Barbecue Sauce: Definition, Uses & Recipes

Meaning 1：barbecue sauce (Barbecue sauce)

Barbecue sauce 🔊

/ˈbɑːr.bɪ.kjuː sɔːs/

A thick, tasty sauce used on grilled meat to add flavour.

barbecue sauce 🔊

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/ˈbɑːr.bɪ.kjuː sɔːs/

A thick, flavorful sauce typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, and spices, used to marinate or baste grilled or smoked meat.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Spanish 'barbacoa' (wooden frame) + Latin 'salsus' (salted).

💡 Mnemonic

Picture a bear (bar) cooking (cue) with sauce. 'Barbecue' = 'bar' (grill) + 'cue' (signal to eat).

📖 Example

I always brush extra barbecue sauce on my chicken wings before they come off the grill. 🔊 I always brush extra barbecue sauce on my chicken wings before they come off the grill.

🔗 Collocations

brush on barbecue sauce – to apply the sauce with a brush

homemade barbecue sauce – sauce made from scratch at home

sweet barbecue sauce – barbecue sauce with a sugary taste

🔄 Synonyms

BBQ sauce (n.) – Abbreviation for barbecue sauce, commonly used in informal contexts.

grilling sauce (n.) – A sauce used for grilling, often synonymous with barbecue sauce.

basting sauce (n.) – A sauce brushed onto meat during cooking to add moisture and flavor.

🌱 Derivatives

barbecue (v.) – to cook using a barbecue grill

barbecued (adj.) – cooked on a barbecue

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'barbecue' originated from Taíno 'barabicu' for a wooden grilling frame. It entered English via Spanish. Modern barbecue sauce is a quintessential American condiment for grilling.