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Home » Recipe Index » Sauce

Published: Jun 18, 2024 · Modified: Jan 9, 2025 by Tanya · This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

Jamaican Jerk BBQ Sauce Recipe

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Liven up your meals with this delicious jerk BBQ sauce. Simple to make with just 4 ingredients, it's great to use as a marinade or a dip.

Jerk bbq sauce in glass bowl


 

The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.

This is currently the new favorite sauce in our house! This jerk BBQ sauce has been going on everything!

This spicy, smoky, and sweet sauce takes minutes to make, and is a great condiment to have on hand whenever you want to add a some flavor to your meal.

Growing up, when my family grilled jerk chicken or pork that was marinated in jerk seasoning, we would eat it without sauce. Now of days, I serve this sauce on the side, either to drizzle it on top or on the side for dipping.

This homemade BBQ sauce needs to become a staple in your pantry! It goes along great with my Jerk Chicken recipe.

Be sure to check out my Jamaican jerk seasoning and homemade BBQ sauce!

Ingredients Needed

  • Ketchup - for the sweet and tangy taste
  • Jerk wet past-marinade- for the authentic jerk flavor
  • Apple cider vinegar - acid for tanginess
  • Liquid smoke - adds a smoky flavor

How to make jerk BBQ sauce

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and immediately remove from heat. Serve and enjoy.

The ingerdients to make the sauce, and the sauce after cooking in a pot.

What is jerk?

Jerk is a method of cooking from Jamaica where food is either dry rubbed or wet marinated with sweet, spicy mixture. The marinade usually consists of pimento, Scotch bonnet peppers, some kind of acid (citrus or vinegar), and other add ins such as cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, garlic and thyme.

The jerk flavor is such a great add in to a homemade BBQ sauce!

How long does it last?

This sauce can be made ahead and stored. It will last in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container. I store ours in mason jars and it always gets used within that time frame!

It's also quick enough to make that you can just whip up a small batch on a whim.

How do you use it?

There are so many ways to use this jerk BBQ sauce. Although it's great for basting jerk chicken or any other meats, like beef or pork, it's also delicious to toss wings in! Feel free to use it as a dip for fries or even spread it on sandwiches. I love to use it as a sauce in my jerk chicken bowl.

A jar of jerk bbq sauce on a basting brush.

Recipe Notes and Tips

  • Make sure your heat is set to medium heat to avoid burning your sauce or scorching your pan. 
  • This recipe makes a little less than 2 cups of sauce. It can be doubled or tripled or cut in half. If doubling or tripling, increase the heating time by about 5 minutes. 
BBQ sauce in glass jar with brush on side of it

More Sauce Recipes

  • Jerk Marinade
  • Chimichurri Sauce
  • No-Cook Pizza Sauce
  • Tartar Sauce
  • Cocktail Sauce
  • Remoulade Sauce
  • Horseradish Sauce
Jerk bbq sauce in glass bowl
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5 from 6 votes

Jamaican Jerk BBQ Sauce

Liven up your meals with this delicious jerk BBQ sauce. Simple to make with just 4 ingredients, it's great to use as a marinade or a dip.
Course Condiment
Cuisine American
Keyword bbq sauce with jerk, how to make bbq sauce, jerk seasoned bbq sauce
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 10 minutes minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 45kcal
Author Tanya
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Ingredients

  • ½ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoon jerk wet paste
  • 2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Instructions

  • Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and immediately remove from heat. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

  • This bbq sauce is great for basting jerk chicken or any other meats.
  • Make sure your heat is set to medium-low heat to avoid burning your sauce or scorching your pan. 
  • This recipe as written makes a little less than 2 cups of sauce. It can be doubled or tripled or cut in half. If doubling or tripling, increase the heating time by about 5 minutes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 279mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1335IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
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Although myforkinglife.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will myforkinglife.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.

This post was originally published on May 11, 2021. It has been updated with new information.

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Comments

    5 from 6 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Jimmy Caos says

    June 06, 2025 at 10:51 pm

    Simple to make and absolutely amazing! I made two modifications. First, instead of ketchup, I used a spicy tomato sauce, although I wanted to use regular tomato sauce, but I did not have any. Secondly, I added a couple squirts of honey to counterbalance the acidity from the vinegar and tomato sauce.

    This is an amazing, versatile sauce. A+++++++++

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      June 07, 2025 at 10:23 am

      Thanks so much, Jimmy! So happy you liked the recipe and made it your own with what you had on hand.

      Reply
  2. Lizina says

    March 21, 2025 at 10:48 am

    Detailed nstructions, delicious and. easy to make recipies. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      March 21, 2025 at 11:13 am

      Thanks so much, Lizina!

      Reply
  3. Michele Sealey says

    February 07, 2025 at 11:51 am

    What can be used in place of liquid smoke in case I can’t find it?

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      February 10, 2025 at 11:28 am

      Hi Michele, The closest sub flavor wise is likely smoked paprika.

      Reply
  4. Dee J. says

    August 19, 2023 at 12:36 pm

    Absolutely amazing recipe! I put the sauce on my chicken wings, meatloaf (mixed with some brown sugar), and more. Very tasty!

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      August 19, 2023 at 11:07 pm

      Thank you, Dee J.! So happy you like the recipe 🙂

      Reply
  5. Liza Wright says

    June 24, 2021 at 9:37 am

    Where can I get the ingredients., For Jamaican oxtail. I no about the oxtails, but the ingredients can I find in the store. Please respond back.

    Reply
    • Tanya says

      June 25, 2021 at 2:28 pm

      They sell them at most international stores. I also have links to the products in the recipe card.

      Reply

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Welcome to My Forking Life! Hi, I'm Tanya, attorney, busy wife and mom, and lover of quick, easy, and delicious meals.

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