumps from forming. Then, stir this mixture into your sauce and cook over a medium heat until it thickens and bubbles. Finally, heat the sauce for another minute to cook the flour thoroughly.

How to Thicken BBQ Sauce with Cornstarch

Using cornstarch to thicken your BBQ sauce is very similar to using flour, but the quantities are different. Cornstarch is a better thickening agent than flour, but it can be broken down by ingredients like tomatoes, which are often found in BBQ sauces. For each cup of sauce, mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with one tablespoon of cold water (this is sometimes called a "cornstarch slurry"). Combine the cornstarch and water thoroughly, getting rid of any lumps, and then mix it into your sauce. Finally, cook the sauce over a medium heat, stirring continually, until it reaches your desired consistency.

Tips for Using Flour or Cornstarch

• It is not strictly necessary to mix flour or cornstarch with water first, but doing so will prevent clumping and ensure that the thickening agent is evenly distributed throughout the sauce.
• Be careful not to overcook cornstarch-thickened sauces, as they can break down when cooked for too long.
• If you are substituting cornstarch for flour in a recipe, use half the amount of cornstarch as the amount of flour specified, as cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour.

Add fats like butter or heavy cream

Adding fats like butter or heavy cream is a great way to thicken your BBQ sauce and give it a rich, creamy texture. Here's how to do it:

Butter

Butter is a fantastic ingredient to add thickness and a creamy taste to your BBQ sauce. When using butter, it is best to opt for organic, grass-fed butter. Margarine is not a suitable substitute as it doesn't contain the necessary fat content. For every cup of BBQ sauce, add a tablespoon of butter. Heat your sauce in a pan over medium heat, being careful not to let it boil. Once the sauce starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and add the butter. Stir the sauce continuously for 2-3 minutes until the butter is fully melted and you've reached your desired consistency. If your sauce still needs thickening, you can add small amounts of butter until you're happy with the texture.

Heavy Cream

Heavy cream is another great option to thicken your sauce and add a rich flavor. Heavy cream is made from cow's or goat's milk and has a high-fat content, making it perfect for adding thickness. As with butter, use one tablespoon of heavy cream for every cup of BBQ sauce. Heat the sauce and cream together until it boils, then reduce the heat and let it simmer. Stir the sauce until it reaches your desired consistency. If you need to thicken it further, you can add more cream, but be cautious as using too much will significantly change the flavor of your sauce.

Coconut Cream

If you're looking for a vegan option, coconut cream is an excellent choice. It will add thickness and a fresh flavor to your sauce. As with heavy cream, use one tablespoon of coconut cream for every cup of BBQ sauce. Heat the sauce and coconut cream over medium heat until it boils, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir continuously until you reach your desired thickness. If your sauce needs more thickening, you can add more coconut cream, but be mindful that it will alter the flavor.

Tips

• When adding fats to your BBQ sauce, always heat the sauce first before adding the fat. This will ensure the fat blends properly with the sauce.
• Be cautious not to overheat your sauce, especially when using butter, as too much heat can cause the solids to separate.
• If you're looking for a glossy sheen on your sauce, cornstarch is a great thickening agent to use in addition to fats. It will give your sauce a beautiful shine, perfect for BBQ ribs.

Try vegetable purees

Pureeing vegetables is a great way to thicken your BBQ sauce while also adding a nutritional boost. You can use almost any vegetable, but starchy vegetables like steamed carrots and turnips are particularly effective. You can also add onion and bell peppers for extra flavour.

To use this method, simply puree your chosen vegetables in a blender or food processor with a small amount of the BBQ sauce. Then, pour the puree into your hot sauce and whisk it together. Add the puree slowly until you reach your desired consistency.

Two less common vegetables that work well as thickeners are plantains and cassava. These have a more neutral flavour and can be boiled and pureed to create a thickening agent.

Fruit purees can also be used to thicken your sauce, but these are best avoided unless your sauce is already quite sweet. Examples of fruits that can be used include bananas, apricots, and cherries.

When using vegetable or fruit purees, it's important to add them slowly and taste as you go, as too much puree can make your sauce bitter. If this happens, you can counter the bitterness by adding a fat like butter or oil.

In addition to thickening your sauce, pureeing vegetables is a great way to add extra fibre and nutritional value to your BBQ sauce.

Use gums like guar gum or xanthan gum

Gums like guar gum and xanthan gum are effective thickening agents for barbecue sauce. Guar gum is a combination of two types of sugar extracted from guar beans. Xanthan gum, meanwhile, is a polysaccharide derived from fermented sugars.

Xanthan gum is a versatile ingredient with a neutral flavour, making it suitable for use in both modernist and traditional cooking. It is also gluten-free and can be used as a substitute in baking and thickening. When added to batters or tempura, xanthan gum allows the batter to stick more easily to the food. Additionally, it does not lose its properties when microwaved.

To add xanthan gum to your barbecue sauce, sprinkle a small amount (about 1/4 teaspoon at a time) over the liquid and blend or whisk until fully combined. An immersion blender works well for this purpose. For better dispersion, you can mix the xanthan gum with sugar before adding it to the liquid. This technique is similar to creating a slurry with flour and cold water to prevent clumping when added to gravy.

When using guar gum, the amount you will need depends on the thickness desired. As a guide, divide the amount of flour or cornstarch you would typically use by 16 to get the equivalent amount of guar gum. For example, if you usually use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, you would use a little less than 1/16 tablespoon of guar gum.

It is important to note that adding too much guar gum at once can cause clumping in your sauce, so be sure to measure accurately.

Frequently asked questions