WWII Ration Recipes: BBQ Sauces

I am very sad to say that we do not own a BBQ. Despite that, I have enjoyed many great barbecued foods at friends’ houses and church get-togethers. I love seeing how proud they are of the food they tenderly watched over until its cooked to perfection and the smoky deliciousness is never a let down. It’s a wonderful American tradition!

So, while I scout out a good deal on a BBQ, I thought I’d share with you a small variety of wartime barbecue sauce recipes I’ve come across in magazines and cookbooks. Some are of the vinegar tradition, while others are on the sweet side. I’m sure many of these would make a great addition to your next BBQ.

I shared this recipe on Instagram back when I posted my Alcohol Rationing episode. It looks especially aromatic with the addition of pepper, cayenne, and thyme, marjoram, or rosemary. Plus garlic! That’s pretty daring for 1940s mainstream America. Haha!

I wanted to throw in an oddball recipe. Onion Sauce sounds super delicious, especially poured over the top of a juicy hamburger. I bet you could add mushrooms to this too and it would taste fabulous.

This sauce recipe accompanies mini meat loaves, but that’s no reason you can’t use it for something else! I like this recipe, because it uses catsup as a base which is very similar to the modern barbecue sauce recipe I use. It’s definitely more of a vinegar taste as opposed to a sweet sauce.

I love that this recipe comes with a picture, though black and white doesn’t do much for it. I think it looks promising, because of the ketchup, garlic, sugar and the seasonings. I imagine this one is the closest to BBQ sauce we use today.

This is a recipe back from my Patreon days, and it’s perfect to bring back out again. I think the addition of parsley with a butter, onion, mustard base makes for an interesting sauce!

This Heinz ad for ketchup includes a barbecue sauce recipe! I think it’s awesome how they claim that ketchup on its own makes a fantastic barbecue sauce. I do like me some ketchup on top of my meatloaf. As it reduces in the oven and is infused with meat juices, it does taste a little reminiscent of BBQ sauce!

Here’s the full ad with some delectable looking burgers.

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This is one of my favorite articles all about outdoor meals. It’s so much fun! This article provides a chicken barbecue recipes. I think it’s fascinating that they reveal that a man who can’t find his way around a kitchen, miraculously becomes practically a gourmet chef in front of a grill. Haha!

This recipe is written out, so it might be a little hard to follow. It might help to write out the ingredients in a list to make things go more smoothly. Using smoked paprika instead of plain will add some extra smoky flavor to the sauce.

The outdoor grilling article included this second sauce recipe for spare ribs that looks even better than the chicken one! Ketchup, molasses, garlic, meat sauce… It looks phenomenal. The recipe introduction is a lot of fun too.

This recipe is unique in that it uses meat drippings as the base. With all of the seasonings, it looks really flavorful too!

This recipe uses onions and peppers which is a great variation. It’s good to see that good ol’ catsup is also included. It really does make a terrific base for barbecue sauce!

And here’s a bonus recipe for Stuffed Cheese Wieners! Growing up, I loved cheese-filled hot dogs, and this recipe is a “healthier” version of that using real cheese. I’m loving the bacon addition too.

Happy BBQ Season! Please share your favorite recipes for the grill. For when I finally get one of my own. lol

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