There are basically three types of BBQ sauces.
There is a tomato based, vinegar base and mustard based.
Once you know that basics of each then you can add or subtract ingredients from the recipe to meet your personal tastes.
Tomato based BBQ sauces should contain the following ingredients.
One can of tomato sauce Two tablespoons of cider vinegar Two tablespoons dark brown sugar or molasses One tablespoon of garlic powder One tablespoon of onion powder One tablespoon of mustard One teaspoon of salt One teaspoon of pepper Mix all of the ingredients together in a sauce pan and simmer for twenty minutes.
Vinegar based BBQ sauces should contain the following ingredients: One cup of cider vinegar One cup of water Two tablespoons dark brown sugar One teaspoon of red pepper flakes 2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper Mix all of the ingredients together in a sauce pan and simmer for at least 10 minutes.
Mustard based BBQ sauces contain the following: One half cup mustard (You can use yellow or spicy brown mustard) One half cup of brown sugar One quarter cup of vinegar One teaspoon of salt One teaspoon of pepper Mix all of the ingredients together in a sauce pan and simmer for thirty minutes.
After you have mastered these basic sauces then you can add ingredients to match your taste.
You might want to use cayenne pepper to spice the sauce up or add a dash of liquid smoke.
Other ingredients you might try are honey, cumin, maple syrup, different types of vinegar, and citrus.
Barbeque sauces are a matter of personnel taste but all are built on the above three bases.