Jamaican Jerk BBQ Sauce Recipe

Liven up your meals with this delicious jerk BBQ sauce. Simple to make with just 4 ingredients, it’s great to use as a marinade or a dip.

 

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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the 
recipe card at the bottom of the post. 
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.

This is currently the new favorite sauce in our house! This jerk BBQ sauce has been going on everything!

This spicy, smoky, and sweet sauce takes minutes to make, and is a great condiment to have on hand whenever you want to add a some flavor to your meal.

Growing up, when my family grilled jerk chicken or pork that was marinated in jerk seasoning, we would eat it without sauce. Now of days, I serve this sauce on the side, either to drizzle it on top or on the side for dipping.

This homemade BBQ sauce needs to become a staple in your pantry! It goes along great with my Jerk Chicken recipe.

Be sure to check out my Jamaican jerk seasoning and homemade BBQ sauce!

Ingredients Needed

• Ketchup – for the sweet and tangy taste
• Jerk wet past-marinade- for the authentic jerk flavor
• Apple cider vinegar – acid for tanginess
• Liquid smoke – adds a smoky flavor

How to make jerk BBQ sauce

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and immediately remove from heat. Serve and enjoy.

What is jerk?

Jerk is a method of cooking from Jamaica where food is either dry rubbed or wet marinated with sweet, spicy mixture. The marinade usually consists of pimento, Scotch bonnet peppers, some kind of acid (citrus or vinegar), and other add ins such as cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, garlic and thyme.

The jerk flavor is such a great add in to a homemade BBQ sauce!

How long does it last?

This sauce can be made ahead and stored. It will last in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container. I store ours in mason jars and it always gets used within that time frame!

It’s also quick enough to make that you can just whip up a small batch on a whim.

How do you use it?

There are so many ways to use this jerk BBQ sauce. Although it’s great for basting jerk chicken or any other meats, like beef or pork, it’s also delicious to toss wings in! Feel free to use it as a dip too for fries or even spread it on sandwiches.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Make sure your heat is set to medium heat to avoid burning your sauce or scorching your pan. 
• This recipe makes a little less than 2 cups of sauce. It can be doubled or tripled or cut in half. If doubling or tripling, increase the heating time by about 5 minutes. 

More Sauce Recipes

• Jerk Marinade
• Chimichurri Sauce
• No-Cook Pizza Sauce
• Tartar Sauce
• Cocktail Sauce
• Remoulade Sauce
• Horseradish Sauce

This post was originally published on May 11, 2021. It has been updated with new information.