Steve’s Italian BBQ Sauce & Marinade

I entered a BBQ competition this weekend. The Glendale Smoke-Off, amateur division, pork shoulder category. I've been talking about doing this for two years and Jessica finally said "Marcus, either enter the competition or stop talking about it, because I cannot hear the words 'smoke ring' one more time without medical intervention." So I entered.

The competition was in a parking lot behind a brewery in Glendale. Twenty-three teams in the amateur division, most of them guys like me — dads and firefighters and construction workers with big smokers and bigger opinions. You bring your own rig, your own wood, your own rub. They provide the meat — a whole pork shoulder per team, uniform cut, level playing field. You have twelve hours to turn it into something a judge wants to eat.

I started my cook at midnight Friday. Jessica dropped me off with my smoker, my supplies, and a lawn chair, and said "don't come home without a trophy." Then she drove away. I sat in the parking lot in the dark, feeding mesquite into my offset, drinking coffee from a thermos, and thinking about my dad. This is what he did every Sunday — not competitively, not for trophies, but for family. The grill was his pulpit. I'm just taking the sermon to a bigger audience.

Twelve hours later, I turned in my box: sliced pork shoulder with a mahogany bark, smoke ring you could see from space, and a sauce on the side that I make with ancho chiles, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and a little Mexican chocolate. The judges scored on appearance, tenderness, and taste. I don't know what the other twenty-two teams made. I know what I made was the best thing I could make.

I didn't win. I came in fifth. But fifth out of twenty-three in my first competition? I'll take it. The guys who placed above me have been doing this for years. I've been doing this for one night. The winner — a retired plumber named Gary from Peoria — shook my hand and said "that sauce is something special, kid." I'm thirty years old and a fire captain and this man called me kid and I thanked him sincerely because in BBQ, everyone is humble or they're a liar.

My dad asked me how I did. I said fifth. He said "out of how many?" I said twenty-three. He nodded and said "next time, top three." That's Roberto Rivera encouragement. You take what you get and you're grateful.

Gary from Peoria told me the sauce was something special, and honestly, that meant more to me than the placement. The pork can be coached — you can dial in your temps, your wood, your wrap timing — but the sauce is where your personality lives. Mine draws from bold, layered flavors that my dad would recognize and a judge would remember. Steve’s Italian BBQ Sauce & Marinade is the foundation I keep coming back to: it’s punchy, it’s complex, and it holds up against twelve hours of smoke the way a good handshake holds up in a parking lot at dawn.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 12 (about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Saute the garlic. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1–2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
Build the sauce base. Stir in ketchup, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Mix until the sugar begins to dissolve.
Add herbs and spices. Add oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt. Stir to fully combine.
Simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15–18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld.
Finish and cool. Remove from heat and stir in Dijon mustard and lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt or sweetness as needed. Let cool before using as a marinade or serving as a finishing sauce on the side.
Use or store. Use immediately as a marinade for pork, chicken, or beef, or serve alongside smoked meats. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition (per serving)

Steve’s Italian BBQ Sauce & Marinade — The Sauce That Made a Retired Plumber Stop and Shake My Hand