Steve Harvey shares his easy homemade Southern BBQ sauce recipe.
This Southern-style barbecue sauce is perfect for slathering on ribs, a whole chicken, or any of your favorite meats for Memorial Day, Juneteenth, the 4th of July, Labor Day, or any backyard cookout. You’ll likely have enough left over to bottle, refrigerate, or share.
Straight from the Steve Harvey Morning Show
The Steve Harvey Morning Show has been a longtime favorite for many listeners. Known affectionately as “Uncle Steve” by his co-hosts and fans, Steve often shares stories and recipes inspired by his Southern roots. This homemade BBQ sauce is his simple, crowd-pleasing take on a soulful, sweet-and-savory barbecue glaze.
Soul food country-cooking
Uncle Steve’s cooking style reflects classic Southern and soul food traditions—simple ingredients, bold flavor, and a focus on comfort. This sauce follows that philosophy: a few pantry staples combined with two bottled BBQ sauces and a touch of sweetener and vinegar to balance the flavors.
Uncle Steve’s BBQ sauce
Instead of his usual closing remarks, Steve once shared this BBQ rib sauce recipe on the show. It’s designed to boost a premade bottled sauce into something that tastes homemade — richer, sweeter, and a little more soulful.
How to make BBQ sauce taste homemade
The trick in this recipe is starting with quality bottled sauces, then stretching and enhancing them with apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and pure cane sugar (or brown sugar). The vinegar adds tang, the sugar adds depth, and the garlic powder gives a steady savory note that ties everything together.
Ingredients
See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list with measurements.
- Apple cider vinegar — balances the sweetness with a clean tang.
- Garlic powder — adds a savory backbone.
- Pure cane sugar — brown sugar may be used instead for a molasses note.
- Bottled BBQ sauces — the recipe uses two 15.25 oz bottles, one sweet and one with a touch of heat; examples include honey-sweet and touch-of-heat varieties.
Is white vinegar or apple cider vinegar better for BBQ sauce?
Both work, but apple cider vinegar adds more flavor and a fruitier tang that complements sweet sauces well.
How do you make Steve Harvey’s homemade BBQ sauce?
This batch yields about 4¾ cups of sauce — enough to coat a whole chicken or a rack of ribs and still leave roughly 2 cups to save. You can prepare it on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot on the slow-cook setting.
Summary of steps:
- Combine apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, sugar, and two 15.25 oz bottles of BBQ sauce in a large pot or the inner pot of an Instant Pot.
- Fill one empty 15.25 oz sauce bottle with water one and a half times and add the water to the pot to loosen the sauce and stretch the yield.
- Stir well to combine.
- Simmer covered: on low for about 30 minutes on the stovetop, or use the Instant Pot slow-cook setting for one hour.
- Use approximately 2¾ cups to baste a whole chicken or rack of ribs; transfer any remaining sauce to a lidded mason jar or airtight container and refrigerate.
What do you serve with Steve Harvey homemade BBQ sauce?
This sauce pairs beautifully with classic soul food and barbecue sides: Southern potato salad, baked beans, creamy coleslaw, cornbread, collard greens, mac and cheese, and grilled or smoked meats. For grilling, Steve recommends using a quality ceramic cooker or smoker for the best flavor and even heat.
Steve Harvey Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce — Recipe Card
Servings: 16 bastings
Prep time: 5 minutes • Cook time (stovetop): 30 minutes • Instant Pot slow cook: 1 hour • Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 6 tablespoons garlic powder
- 7 tablespoons pure cane sugar (or brown sugar)
- 15.25 oz bottled BBQ sauce (sweet variety)
- 15.25 oz bottled BBQ sauce (slightly spicy variety)
- Water — fill one empty 15.25 oz sauce bottle 1½ times and add
Stovetop Instructions
- Place the vinegar, garlic powder, sugar, and both BBQ sauce bottles in a large pot over low heat.
- Add the measured water, stir to combine, and cover.
- Simmer on low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and use immediately or cool and transfer to a mason jar for storage.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in the Instant Pot inner pot, add the measured water, and stir.
- Close the lid and select the slow-cook setting for one hour.
- When finished, open, stir, and use or store as desired.
This recipe makes approximately 4¾ cups of sauce. About 2¾ cups will coat a whole chicken or full rack of ribs, leaving roughly 2 cups to save.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Properly stored, the sauce can last up to nine months in the fridge; at room temperature after opening, it’s best used within a month.
Nutrition (per serving, approximate)
Calories: 125 kcal • Carbohydrates: 30 g • Protein: 1 g • Fat: 1 g • Sodium: 557 mg • Sugar: 23 g
How long does BBQ sauce last in the refrigerator?
Refrigerated, opened barbecue sauce can keep up to nine months. If left opened in the pantry, use within about a month. For maximum shelf life, keep the sauce chilled in a sealed jar or container.
What do you think of this version of Steve Harvey’s homemade BBQ sauce?
Give it a try, then leave a comment with any tweaks you made. Save a jar for later and enjoy a little Southern soul at your next cookout.
Recipe originally appeared on ShaundaNecole.com (Shaunda Necole • The Soul Food Pot®) and has been adapted here for clarity and ease.
