Grandpa's BBQ Sauce

Matthew Alan Pickler

When I was a young boy, I remember at family cookouts my grandpa would always make the BBQ sauce for the grilled chicken. No one else was allowed to do this because grandpa had his "special" sauce.

As I got older, I would always ask him why he wouldn't let anyone else make it. Grandpa would always reply, "Because no one can make it like me!"

My mom and aunts would always beg for his secret recipe, but he would never crack. My grandma didn't even know the recipe and they had been married for 55 years.

When my grandpa passed away, our family gatherings were never the same. For a while, we wouldn't have BBQ chicken because no one knew what recipe to use for BBQ sauce. My mom and aunt decided to try and make the "special" BBQ sauce themselves. My mom tried ketchup, vinegar, mustard, and too much pepper. Hers ended up setting everyone's mouth on fire and causing everyone to drink about a gallon of sweet tea, or so it seemed. My aunt added way too much ketchup and sugar. It was as sweet as honey.

One day as my grandma was going through a stack of papers, she found my grandpa's "special" BBQ sauce recipe. The "special" sauce included ketchup, mustard, sugar, vinegar, butter, pepper, and the secret ingredient--Worcestershire sauce.

My grandma made copies of this recipe for everyone in my family. Since I've been at college, I have learned to make this sauce as well. It is so simple because once all the ingredients are added, it just needs to come to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.

This BBQ sauce is great on chicken whether it's on the grill or baked in the oven. Every time my grandpa's BBQ sauce is served at a family gathering, it's like he's right there with us.