Looking for help from the from scratch sauce masters

[PulledBBQ]

I'm in the process of creating multiple BBQ sauces from scratch, and love the combinations that I have come up with so far, but they are all coming out too thick after being refrigerated. I took all of the sauces to a boil and them simmered them for 10 minutes. I don't want to add any more vinegar, as I have the tastes where I want them. To have the sauce be thinner so I can serve it from a bottle out of the fridge, should I simmer it for a shorter time? Not bring it to a boil? Add water? Lessen the brown sugar amount? Any help would be much appreciated here!
The sauces I'm trying to do that I am trying to get thinned out: A thinner red vinegar sauce for basting and for chicken. A thicker sweet, spicy and sticky sauce. A citrus wheat beer sauce.
The sauces that I am want to work on next: A non-sweet straight BBQ sauce for beef. A white BBQ sauce. A bourbon based BBQ sauce.

 

[Central PA Cowboy]

Try adding water. Can’t hurt.

 

[jcam222]

If the flavor is right where you want it I’d definitely just thin with water. Question - when ur thickens is any of the sugar recrystalizing and settling?

 

[PulledBBQ]

If the flavor is right where you want it I’d definitely just thin with water. Question - when ur thickens is any of the sugar recrystalizing and settling?

Yes, a little bit, but I am constantly stirring it. I have seen where some people have just simmered it for 10 minutes, or even only 5 minutes, and I was wondering that if I did that, it would also be thinner.

 

[thirdeye]

Apple juice or apple/white grape juice works just fine for thinning a tomato based sauce when you have it on a LOW simmer. It brings a light fruity back-flavor to the party. While you are thinning it out, you can add some some hints of flavor like super fine grind of a BBQ rub or some cayenne. Once you get the flavor dialed back in.... your sweetness might take a hit. Try agave nectar (syrup) instead of more honey or molasses or you will be right back where you started.

Here is some Blues Hog sauce (which is very thick) thinned with apple/white grape.... dipped and glazed for 5 or 6 minutes. It hangs, but is very thin.

 

[PulledBBQ]

Apple juice or apple/white grape juice works just fine for thinning a tomato based sauce when you have it on a LOW simmer. It brings a light fruity back-flavor to the party. While you are thinning it out, you can add some some hints of flavor like super fine grind of a BBQ rub or some cayenne. Once you get the flavor dialed back in.... your sweetness might take a hit. Try agave nectar (syrup) instead of more honey or molasses or you will be right back where you started.

Here is some Blues Hog sauce (which is very thick) thinned with apple/white grape.... dipped and glazed for 5 or 6 minutes. It hangs, but is very thin.
View attachment 479967

Thanks for the great insight! Blues Hog makes some of my absolute favorite sauces! I will definitely give those methods a try as well.

 

[PulledBBQ]

Apple juice or apple/white grape juice works just fine for thinning a tomato based sauce when you have it on a LOW simmer. It brings a light fruity back-flavor to the party. While you are thinning it out, you can add some some hints of flavor like super fine grind of a BBQ rub or some cayenne. Once you get the flavor dialed back in.... your sweetness might take a hit. Try agave nectar (syrup) instead of more honey or molasses or you will be right back where you started.

Here is some Blues Hog sauce (which is very thick) thinned with apple/white grape.... dipped and glazed for 5 or 6 minutes. It hangs, but is very thin.
View attachment 479967

I'm curious. When you thinned it, did you simmer it for a few minutes, or just stir it in? Is that the Blues Hog Original Flavor?

 

[thirdeye]

I'm curious. When you thinned it, did you simmer it for a few minutes, or just stir it in? Is that the Blues Hog Original Flavor?

Yes it is BH Original, and you know how thick it is right out of the jar.... so I warm it, then add juice and stir it in keeping it warmed for a few minutes to blend. My favorite way of holding the thinned sauce is in a pint Mason jar sitting in a pan of warm water. I'm not really a sauce guy at home, but use it in competition cooking.

Here are a couple more examples that may show you how thin I make it. These are all BH Original. I want the visual appearance to be sort of translucent, and this also means the sauce is light enough so it won't mask the flavors of the rub and the meat.
This first photo shows how well the sauce is set..., notice it did not really run even after a very generous bite-thru skin test. Click to zoom and maybe you can see the results I'm after.

Here are some more examples:

 

[PulledBBQ]

Yes it is BH Original, and you know how thick it is right out of the jar.... so I warm it, then add juice and stir it in keeping it warmed for a few minutes to blend. My favorite way of holding the thinned sauce is in a pint Mason jar sitting in a pan of warm water. I'm not really a sauce guy at home, but use it in competition cooking.

Here are a couple more examples that may show you how thin I make it. These are all BH Original. I want the visual appearance to be sort of translucent, and this also means the sauce is light enough so it won't mask the flavors of the rub and the meat.
This first photo shows how well the sauce is set..., notice it did not really run even after a very generous bite-thru skin test. Click to zoom and maybe you can see the results I'm after.
View attachment 480111
Here are some more examples:
View attachment 480112
View attachment 480113
View attachment 480114
View attachment 480115

Great looking food! I do one day hope to start doing competition cooking as well, but Life 101 doesn't give me the spare time to do it. Thanks again for the detailed feedback!