Creative Ways to Use BBQ Sauces Beyond Grilling

Stir It Into Baked Beans

Store-bought baked beans are fine, but they’re kind of plain on their own. A generous pour of BBQ sauce, a little brown sugar, some diced onion, and a few strips of bacon – that’s all you need to turn a basic can into something worth talking about.

Let it all cook together on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, and you’ll have a side dish that tastes completely homemade.

Use It as a Dipping Sauce for Everything

This one is simple but worth saying out loud: BBQ sauce is one of the best dipping sauces out there. Use it with sweet potato fries, onion rings, chicken tenders, egg rolls, or even plain potato chips if you’re feeling bold. It’s especially good with anything fried because the smokiness cuts through the grease and balances the whole bite.

You can also mix BBQ sauce with a little mayo to make a smoky dipping sauce that works great with fries or roasted vegetables.

Glaze Your Salmon or Shrimp

BBQ sauce and seafood sound like an unusual pairing, but it’s actually really good. Brush a light coat of BBQ sauce over salmon fillets before you bake or broil them. The sugars in the sauce caramelize quickly, giving the fish a beautiful glaze without overpowering the flavour.

For shrimp, toss them in a skillet with butter, garlic, and a spoonful of BBQ sauce. It takes about five minutes and gives you a sticky, smoky shrimp that works over rice, in tacos, or just eaten straight from the pan.

Mix It Into Macaroni and Cheese

This one surprises people every time. Stir a few tablespoons of BBQ sauce into your mac and cheese, whether it’s homemade or from a box, and top it with pulled chicken or crumbled bacon. The tanginess from the sauce cuts through the richness of the cheese, and the whole dish gets a little more interesting without much effort.

BBQ mac and cheese shows up on menus at some well-known Southern comfort food restaurants, so this is absolutely a real thing worth trying at home.

Use It as a Marinade

BBQ sauce on its own is too thick and sugary to marinate meat for long periods because the sugars burn quickly. But thin it out with a little apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and water, and it becomes a solid marinade for chicken thighs, pork chops, or even tofu.

Let your protein soak in it for a few hours, then cook it however you like. The flavour goes deep into the meat instead of just sitting on the surface.

Spread It on Sandwiches and Wraps

Instead of mustard or mayo, reach for BBQ sauce on your next sandwich. It goes well with pulled pork, grilled chicken, turkey, or even a basic ham and cheese. Add some coleslaw on top for crunch, and you’ve got a sandwich that actually has character.

For wraps, BBQ sauce with grilled chicken, black beans, corn, and shredded cheese is one of the easiest lunches you can put together. Roll it tight, slice it in half, and it holds together better than you’d expect.

Stir It Into Soups and Stews

A small spoonful of BBQ sauce stirred into chilli, beef stew, or lentil soup adds a layer of smokiness that’s hard to pinpoint but makes everything taste richer.

You don’t need much – just enough to deepen the flavour without making the whole dish taste like BBQ. Start with a tablespoon, taste it, and go from there.

Drizzle It Over Roasted Vegetables

Roasted vegetables are great on their own, but a drizzle of BBQ sauce in the last five minutes of roasting takes them somewhere else entirely. Try it with cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, or sweet potatoes. The sauce sticks to the edges of the vegetables and gets slightly charred, which adds a whole new texture and flavour layer.

One Last Thing

BBQ Sauces are far more useful than most people give them credit for. Once you start thinking of it as a flavour-builder rather than just a grill companion, it’ll become one of the most-used bottles in your kitchen.

If you’re looking for high-quality BBQ sauces across Canada, one tip is to browse local farmers’ markets or artisan food shops, where small-batch Canadian-made sauces are easy to find.