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How do I thicken barbecue sauce?

Barbecue sauce is a staple condiment for grilled meats, especially during the summer months. The tomato-based sauce adds sweet, smoky, and tangy flavors to everything from chicken to ribs. While bottled barbecue sauce can certainly get the job done, many pitmasters prefer to make their own homemade sauce to get the perfect consistency and flavor balance. One common issue when making homemade barbecue sauce is getting the right thickness – too thin and the sauce won’t cling well to food, too thick and it can end up overly gloopy.

Luckily, there are some easy tricks to thickening up barbecue sauce to reach the ideal texture. Here are some tips on how to thicken barbecue sauce at home.

Add a Starch

One of the easiest ways to thicken any sauce, gravy, or stew is to add a starchy thickening agent. Starches absorb liquid and swell up to create a thicker consistency. There are a few great options commonly used to thicken barbecue sauce:

  • Cornstarch – The most popular choice for thickening sauces is cornstarch. Cornstarch is a powder made from corn that blends seamlessly into sauces. Start by mixing 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth. Then, with the barbecue sauce simmering in a pot, gradually stir in the cornstarch slurry. Bring to a boil for 1 minute to activate the thickening power. Check for your desired thickness.
  • Flour – All-purpose flour can also be used to thicken barbecue sauce. Whisk flour into cold water just like cornstarch above. Use 1-2 tablespoons flour for a thinner sauce and up to 1/4 cup for very thick sauce. Slowly whisk the flour slurry into simmering barbecue sauce until thickened.
  • Tapioca starch – For those avoiding corn, tapioca starch (sometimes called tapioca flour) works well too. Use about 2 tablespoons tapioca starch dissolved into 2 tablespoons cold water to mix into barbecue sauce.
  • Arrowroot – Arrowroot is a tuber starch similar to tapioca. Mix 1-2 teaspoons arrowroot powder with a bit of water and stir into simmering barbecue sauce to thicken.

When using starches, it’s important to fully dissolve them in cold water before adding to hot sauce. This prevents clumping. Stir constantly while adding. It only takes a minute or two for the starches to work their thickening magic once the barbecue sauce returns to a boil.

Simmer the Sauce

Allowing your barbecue sauce to simmer for an extended time will naturally thicken it up as water cooks off. For best results, keep the sauce at a low simmer – bubbles should slowly break the surface. Stir the sauce frequently to prevent burning on the bottom of the pot. You can simmer until the sauce reduces down and becomes thicker, anywhere from 20-60 minutes. The longer the simmer time, the thicker the consistency.

Add Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is a secret weapon used by many cooks to intensify flavor and thicken up sauces. Just a small amount of tomato paste can make a big difference. For barbecue sauce, start by whisking in 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste. Make sure it’s fully incorporated, then taste and add more if you want an even thicker sauce. The concentrated tomato flavor of the paste also enhances overall flavor.

Puree Some Sauce

For an extra smooth and thick barbecue sauce, you can puree a portion of the finished sauce. After simmering and seasoning your barbecue sauce, measure out about 1 cup. Pour it into a blender (or use an immersion blender in the pot). Puree until completely smooth, then stir the pureed portion back into the pot. This will instantly make your sauce thicker, along with giving it a smoother mouthfeel.

Add Fruit Purees

Fruit purees are great for lending sweetness, tanginess, and body to barbecue sauce. Try pureeing fruits like mangoes, pineapples, peaches, or berries in a blender. Then stir a few spoonfuls of the puree into your sauce to thicken it up. You can also simply mash up some chunks of soft fruit like berries with a fork and mix them in. The fiber and natural juices will create thickness.

Reduce Liquid

Look at your barbecue sauce recipe and see if you can reduce any thin liquids. For example, substitute water or broth with a portion of the juice from tomatoes, apples, mangoes, etc. Swap in tomato paste for some tomato sauce or ketchup. Use less vinegar, alcohol, and other flavoring liquids that can thin out the sauce. Work on maximizing the use of thick ingredients like tomato products, fruit purees, honey, and nut butters.

Add Gelatin

Unflavored powdered gelatin can be used to thicken barbecue sauce without altering the taste. Mix 1 teaspoon gelatin with 1 tablespoon cold water and let sit for 5 minutes to bloom and thicken. Then stir the gelatin slurry into simmering barbecue sauce. For thicker results, use 1 tablespoon gelatin bloomed in 3 tablespoons water. Gelatin will give the sauce a richer, mouth-coating texture.

Finish with Cold Butter

Here’s a neat trick used by chefs – whisking in cold butter at the end. Once your barbecue sauce is finished simmering and is the right consistency, take it off the heat. Whisk in 1-3 tablespoons of cold, cubed butter until melted in. The butter adds richness while also giving a slight thickening effect.

Use Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum is a powder that can thicken sauces at very small percentages – usually about 0.2-0.5% of the total volume. For a 16 ounce bottle of barbecue sauce, that would be just 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum. Dissolve the powder in a bit of water before mixing into the sauce. A little goes a long way with this powerful thickener, so start small.

Let Sauce Cool

Don’t forget that liquids will thicken up naturally as they cool. Your still-hot barbecue sauce straight from the stovetop will seem thinner compared to how it looks after an hour or so at room temperature. For a fair test, transfer your finished barbecue sauce to a container and let it cool completely before determining if the thickness is right. Then you can better assess if it needs more simmering or thickening agents.

Comparison of Thickening Methods

There are pros and cons to each of the potential thickening techniques. Here is a comparison:

Method Pros Cons
Starches
  • Easy to use
  • Works quickly
  • No major flavor impact
  • Can make sauce gloopy if over-thickened
  • Need to make slurry ahead of time
Simmering
  • Intensifies flavor over time
  • No extra ingredients needed
  • Takes a long time
  • Risk of burning/over-reducing
Tomato paste
  • Adds flavor
  • Small amounts needed
  • Can alter flavor profile
  • May need other thickeners too
Fruit purees
  • Enhances flavor
  • Healthy and natural
  • Extra preparation step
  • Can water down flavor if too much
Reduce liquids
  • Intensifies flavor
  • No extra ingredients
  • May alter flavor balance
  • Requires recipe tweaking
Gelatin
  • Very effective thickener
  • Small amounts needed
  • Not vegetarian
  • Can make texture gummy
Butter
  • Rich, silky texture
  • Enhances mouthfeel
  • High in saturated fat
  • May mute spice flavors
Xanthan gum
  • Very powerful thickener
  • Tiny amounts needed
  • Can make texture slimy if over-used
  • Difficult to incorporate smoothly

Tips for Thickening

Here are some final tips when using thickeners to adjust barbecue sauce consistency:

  • Add thickeners slowly and gradually until desired consistency is reached.
  • Fully incorporate powders like cornstarch in slurries before adding.
  • Bring sauce to a boil after adding thickeners to activate.
  • Be patient – some methods like simmering take time.
  • Err on the side of less thickener – you can always add more.
  • Pureeing and reducing will also boost flavor concentration.
  • Let cooled sauce sit overnight – it will thicken up even more.
  • Stir sauce frequently when simmering to prevent scorching on the bottom.
  • If sauce gets too thick, thin it with a bit of water, broth, or vinegar.

Conclusion

Achieving the perfect thick, coating consistency for homemade barbecue sauce is important. Luckily many common ingredients can help thicken sauce effectively. Starches like cornstarch and flour, extended simmering, tomato paste, fruit purees, and gelatin are all useful options. Reducing thin liquids in a recipe and letting the sauce cool completely also helps develop thickness. With the right technique, you can easily learn how to thicken barbecue sauce for grilling success.