The Secret Ingredient That Will Elevate Your BBQ Sauce

You can't have a barbecue without barbecue sauce — it's literally in the name. Barbecue sauce goes well with pretty much everything, from slow-smoked pork ribs to a juicy pulled pork burger. It's the very best of traditional American food. But as much as we love the classics, you can easily take your barbecue sauce to the next level with one secret ingredient: root beer.

Adding root beer to your barbecue sauce will have your family and friends begging for your secret recipe at the next cookout. Barbecue sauce comes in countless regional variations, from Alabama white sauce to the quintessential Texas style — it's a condiment that can be deeply personal to each and every individual. But adding a twist here and there won't take anything away from its integrity; it'll only elevate it. Root beer is one of those perfect additions — its sweet blend of spices, vanilla, and caramel pairs beautifully with traditional barbecue's inherent smoky umami.

If you want, you can simply add root beer straight to your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce. But if you want to start from scratch and create a truly exciting flavor combination, all you need to do is mix your favorite brand of root beer with your go-to homemade barbecue sauce recipe — you'll need about one cup for every two to three cups of finished sauce. It's really that simple! You can store the result for up to two weeks in an airtight container or up to six months in the freezer.

Now that you've got your root beer barbecue sauce, you can add it to whatever recipe you fancy. Slather it on slow-cooked barbecued meats, or even stir it into a potato salad. Let your sauce shine by pairing it with barbecue classics like ribs, chicken wings, or pulled pork. You could also use it as a dipping sauce for french fries.

Root beer isn't the only way to elevate your glaze — the options are practically limitless when it comes to personalizing it. If you're craving something sweet but aren't feeling root beer, why not try adding some apricot jam to your next batch of barbecue sauce? If you want it to have a spicy kick, harissa has got you covered. The wonderful thing about barbecue sauce is that — true to its Old West origins — there really are no rules, and no two recipes are ever exactly the same. So next time you're hosting a cookout or just making yourself a humble weeknight dinner, try sprucing up your barbecue sauce — there's really no way you can go wrong!