Common Ingredients in bbq sauce Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over a dozen popular bbq sauce recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredient in bbq sauce dishes is garlic.

Brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, onion, ketchup, honey, vegetable oil and tomatoes are also common ingredients in bbq sauce recipes. For herbs and spices, cayenne pepper is popular. Variations include:

• plum tomatoes in place of ketchup

Salt is in 55% of bbq sauce recipes and pepper, 25%.

The average bbq sauce recipe has about 16.5 ingredients, with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 47.

In terms of directions, bbq sauce recipes have about 3.1 steps on average, ranging from 1 to 8 instructions.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Bbq Sauce

For 3 tablespoon brown sugar (29 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single bbq sauce recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with brown sugar	Potential subsitutions
garlic	4.5 clove (14 g)	4.1 clove (12 g)	89%
worcestershire sauce	3 teaspoon (17 g)	4.2 teaspoon (24 g)	67%
cayenne pepper	0.51 teaspoon (1 g)	0.46 teaspoon (1 g)	67%
onion	0.32 large (48 g)	0.38 large (58 g)	56%
tomatoes	4.9 ounce (138 g)	4.9 ounce (140 g)	44%
ketchup	0.62 cup (148 g)	0.45 cup (107 g)	44%	plum tomatoes
honey	2 tablespoon (42 g)	2.5 tablespoon (52 g)	33%
vegetable oil	0.26 tablespoon (4 g)	0.68 tablespoon (9 g)	33%	olive oil
cilantro	2 tablespoon (8 g)	1.8 tablespoon (7 g)	33%
habanero pepper	half a (7 g)	0.57 (8 g)	33%

Ingredients by Average Weight in Bbq Sauce

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in bbq sauce recipes. This would be: 33% ketchup, 14% honey, 13% brown sugar, 9% onion, 9% vegetable oil, 7% tomatoes, 5% garlic, 5% molasses and 4% worcestershire sauce.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

garlic

Garlic is the most popular ingredient in bbq sauce dishes. In fact, over 75% of bbq sauce recipes contain garlic.

Minced and chopped are frequent preparations for garlic in bbq sauce dishes.

Garlic is often included in bbq sauce dishes in amounts of 3 cloves.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain garlic, it is on average, 2% by weight.

For bbq sauce recipes, garlic is frequently used with brown sugar, onion, salt, worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper.

brown sugar

Another popular ingredient in bbq sauce is brown sugar. From the recipes we've sampled for bbq sauce, over 60% have brown sugar.

Brown sugar is often included in bbq sauce dishes in amounts of 3 tablespoons.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain brown sugar, it is on average, 6% by weight.

In recipes for bbq sauce, brown sugar is often used with garlic, cayenne pepper, worcestershire sauce, salt and onion. On the other hand, brown sugar is almost never used with chicken breast.

worcestershire sauce

Worcestershire sauce is another common ingredient in bbq sauce dishes. In fact, over 55% of bbq sauce recipes contain worcestershire sauce.

Common quantities for worcestershire sauce in bbq sauce dishes include 1 teaspoon.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain worcestershire sauce, it is on average, 2% by weight.

Brown sugar, ketchup, garlic, onion and molasses are commonly used together with worcestershire sauce in bbq sauce dishes. Conversely, worcestershire sauce is not often used with soy sauce.

salt

Another popular ingredient in bbq sauce is salt. From the recipes we've sampled for bbq sauce, over 55% have salt.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain salt, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

For bbq sauce recipes, salt is frequently used with garlic, brown sugar, vegetable oil, onion and cayenne pepper. However, olive oil is almost never used together with salt in bbq sauce dishes.

onion

Onion is another common ingredient in bbq sauce dishes. In fact, over 50% of bbq sauce recipes contain onion.

Bbq sauce dishes often call for onion to be diced and chopped.

Onion is often included in bbq sauce dishes in amounts of 1 large.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain onion, it is on average, 5% by weight.

In recipes for bbq sauce, onion is often used with garlic, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, salt and habanero pepper. On the other hand, onion is almost never used with soy sauce, maple syrup and liquid smoke.

ketchup

Another popular ingredient in bbq sauce is ketchup. From the recipes we've sampled for bbq sauce, over 40% have ketchup.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain ketchup, it is on average, 23% by weight.

Worcestershire sauce, molasses, garlic, brown sugar and salt are commonly used together with ketchup in bbq sauce dishes.

Potential substitutions for ketchup in bbq sauce:

• plum tomatoes

Also, ketchup is not often used with paprika and soy sauce.

cayenne pepper

Cayenne pepper is another common ingredient in bbq sauce dishes. In fact, over 40% of bbq sauce recipes contain cayenne pepper.

Cayenne pepper is often included in bbq sauce dishes in amounts of a quarter teaspoon or 1 tablespoon.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain cayenne pepper, it is on average, 0.2% by weight.

