Growing up with weekend campout BBQs of pork steaks, burgers, and brats; one thing you could be sure of was there would also be a bottle of Maull’s BBQ Sauce! This St. Louis based company made a sweet & tangy sauce that came in a few varieties, my favorite being the one with onion bits in it. I fondly remember my dad would thin out the sauce a bit with a 1/2 can of Busch beer and let the quickly grilled pork steaks simmer for an hour, till the meat was falling off the bone. Delicious memories there and inspiration for me to whip up a batch of my own St. Louis style BBQ sauce.

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rucksack foodie st louis style bbq sauce

Now in this time of staying at home and using up what we got in the cabinet, this St. Louis Style BBQ Sauce is easy to make with things you probably have on hand already and will become your favorite condiment to have in the fridge. The only thing I didn’t have in the cabinet was a small pinch anchovy to add, which I read is one of Maull’s signature ingredients, but it still was delish and brought back memories!

This would also be great with my Cheddar Garlic Beer Bread Recipe used as make shift buns!

St. Louis Style BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

1 can whole tomatoes in sauce
1 small to medium onion, finely diced
1 tsp veg oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp mild chili powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp OPTIONAL: anchoive paste

Instructions

Use a potatoe masher or an immersion blender to pulse the whole tomatoes to near liquid and then set to the side.
Finely dice up an onion and add it and the 1 tsp of oil to a sauce pan and cook for approx 2-5 minutes over med high heat, sweating the onion until soft.
Add all the spices to the onion and cook for 1 minute.
Then add all other ingredients, stir well and simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes, then turn down to low heat and let it simmer for about an hour. If you use a lid on the pan, due to the sauce bubbling and splattering, leave the lid a little askew so condensation so steam can escape.

Notes

TIP: I find that whole canned ‘plum’ tomatoes seem to have the least acidic taste to it.

TIP: adding your spices to the onion in the pan before adding liquids, allows for a “blooming” effect which releases more flavor oils into the dish.

TIP: Do NOT hesitate to taste and add more flavor spices to your liking! I use just a dash of cumin and go heavy on the smoked paprika and kinda heavy on the mild chili pepper, go with what you like!

Here’s a great little story clip from our the local St. Louis PBS station all about St. Louis BBQ & Maull’s BBQ Sauce