Pineapple Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce

The Recipe Rebel / Condiments and Sauces

written by Ashley Fehr

5 from 28 votes

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 30 tablespoons

Jump to Recipe

Last updated on June 9, 2020

*Updated April 23, 2015

I’m all about making my own condiments.

I’m not all about making my own condiments all the time. I just don’t have time for that.

Sometimes, it’s just nice to have something with a little more personality! There are tons of great ketchups and barbecue sauces out there, but sometimes I like to spice things up a bit.

Pineapple Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce - The Recipe Rebel (2)

Often I’ll make my own sauce when I make pulled pork in the slow cooker, because I have pretty much zero other prep. The same goes with burgers. They are so simple, and I rarely even make a side dish, so it’s nice to be able to spice things up with homemade barbecue sauce.

I feel like this is kind of a new obsession of mine. I think it has a lot to do with how easy it is.

Meat and sauce. Maybe a jar of pickles. Some iced tea. The perfect summer meal!

So this time I wanted to try something with pineapple. I am also a big fan of sweet on meat. That kind of has a ring to it, doesn’t it?

I love all things sweet and sour.

Pineapple Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce - The Recipe Rebel (3)

Maple, apple, pineapple, cranberry, brown sugar, tomato, apricot, honey, saskatoons — I love it all in my dinner.

I’m actually a little embarrassed about my sugar consumption at this point. I feel like a normal person should be able to make dinner without adding fruit or sugar or fruit and sugar.

Apparently, I am not.

But this sauce.

Pineapple Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce - The Recipe Rebel (4)

So I added a bunch of random stuff to a pot and simmered it with my pineapple juice. It is so good. It’s sweet and tangy with just a hint of spice. It pairs perfectly with pulled pork, but it would also be fantastic on chicken or beef!

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written by Ashley Fehr

5 from 28 votes

Sweet and sour barbecue sauce with a bit of spice! Delicious on any kind of meat.

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Review

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Cuisine American

Course Sauces and Condiments

Servings 30 tablespoons

Calories 33cal

Ingredients

▢ 200 ml pineapple juice 1 regular-sized juice box
▢ 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
▢ 1/2 tsp garlic
▢ 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
▢ 3/4 cup ketchup
▢ 1 pinch red pepper flakes or more if you like it spicy!
▢ 1/2 tsp onion powder
▢ 1 pinch salt to taste
▢ 1-2 tbsp corn starch
▢ 1-2 tbsp water

Instructions

Add all ingredients except for corn starch and water to a medium pot.
Bring to a boil and reduce to medium-low, simmering for 10-15 minutes until flavours come together.
Mix equal parts corn starch and water. Slowly add to the sauce and stir, until you reach your desired consistency.
Serve with pork, chicken or beef.