For bbq sauce recipes, cayenne pepper is frequently used with brown sugar, garlic, salt, worcestershire sauce and ketchup. However, chicken breast is almost never used together with cayenne pepper in bbq sauce dishes.

honey

Another popular ingredient in bbq sauce is honey. From the recipes we've sampled for bbq sauce, over 35% have honey.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain honey, it is on average, 11% by weight.

In recipes for bbq sauce, honey is often used with garlic, salt, worcestershire sauce, onion and brown sugar. On the other hand, honey is almost never used with cumin, maple syrup, olive oil and liquid smoke.

vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is another common ingredient in bbq sauce dishes. In fact, over 35% of bbq sauce recipes contain vegetable oil.

Common quantities for vegetable oil in bbq sauce dishes include 1 tablespoon.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain vegetable oil, it is on average, 7% by weight.

Salt, garlic, brown sugar, black pepper and molasses are commonly used together with vegetable oil in bbq sauce dishes.

Potential substitutions for vegetable oil in bbq sauce:

• olive oil

Also, vegetable oil is not often used with yellow mustard, cilantro, baking powder, maple syrup, apple juice, flour, cinnamon, eggs and butter.

tomatoes

Another popular ingredient in bbq sauce is tomatoes. From the recipes we've sampled for bbq sauce, over 35% have tomatoes.

Variations of tomatoes include:

• plum tomatoes: 21% of recipes

For bbq sauce recipes, tomatoes is frequently used with brown sugar, garlic, onion, salt and plum tomatoes. However, honey, dijon mustard, baking powder, apple juice, flour, cinnamon, eggs, chicken breast and butter are almost never used together with tomatoes in bbq sauce dishes.

black pepper

Black pepper is another common ingredient in bbq sauce dishes. In fact, over 25% of bbq sauce recipes contain black pepper.

Bbq sauce dishes often call for black pepper to be ground.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain black pepper, it is on average, 0% by weight.

In recipes for bbq sauce, black pepper is often used with salt, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar and vegetable oil.

Potential substitutions for black pepper in bbq sauce:

• paprika

Also, black pepper is not often used with yellow mustard, soy sauce, maple syrup, apple juice, olive oil and chicken breast.

habanero pepper

Another popular ingredient in bbq sauce is habanero pepper. From the recipes we've sampled for bbq sauce, over 25% have habanero pepper.

Chopped is a frequent preparation for habanero pepper in bbq sauce dishes.

Common quantities for habanero pepper in bbq sauce dishes include 1 habanero pepper.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain habanero pepper, it is on average, 0.6% by weight.

Garlic, onion, salt, brown sugar and worcestershire sauce are commonly used together with habanero pepper in bbq sauce dishes. Conversely, habanero pepper is not often used with yellow mustard, soy sauce, maple syrup, olive oil, chicken breast and liquid smoke.

molasses

Molasses is another common ingredient in bbq sauce dishes. In fact, over 25% of bbq sauce recipes contain molasses.

Molasses is often included in bbq sauce dishes in amounts of a quarter cup.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain molasses, it is on average, 6% by weight.

For bbq sauce recipes, molasses is frequently used with ketchup, worcestershire sauce, salt, brown sugar and black pepper. However, plum tomatoes, yellow mustard, paprika, soy sauce, olive oil and chicken breast are almost never used together with molasses in bbq sauce dishes.

cilantro

Another popular ingredient in bbq sauce is cilantro. From the recipes we've sampled for bbq sauce, over 20% have cilantro.

Bbq sauce dishes often call for cilantro to be chopped.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain cilantro, it is on average, 0.3% by weight.

In recipes for bbq sauce, cilantro is often used with salt, garlic, brown sugar, cayenne pepper and paprika. On the other hand, cilantro is almost never used with vegetable oil, cumin, olive oil and chicken breast.

paprika

Paprika is another common ingredient in bbq sauce dishes. In fact, over 20% of bbq sauce recipes contain paprika.

In bbq sauce recipes that contain paprika, it is on average, 0.7% by weight.

Garlic, salt, honey, cayenne pepper and brown sugar are commonly used together with paprika in bbq sauce dishes.

Potential substitutions for paprika in bbq sauce:

• black pepper
• cumin

Also, paprika is not often used with ketchup, molasses and olive oil.

Other bbq sauce Ingredients

Other significant ingredients used in bbq sauce recipes include:

• dijon mustard - 20%
• yellow mustard - 20%
• soy sauce - 10%
• cumin - 10%
• baking powder - 10%
• maple syrup - 10%
• apple juice - 10%
• flour - 10%
• cinnamon - 10%
• eggs - 10%
• olive oil - 10%
• chicken breast - 10%
• butter - 10%
• liquid smoke - 10%

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