Spicy Sweet Buffalo Sauce
On August 05, 2024
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My Buffalo Sauce is sweet, rich, and has just the right amount of heat to give wings and all your other favorite meats a new depth of flavor.
Spicy Sweet Buffalo Sauce
Get ready to make everything buffalo-style with my irresistible Spicy Sweet Buffalo Sauce. This isn’t your average hot sauce. It’s a perfect blend of fiery heat, rich creaminess, and a touch of sweetness that’ll have you licking your fingers after every bite of whatever you smother with it.. Whether you’re grilling up some game day wings, or want to bring some extra spicy life to your BBQ favorites, this is the sauce you’ve been looking for.
With a tangy kick of classic hot sauce, velvety butter, and subtle notes of smoky Worcestershire and brown sugar sweetness, this sauce truly is great on just about everything. Use it add a splash of sweet heat to your wings, chicken sandwiches, pulled pork, and even veggies. It’s so delicious you’ll be looking for excuses to use it all the time. So grill up your favorite protein, gather your sauce ingredients, and get ready to make the people of Buffalo proud.
Why is it called buffalo sauce?
Don’t let the name fool you, this sauce has nothing to do with bison (although, it does taste amazing drizzled on my Grilled Bison Burgers). This zesty sauce actually takes its name from Buffalo, New York, where legend has it Teressa Bellissimo whipped this life-changing sauce up in a bar for her son and his friends. She tossed some chicken wings in it, and the rest was history. While there’s some debate over the sauce’s origins, there’s no denying its ridiculously delightful flavor.
Ingredients for Buffalo Sauce
A lot of buffalo sauces are a simple combination of just hot sauce and butter, but we’re not going for basic here. I wanted to create a sauce you can apply to your chicken to transform it into a whole new eating experience. If you want to go for a simple sauce, then check out this recipe. However, if you want to make a sauce so bold in its buffalo-ness it would bring a tear to Mrs. Bellissimo’s eye, here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 cup hot sauce
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
As you can see, this sauce just takes a handful of simple ingredients you likely have on hand already.
The Best Hot Sauce for Buffalo Sauce
The most important element of any great buffalo-style wing sauce is the hot sauce you choose. Hot sauce will not only make or break your final product, it has the ability to make it a completely different experience. If you don’t believe me, then try different hot sauces. That’s what I did with this recipe, and while both were great, they were totally unique in the end. I made two batches of buffalo sauce with the exact same ingredients and steps (I even used the same pot), but used Frank’s RedHot Sauce for one and Crystal Hot Sauce for the other.
The Frank’s version came out a little bit thicker, and tasted deliciously traditional. The Crystal version still had the unmistakable heat you crave with buffalo sauce, but it allowed a hint of sweetness from the brown sugar to shine. Again, both were amazing, so it really just depends on what kind of sauce you want in the end. Keep in mind Crystal Hot Sauce is a little on the pricy side and isn’t as readily available. Of course, if you already have a favorite hot sauce, you can use that and still get a great sauce.
How to Make Spicy Sweet Buffalo Sauce
Now that you’re a full-blown sauce buff, I’ve got a few important details to cover. These will help you make the most rich and delicious buffalo sauce imaginable. Just follow these quick and simple steps, then sauce, slather, and drizzle away:
- Combine. Set your grill or stovetop up for low-medium heat, then add all the ingredients for your sauce. You’re only looking to warm everything enough to incorporate fully, so you want to avoid high heat.
- Whisk and warm. Using a whisk, gently stir your sauce until the butter is just barely melted, then remove from the heat. You don’t want to let your sauce come to a boil, because your butter will separate. And trust me, you want to achieve that rich texture and smooth consistency.
- Use or store. Drizzle your sauce over chicken, pork, sandwiches, or anything else you want to give a kick of tangy heat. You can also store in a mason jar with lid or other airtight container in your fridge. Make sure you use your sauce within a week, and remember not to boil when reheating it.
Ways to Use This Recipe
You probably already know about the incredible impact buffalo sauce has on the flavor of chicken wings, tenders, thighs, and more. However, you may not be aware buffalo sauce is a great way to and a buttery smooth coating of tangy heat to all kinds of smoked and grilled meats and dishes. My Hey Grill Hey app is overflowing with all kinds of recipes to smother with this powerful sauce, but for now, here are a few of my personal favorites:
Storage and Reheating
If you’ve got leftover buffalo sauce, it will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Simply store any leftovers in an airtight container or mason jar with a tight-fitting lid. Personally, I like glass jars because it won’t steal the flavor of your sauce or get stained in the process.
When it’s time to use your sauce again, remember that gentle heat is key. Warm it slowly over low heat, stirring occasionally to maintain that buttery smooth texture. Once again, you want to avoid boiling so your butter doesn’t break down. If you’re in a hurry, room temperature sauce works too. Just give it a good stir before using, as the ingredients might separate slightly in the fridge.
Homemade Buffalo Sauce Recipe
When you’re done saucing like a boss, give this recipe a 5-star rating if you had a good time making and eating it. Make sure to tell me about which hot sauce you used in the comments and how it turned out. If you want to get an in-depth look at how to make all kinds of sauces, then pop over to The Grill Squad. I’ve got a full class with step-by-step instructions and how-to videos on making your own sauces and rubs at home, plus all your favorite meats. For videos on my most popular recipes, check out my YouTube channel.
Show me what you’re saucing! Tag @heygrillhey on Instagram and Facebook with all your buffalo smothered, slathered, drizzled, dipped, and dunked BBQ goodies.
Chicken Rub
$12.99
Everything BBQ Sauce
$8.99
Spicy Sweet Buffalo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup hot sauce Frank's RedHot or Crystal
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Combine. Place all the ingredients for your buffalo sauce in a pot over low-medium heat on your grill or stovetop.1 cup hot sauce, ¼ cup salted butter, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Whisk and warm. Whisk your sauce until the butter is melted, then remove from heat before it comes to a boil.
- Use or store. You can use your sauce immediately, or store in a mason jar with lid or other airtight container in your fridge and use for up to a week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe!
To make it my own, I added to your list of ingredients paprika and honey.
Maybe I stumbled on a easy at home Nashville hot sauce??
Either way its going to be great on smoked chicken thigh sandwiches dressed with creamy coleslaw, slice of cheese and pickles!