Spicy Buffalo BBQ Sauce

Classic buffalo sauce transforms into this thick and spicy Buffalo BBQ Sauce. Slather it on your grilled meats or toss wings for a sweet heat.

Hot sauce lovers, this is for you. Trust me when I tell you the flavors of this Buffalo BBQ sauce are intense and flavorful, with the focus being on your favorite hot sauce.

I’ve always wanted a thicker version to baste onto smoked chicken thighs, glaze up some buffalo scallops or shrimp, or even stir into an incredible queso dip. The added flavors of molasses, chipotle, and other ingredients add layers of flavor and smoke, rounding this out into an incredible BBQ sauce while letting the hot sauce remain the star. Try this on Smoked Buffalo BBQ Wings!

Or, if you want to stick to the classic creamy buffalo sauce, we’ve got that option as well.

Let’s break down the very simple list of ingredients for this Buffalo BBQ sauce. Not only does this sauce have a perfect amount of heat, but it’s the most familiar to what we recognize as a buffalo sauce flavor profile.

Buffalo BBQ Sauce Ingredients

• Frank’s RedHot Sauce – Classic cayenne pepper hot sauce flavor, one of the most familiar choices for buffalo hot sauce.
• Ketchup – This is key, creating a thick body for building a BBQ sauce while adding a little acid and sweetness.
• Dark brown sugar – Using this darker sugar helps to fortify the deep, smoky flavors. If you’re trying to watch the sugar, you can always add less to start and more at the end when tasting.
• Molasses – This thick syrup adds body and roasted depth to the sauce. Make sure you are using unsulfured molasses, not blackstrap molasses.
• Apple cider vinegar – Classic acid to brighten all of the flavors.
• Worcestershire sauce – A small splash of fermented umami adds a little something.
• Chipotle powder – This adds a smoked layer of heat, without competing with the cayenne hot sauce.
• Black pepper – A nice sharp punch, it’s subtle but noticeable.
• Celery salt – Skip traditional salt and use this. The flavor is perfectly paired with buffalo hot sauce.
• Unsalted butter – Whisk in cold butter at the end to create a velvety, rich texture.

Variations of Flavor

• Make it sweeter: Add more brown sugar after the sauce has simmered for at least 10 minutes. Taste and add more sugar if needed, then continue to simmer, allowing it to dissolve.
• Make it tangier: Add apple cider vinegar at the very end. A little goes a long way.
• Change the spice level: Ground chipotle is recommended, but if you want it spicier you can add cayenne chile powder or another type of chile you prefer.

Making the Sauce

Let me tell you right now: You do NOT need a blender!

STEP 1: Add everything, except butter, to a saucepan. Cook the sauce for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat until it starts to simmer and thicken. The main goal is to dissolve the sugars and have the spices bloom together, incorporating them into the sauce. You’ll know when it’s about the right consistency, it should lightly coat the back of a spoon.

Make sure you simmer gently. This homemade BBQ sauce does not need a rolling boil, otherwise, your counter and backsplash will be painted red.

STEP 2: Whisk in cold, unsalted butter. This must be cold butter. It doesn’t need to be from a freezer, but don’t use room temp butter. The slow melt of butter allows the fats to be dispersed throughout the sauce, creating a stable emulsion. Basically, cold butter whisked slowly allows it to melt all throughout the sauce without a greasy separation. The addition of butter into this BBQ sauce is pretty unique, a nod to the classic recipe for buffalo hot sauce.

More Delicious Sauces

Homemade BBQ sauce is the best! We have plenty of tasty recipes to try:

• Creamy Buffalo Sauce
• Homemade Hot Honey
• Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
• Creamy Beer Cheese Sauce
• Korean BBQ Sauce
• Maple Chipotle BBQ Sauce