Nutrition Information

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

Reader Interactions

Comments

Kathy m Hall says
August 1, 2023 at 9:08 am
Wondering if you use dark or light brown sugar in the sauce. Please advise, Can’t wait to make this for Bunco night with the ladies.
Reply
- The Recipe Rebel says
  August 4, 2023 at 4:46 pm
  Hi Kathy! I typically use light. Enjoy!
  Reply
Claire says
April 11, 2023 at 8:29 pm
This is great! Use with koloa pork over coconut rice and pineapple. Very close to my favorite place Porky’s on Kawaii.
Reply
- The Recipe Rebel says
  April 17, 2023 at 3:33 am
  Hi Claire! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
  Reply
Jessica says
January 4, 2023 at 5:04 pm
Do you think you could use something else to substitute the pineapple juice if I don’t have any on hand?
Reply
- The Recipe Rebel says
  January 4, 2023 at 10:15 pm
  Hi Jessica! Maybe just use water? The flavor will be slightly different, but I can’t really think of anything else to substitute it with.
  Reply
- Susan says
  September 1, 2023 at 8:31 am
  Maybe canned crushed pineapple??
  Reply
  - The Recipe Rebel says
    September 6, 2023 at 12:14 pm
    That would be one way to get the juice but I am not sure if it contains enough for this recipe.
Lori says
August 5, 2022 at 12:41 pm
Loved this sauce. Do you know how long this will last refrigerated?
Reply
- The Recipe Rebel says
  August 9, 2022 at 1:16 pm
  Hi Lori, I would keep it 1-2 weeks in the fridge, or it can be frozen up to 6 months.
  Reply
Mike Farnsworth says
August 2, 2022 at 7:05 pm
Can this be waterbath canned to stock up?
Reply
- The Recipe Rebel says
  August 2, 2022 at 7:48 pm
  Hi Mike! I haven’t tried to can this myself. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
  Reply
Julie Lerum says
July 1, 2022 at 10:57 pm
We are having a luau/ pig roast tomorrow and I’m totally making this!
Reply
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- The Recipe Rebel says
  July 5, 2022 at 9:56 pm
  Hope you enjoy it Julie!
  Reply
Dana says
July 21, 2021 at 9:25 am
Added a 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, smoked paprika and liquid smoke. Can’t buy a better BBQ sauce.
Reply
Julie says
April 3, 2021 at 10:28 pm
Just made and it’s so yummy! Making chicken kabobs tomorrow and just finished the marinade with my just made bbq sauce! Hope the kabobs r good! I’ll let u know ☺️
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  April 7, 2021 at 10:20 am
  Thanks Julie! I’m glad you liked it!
  Reply
- KT says
  May 27, 2021 at 4:22 am
  How much did this make? How many ounces. I want to use a Mason jar but I could not tell what size jar she used?
  Thanks
  Reply
  - Ashley Fehr says
    May 31, 2021 at 12:59 pm
    The recipe makes roughly 2.5 cups
Kym says
February 14, 2021 at 2:34 pm
Hi, I’m all about making homemade sauces or (cashew) butters to control what’s in my meals rather than getting a high fructose sugar attack that’s on the shelves. I made it.
I think the only oomph I have with the recipe is the corn starch after all ingredients are boiled through. I kept back tracking to the website thinking maybe I missed something in this blog but theres no instruction, foresight, or advise what to do with the clumps. I had it simmering for 10 minutes (stirring as instructed) and still the corn starch was still all clumped up, refusing to break apart. Tried whisking hoping to help it break it up. No good.
Trial and Error, dump and try again but adding corn starch with the other ingredients to boil with it. Know, I love how easy it is (thank you from the bottom of my heart) and I am still excited to try this once cooked 100%. I have plans to make a homemade ripped rotisserie chicken gouda BBQ pizza. Mmm…
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  February 15, 2021 at 12:30 pm
  Hi Kym! I think you missed something. In the recipe it says to mix the corn starch and water. You cannot add corn starch to any hot liquid without dissolving it in water first.
  Reply
Rachel says
August 16, 2020 at 8:44 am
I can’t wait to try this! So I can figure out my weight watchers points associated with this, can you please tell me how big of a serving you are using to calculate 30 servings in this recipe? Thanks a bunch!
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  August 17, 2020 at 3:59 pm
  One serving is roughly a tablespoon, but your best bet would be to do your own calculations using My Fitness Pal so you know exactly.
  Reply
Paige says
July 4, 2020 at 5:26 pm
This just looks and sounds AMAZING. I bet it would be great on grilled chicken!
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  July 6, 2020 at 11:14 am
  Thanks Paige!
  Reply
Sara Welch says
July 4, 2020 at 2:38 pm
This was so savory and perfectly sweet! Tasted great on our baby back ribs! Delicious!
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  July 6, 2020 at 11:14 am
  Thanks Sara!
  Reply
Taryn says
July 4, 2020 at 10:52 am
Best bbq sauce ever for pork ribs!
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  July 6, 2020 at 11:15 am
  Thanks Taryn!
  Reply
Kimberly says
July 3, 2020 at 5:54 pm
What a heavenly mixture of flavors, I want to slather this on everything!
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  July 6, 2020 at 11:16 am
  I do often!
  Reply
Lisalia says
July 3, 2020 at 5:38 pm
This is such a yummy BBQ sauce. I won’t go back to store-bought. This just tastes so much better!
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  July 6, 2020 at 11:16 am
  Thanks Lisalia! It’s one of our favorites!
  Reply
Joyce says
July 7, 2018 at 10:41 am
Can this be canned? Thanks
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  July 9, 2018 at 10:12 am
  I haven’t tested the pH level so I can’t say 100%. Sorry!
  Reply
Denise says
January 1, 2018 at 9:18 pm
My husband was smoking some ribs he marinated in,pineapple juice. I was looking for a barbecue sauce that might complement them when I found your blog. This recipe worked so well with the ribs. It will be in rotation from here out.
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  January 2, 2018 at 10:46 am
  Thanks Denise! I love this recipe on pork, I can just imagine how good it would be on ribs!
  Reply
Sue says
March 11, 2017 at 5:58 pm
LOL, you had me at ” sweet on meat”! So happy I found your site, thanks for this great recipe ! As a fellow sweet/sugar fan I look forward to more!
Reply
- Ashley Fehr says
  March 13, 2017 at 1:52 pm
  Haha! Thanks Sue! Happy to have you here 🙂
  Reply
  - Tati says
    October 24, 2017 at 7:31 am
    How long does it keep?
  - Ashley Fehr says
    October 24, 2017 at 9:50 am
    I would keep it 1-2 weeks in the fridge, or it can be frozen up to 6 months.

