PANTRYFLEX

stove · bbq sauce

NATIONAL AWARD WINNERPrep 10 minCook 15 min

Alabama/mississippi Sauce Beautiful

Independent adaptation of a publicly published Michael Twitty recipe. Not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Michael Twitty.

BBQ SAUCE · GRILLED MEATS

In the published recipe, this is the bbq sauce for Phaidon *Recipes from the American South* ©2025.

Twitty's Alabama/Mississippi 'Sauce Beautiful'.

On the jar

ALABAMAMISSI

Method
stove
Yield
about 4½ cups
Ingredients
21

Stove sauce. Cook from the recipe

Ratio

Ratio by volume: Butter 60 ml, Onion 240 ml, Tomato Paste 480 ml, Orange Juice 240 ml, Lemon Juice 60 ml, Cider Vinegar 30 ml, Brown Sugar 30 ml, Peach Preserve 30 ml, Worcester 15 ml, Paprika 15 ml, Soy Sauce 15 ml, Hot Sauce 5 ml, Red Pepper Fla 5 ml, Garlic Powder 3 ml, Mace 3 ml, Onion Powder 3 ml, Thyme 3 ml, Water 240 ml
Butter 60 mlOnion 240 mlTomato Paste 480 mlOrange Juice 240 mlLemon Juice 60 mlCider Vinegar 30 ml

Ingredients

  • Butter4 Tbsp unsalted butter (60 ml)
  • Onion1 cup chopped onions (240 ml)
  • Garlic2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • Tomato Paste2 cups tomato paste (or ketchup) (480 ml)
  • Orange Juice1 cup orange juice (240 ml)
  • Lemon Juice¼ cup fresh lemon juice (60 ml)
  • Cider Vinegar2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (30 ml)
  • Brown Sugar2 Tbsp dark brown sugar (30 ml)
  • Peach Preserve2 Tbsp peach preserves (30 ml)
  • Worcester1 Tbsp Worcestershire (15 ml)
  • Paprika1 Tbsp sweet or smoked paprika (15 ml)
  • Soy Sauce1 Tbsp soy sauce (15 ml)
  • Hot Sauce1 tsp hot sauce (5 ml)
  • Red Pepper Fla1 tsp chile flakes (5 ml)
  • Garlic Powder½ tsp garlic powder (2.5 ml)
  • Mace½ tsp ground mace (2.5 ml)
  • Onion Powder½ tsp onion powder (2.5 ml)
  • Thyme½ tsp dried thyme (2.5 ml)
  • Bay Leafabout 5 leaves (1 g)
  • Pepperabout ½ tsp (1 g)
  • Water1 cup water (240 ml)

Where it sits

One of 40 bbq sauces in the catalog, with 21 ingredients against a median of 8.

The acid here is orange juice, lemon juice, and cider vinegar. In this category chefs also reach for rice vinegar (5 recipes), lime juice (4), and white wine vinegar (2).

The fat here is butter. In this category chefs also reach for vegetable oil (5 recipes) and sesame oil (2).

Method

  1. This sauce is cooked on the stove. The jar is for storing it, not making it.
  2. Cook ingredients gently according to the published technique, adapted here as pantry quantities only.
  3. Finish off heat; adjust seasoning.

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Companion jar

Alabama/mississippi Sauce Beautiful wants a whisk and a stove. Make it from this page.

The jar carries pour-and-shake sauces. These are its closest cousins from kitchens like this one:

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Provenance

Michael Twitty. African American / Jewish Southern. Cited awards include: James Beard Book of the Year 2018 (The Cooking Gene); James Beard Book Award: Writing 2021 (Koshersoul).

Originally published as Alabama/Mississippi Sauce Beautiful.

Adapted from a Michael Twitty recipe (Michael Twitty / Southern Living (Phaidon *Recipes from the American South* ©2025)).

More from this kitchen

FAQ

Can this go in a shake jar?

No. This one needs a blender or stove, so make it from this page. Jars only carry pour-and-shake sauces. Its companion jar is below.

What do the quantities mean?

This page lists the published recipe in household units (with metric in parentheses). On a jar, the printed lines, counts, and QR guide carry the jar-batch amounts. Follow the jar or this page, not a mix of both. Amounts in the jar’s ADD row are rounded to the nearest common spoon measure (T = tablespoon, t = teaspoon) so they can be read off the glass.

Where did this recipe come from?

Adapted from Michael Twitty / Southern Living (Phaidon *Recipes from the American South* ©2025) (published as “Alabama/Mississippi Sauce Beautiful”). Full citation lives in Provenance.

Companion jar