The 6 Best Barbecue Sauces to Make at Home

As the weather gets warmer, our minds turn to barbecue. While there are plenty of excellent store-bought barbecue sauces on the market, we like making our own, playing with whatever ingredients we have on hand. Many of these homemade sauces feature classic pantry ingredients, including honey, hoisin, and Worcestershire sauce, so they're easy to whip up without going to the supermarket.

Below, find our favorite DIY barbecue sauces to slather on ribs, grilled chicken, burgers, and just about anything.

1. Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce

Paul Kirk, a native of Kansas City, Kansas, jokes that this sauce reflects the style of his hometown "because I said so." But it also has the characteristic tomato base of Kansas City's classic sauces, unlike the vinegar-based sauces of the Carolinas.

2. Sweet Mustard Barbecue Sauce

This sweet and pungent mustard sauce is perfect on pork chops.

3. Hoisin Barbecue Sauce

Like ketchup in a classic barbecue sauce, the Chinese condiment, hoisin, provides a satisfying contrast of sweet, salty and aromatic flavors.

4. Maple Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Refrigerate this super-easy sauce for up to two weeks (and eat it on everything.)

5. Guava Barbecue Sauce

Steven Raichlen uses guava paste and rum in this sweet and sticky sauce inspired by the flavors of Miami.

6. Chipotle Citrus Barbecue Sauce

Inspired by a trip to Mexico City, Jean-Georges Vongerichten added ancho and chipotle chiles to this fish sauce-spiked barbecue sauce.