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Pineapple Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to barbecue sauce to make it better? ›

Adding garlic or onion powder are standard flavors for barbecue, but get a little creative and try out different chile powders, peppers, cumin, or dried herbs to add body to the sauce.

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What does brown sugar BBQ sauce taste like? ›

Great balance between sweet and tangy

Hickory Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce is a delightful blend of smoky hickory flavor and sweet brown sugar notes. The sauce strikes a perfect balance between tangy and sweet, making it a versatile choice for various grilled meats and barbecue dishes.

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How to make BBQ sauce tastier? ›

Honey - adding honey to your BBQ sauce can help balance out the smokiness and add a touch of sweetness.
Chipotle peppers - if you want to add some heat to your sauce, consider adding chipotle peppers. ...
Apple cider vinegar - adding apple cider vinegar can help give your BBQ sauce a tangy flavor that complements the.

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How to make barbecue sauce less sweet? ›

You can add just about any edible acid-base to tone down a sweeter BBQ sauce. For example, adding a small amount of mustard, which is vinegar-based, or citrus juice can help to cut through the sweetness and balance out flavors.

What gives BBQ sauce its distinct flavor? ›

Ingredients vary, but most include vinegar or tomato paste (or a combination) as a base, as well as liquid smoke, onion powder, spices such as mustard and black pepper, and sweeteners such as sugar or molasses.

Get More Info Here ›

What thickens BBQ sauce? ›

You can use either flour or cornstarch to thicken BBQ sauce. Just mix together 2 tbsp (16 g) of flour and ¼ cup (62.5 mL) of water, or combine 1 tbsp (9 g) of cornstarch with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of water. Continue mixing the thickener until there are no lumps of flour or cornstarch.

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Is light or dark brown sugar better for BBQ sauce? ›

You can use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar. Increase molasses by a tablespoon..

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Is it better to use light or dark brown sugar in sauce? ›

A light brown sugar has about 3.5% molasses and dark brown sugar has about 6.5%. That added molasses in dark brown sugar is what gives it more depth of flavor, which is why you'll see it in recipes where it's an important ingredient like when you make barbecue sauce.

What is the most popular flavor of barbecue sauce? ›

Tomato-Based Barbecue Sauces

By far the most common type of barbecue sauce is the tomato-based sauce. And although there are exceptions, the tomato in these sauces is almost always in the form of ketchup.

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Is it worth making your own barbecue sauce? ›

The problem is that most store-bought barbecue sauces just aren't that stellar. They're off-the-scales sweet, packed with fake "smoke" flavor, or weirdly viscous like butterscotch. If you want to really elevate your barbecue, you're going to have to make your own sauce.

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How do you get tartness out of BBQ sauce? ›

- Add some sugar or honey to the dish. Sugar and honey can counteract the sourness of vinegar and add some sweetness to the dish. You can start with a small amount and adjust according to your taste.

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Is barbecue sauce just ketchup and brown sauce? ›

UK brown sauce is more similar to steak sauce in America. American BBQ sauce is basically ketchup with a slightly smoky and sweet flavor. I think it's a mix of ketchup, garlic powder, and molasses.

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What seasoning goes best with barbecue sauce? ›

Spices For Barbecue Sauce

Popular spices and herbs to use for barbecue are; allspice, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, clove, coriander, cumin, granulated garlic, granulated onion, Mexican oregano, mustard powder, nutmeg, paprika, sage, and thyme leaves.

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Light and sweet with a zesty zing, this delicious barbeque sauce pairs well with grilled seafood or seared chicken. This garlic-infused sauce also acts as the perfect addition to homemade fried rice and lettuce wraps.

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Pineapple Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce - The Recipe Rebel (2024)