Artificial Flavors Free Eastern Carolina Vinegar BBQ Sauce
If you've ever flipped over a bottle of store-bought BBQ sauce and squinted at a list of "natural and artificial flavors," you know the frustration of not really knowing what you're eating. This Eastern Carolina-style vinegar sauce is the antidote — every single ingredient is exactly what it says it is, nothing more. Apple cider vinegar and white vinegar form the sharp, tangy backbone, while red pepper flakes, cayenne, black pepper, sugar, and salt do all the heavy lifting on flavor. There are no mystery additives, no color enhancers, and no synthetic shortcuts — just pantry staples whisked together over gentle heat until the sugar and salt dissolve. The sauce then steeps as it cools, letting those pepper flakes bloom into something genuinely bold and complex. It keeps in the fridge for up to four weeks, so you can batch it once and reach for it all season long. Thin, fiery, and unapologetically simple, this is the kind of sauce that makes you wonder why you ever bought the bottled stuff.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- 1
Combine the apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, red pepper flakes, black pepper, cayenne, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved, about 3–4 minutes.
- 2
Remove from the heat and let the sauce cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, so the pepper flakes steep and the flavors meld.
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