5 Ways to Use Up Leftover BBQ Sauce

Christine Gallary
Christine GallaryFood Editor-at-Large
Christine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW.com. She lives in San Francisco and loves teaching cooking classes. Follow her latest culinary escapades on Instagram.
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published Aug 12, 2015
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(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

Summer is the season of barbecue sauce; it’s hard to imagine eating a big slab of ribs without a nice side of sweet, tangy sauce, and a pile of napkins. Whether you buy sauce from the store or take the time to make your own, sometimes you have some still kicking around in the fridge. Fret not — here are some easy and tasty ways to incorporate barbecue sauce in other dishes!

(Image credit: Coco Morante)

1. Pizza Sauce

Chain restaurant California Pizza Kitchen was onto something when they invented a pizza that used barbecue sauce instead of tomato sauce. Make your own version at home and top the pizza with cheese, chicken, scallions, and cilantro.

(Image credit: Jessica Goldman Foung)

2. Pulled Anything

Barbecue sauce is the classic choice when making pulled pork sandwiches, but you don’t need to stick with just pork! Try it with shredded chicken, or even stewed carrots for a delicious vegetarian twist.

(Image credit: Nealey Dozier)

3. Salad Dressing

One of my guilty pleasures is the on-the-go airport salads that have a semi-Southwestern theme going, with black beans, corn, and a pile of tortilla chips. In some versions, there’s a drizzle of barbecue sauce that cuts through the richness of the creamy salad dressing and just brings everything together. You can also mix a little barbecue sauce into regular creamy dressing for pasta salad.

(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

4. Meatloaf Glaze

While there are some who swear by meatloaf glazed with ketchup, barbecue sauce is a great alternative, thanks to a hint of spice and sometimes smoke. You can also flavor the meatloaf mixture itself with a little of the barbecue sauce.

5. Cocktail Meatballs

I have a soft spot for a slow cooker full of meatballs swimming in barbecue sauce; they’re the perfect appetizer for potlucks and tailgates. You can put them on little dinner rolls to make meatball sliders, or just serve them as is. Don’t forget the frilly toothpicks.

Have fun using up your sauce, and if you are thinking about buying some more, check out our taste test of seven brands!

(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

Barbecue Sauce Recipes

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