Up the Volume With Bold and Spicy Texas Barbecue Sauce (2024)

John Mitzewich

John Mitzewich is a food writer, recipe video producer, and culinary school instructor with more than 20 years of experience in the food industry.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Updated on 12/30/22

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Whisk together the ketchup, vinegar, sugar, water, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin and cayenne in a saucepan, bring to a low simmer.
Once sauce reaches a simmer, immediately turn off the heat. Let the sauce cool to room temperature. This can be used as a basting sauce toward the end of thecooking time of your meat or brushed on after barbecuing, with additional sauce served on the side.

Barbecued Brisket

Making barbecued brisket is more than cooking dinner. It's a commitment. It means hours tending a hot smoker; it takes about an hour per pound to get the brisket done to a turn. It means having a wood fire in the smoker. It means keeping a steady eye on the fire and adjusting the vents as needed to keep it even. It means tinkering with the sauce to make it just the right consistency and flavor. It means adding it at just the right moment to sink into the meat and become part of it, making a crusty top. When a meat thermometer reads 195 F to 203 F, it's done. After you let it rest for about 15 minutes, you can relax and enjoy just about the best eats on Earth.

Serving Suggestions

Barbecued brisket is good all by itself, totally bare, with maybe a bit of barbecue sauce as a condiment if you want another shot of that flavor. If you're watching your carb intake, this is the way to go. It's most commonly piled high on a big hamburger bun, with sauce or not. Serve with potato salad; slaw; french fries; pasta salad with peppers, onions, and cheese; or baked beans. It's sacrilege in Texas to put slaw on a brisket sandwich, but if you like a little Carolina with your barbecue, nobody's looking.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
17	Calories
0g	Fat
4g	Carbs
0g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 48
Amount per serving
Calories	17
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 80mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 4g	2%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg	2%
Calcium 3mg	0%
Iron 0mg	1%
Potassium 33mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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