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Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce

This sweet spicy Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce has a unique background flavour from reducing the cola during the sauce’s slow simmer; especially delicious on ribs.

Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce featured image for recipe post

Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce

This Coca Cola barbecue sauce has a distinctive flavour that comes from concentrating the cola flavour in the simmering process. I first had something similar a few years back in a couple of versions. One was a glaze that I thought was just too intensely flavoured.

I tried a Coca Cola BBQ sauce at a diner during a southern road trip and liked that much, much better. The server said it was a ketchup based sauce so that’s where I started for this recipe.

Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce on grilled chicken

Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce on grilled chicken

Their version had quite a bit of kick as I recall. If I don’t miss my guess, I believe it was Tabasco Sauce that provided the heat.

Spicy or not so spicy.

In my version, I’m using sriracha because it  is my hot sauce of choice at the moment. Also because it has a bit of subtle smokiness that I think works well without overwhelming heat.

Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce with BBQ brush

Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce on grilled chicken.

You can of course moderate the heat to your own taste by using less of the Sriracha. I like to make mildly spicy batches of BBQ sauce and then add extra hot sauce to it as I need it; for example for spicy BBQ wings.

I just pour some in a ramekin, add as much hot sauce as I like and brush it on. This is a great way to offer both mild and hot versions of anything that you barbecue.

Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce on grilled chicken

Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce on grilled chicken.

I enjoyed this sauce on a grilled prime rib steak the other night but it is equally good on pork and chicken. My next experiment is to use it as a sauce to drizzle on my mesquite smoked pulled pork sandwiches where I think it will also be excellent.

The sauce can be kept in the fridge for 2 weeks or so or make it last all summer by properly bottling it according to the prescribed method recommended by mason jar manufacturer Bernardin.

We have more side dish inspiration including everything from baked beans & corn bread to deliciously different potato and pasta salads. Be sure to check them all out in our collection of 26 Best BBQ Side Dishes too.  

Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce

Originally published July 2014. Updated April 2020.

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Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce featured image for recipe post
Yield: 48 (2 1/2 - 3 cups BBQ sauce)(1 tbsp serving)

Coca Cola Barbecue Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

This sweet spicy Coca Cola barbecue sauce has a unique background flavor from reducing the cola during the sauce's slow simmer; especially delicious on ribs

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 small red onion, minced
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 2¼ cups coca cola, NOT diet
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 to 3 tsp Sriracha sauce, to taste
  • 1 tsp dry thyme
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until softened but not browned.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer very slowly for up to an hour until the sauce thickens. Stir often.The sauce will thicken as it cools so reduce it to a consistency a little more watery than ketchup.
  3. The sauce can be kept in the fridge for 2 weeks or so or make it last all summer by properly bottling it according to the prescribed method recommended by the mason jar manufacturer.

Nutrition Information

Yield

48

Serving Size

48 2 1/2 - 3 cups BBQ sauce (1 tbsp serving)

Amount Per Serving Calories 22Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 91mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber 0gSugar 4gProtein 0g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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Kevin

Sunday 23rd of August 2020

Great recipe. I made it tonight for bbq chicken legs and it was delicious. Everything was eyeballed and I used a different hot sauce which still tasted good. I'll definitely make this again and tell a few friends.

Shirley de l'Eveille

Sunday 24th of June 2018

Hi everyone, I love the rum & Coke idea, but I digress. My solution to the diet drink is to cook it until everything is blended, then thicken it up with a cornstarch slurry. I've done that with other recipes including jams .. works fine !

Marlene

Sunday 23rd of July 2017

Barry, do you any reason I can't freeze this sauce. I really don't can.

Marlene

Sunday 23rd of July 2017

Do you see any reason? Sorry for typo

Neil Brooks

Friday 9th of October 2015

In know this is an oldish thread/comments section...but...

@Virginia and any one else interested, I am diabetic, I love this sauce, and yes it has sugar, honey, ketchup and I even swap the apple cider vinegar sometimes for JD, its just so nice...

I figure its not something I eat everyday, and to be honest Im eating chicken and pork ribs glazed in the stuff, not drinking it, I agree that drinking 250ml of full sugare coke would be a bad move for my blood but I drink diet coke or pepsi max and the sauce is used to cover a huge lump of protein...so I just dont worry about it and enjoy it whenever I have it...

Best wishes...

Virginia

Sunday 14th of September 2014

This sounds so wonderful and would love to try it, BUT with a diabetic in the family, I have to ask if you have (or anyone has) tried this with diet Coke? If so, what were the problems involved? I can make my own sugar-free ketchup for this and cut the honey to 2 Tablespoons, but can't use a "regular" soda. Barry, can you help?

Barry C. Parsons

Wednesday 17th of September 2014

I wouldn't try it. The sugar in the Coke is necessary for the glazing consistency of the sauce. I would never have the nerve to suggest boiling anything with aspartame in it either I'm afraid.

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