Makes 3 cups
1. Combine the ketchup, vinegar, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, chili powder, mustard, salt, and pepper in a saucepan and whisk until thoroughly blended.
2. Simmer the sauce over low heat until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
3. Use immediately, or let cool and then refrigerate in a covered container until ready to use.
East Carolina Sauce: The simplest and the earliest, popularized by African slaves who also advanced the development of American barbeque. Made with vinegar, ground black pepper, and hot chili pepper flakes, it is used as a "mopping" sauce to baste the meat while it’s cooking and as a dipping sauce when the meat is served.
Lexington Dip (a.k.a. Western Carolina Dip or Piedmont Dip): East Carolina Sauce with tomato paste, tomato sauce, or ketchup added.
Kansas City: Thick, reddish-brown, and tomato- or ketchup-based with added sugars, vinegar, and spices, it is usually thick and sweet.
Memphis: Similar to Kansas City style, it typically has the same ingredients, but tends to have a larger percentage of vinegar and use molasses as a sweetener instead of sugar.
Texas: In some older, more traditional restaurants, the sauces are heavily seasoned with cumin, chili peppers, bell peppers or ancho powder, lots of black pepper, fresh onion, and a very small amount of tomato, with little or no sugar, and they often contain meat drippings and smoke flavor because meats are dipped into them. They are medium-thick and often resemble a thin tomato soup.
South Carolina Mustard Sauce: South Carolina is known for its yellow barbeque sauces made primarily of yellow mustard, vinegar, sugar, and spices.
Alabama White Sauce: North Alabama is known for its distinctive white, mayonnaise-based sauce, used on chicken and pork. It is composed of mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper.