Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce

Barbecue sauce made with Dr. Pepper soda, onion, tomatoes, orange juice, vinegar, honey, and cayenne. Great with pork ribs or brisket.

By
Hank Shaw
Hank Shaw
Hank Shaw
Hank has authored five cookbooks, the latest in 2021. His website Hunter Angler Gardener Cook won Best Food Blog by the James Beard Foundation in 2013.
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Updated September 24, 2023
Hank Shaw
Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce
Elise Bauer

Please welcome Hank Shaw as he continues on his tour of barbecue sauce recipes with this Dr Pepper BBQ sauce. ~Elise

Cooking with cola or root beer is common, so we figured why not cook with Dr Pepper?

Using soda as the base for a barbecue sauce does two things right off the bat: You get sugar and you get acid. You can literally make a glaze out of nothing more than soda. We went a little further with this recipe, making it a full-on BBQ sauce.

If you don’t like Dr Pepper, you can substitute another dark soda; I’d recommend root beer. And you don’t technically need to put the sauce in the blender, but it does make a smoother sauce that goes on meats better.

What to use this sauce with?

We first did it with slow-cooked pork country ribs, but you could also use it on regular ribs, pork shoulder, ham, beef ribs, or brisket. I bet it would be good on chicken, too, although we haven’t tried it.

You do need to cook this sauce down to get the full flavor, so give yourself some time. Once it’s done, you can store the sauce in the fridge for at least a week.

Dr Pepper Barbecue Sauce

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 95 mins
Total Time 100 mins
Yield 2 to 3 cups
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup minced onion

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

  • 1 1/2 cups Dr pepper

  • 1 can (15-ounces)crushed tomatoes

  • 1/2 cup orange juice

  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar

  • 1/2 cup honey

  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne

  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often.

  2. When the onions are just beginning to brown, add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Simmer for 30 minutes.

  3. Pour the sauce into a blender or food processor and purée it until it is smooth. (Note that if you are using a blender, either work in batches, filling the blender no more than a third of the way at a time with the hot sauce, or slowly add the sauce while the blender is running on low speed.)

  4. Put the sauce into a saucepan, bring to a simmer and continue to simmer, uncovered, for 1 to 2 hours.

    The sauce will store for several weeks in the fridge.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1681 Calories
62g Fat
304g Carbs
27g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 1681
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 62g 79%
Saturated Fat 6g 32%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1421mg 62%
Total Carbohydrate 304g 110%
Dietary Fiber 50g 179%
Total Sugars 180g
Protein 27g
Vitamin C 115mg 575%
Calcium 887mg 68%
Iron 22mg 121%
Potassium 4021mg 86%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.