Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce Recipe
I've never cared that much for store bought barbecue sauce. I just like to make things myself from scratch including this spicy, deep red-brown sauce. You'll find it clings well when you slather it on grilled meat.
I've never cared that much for store bought barbecue sauce. I just like to make things myself from scratch including this spicy, deep red-brown sauce. You'll find it clings well when you slather it on grilled meat.
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 1 to 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/3 cup molasses
- Carbohydrate 12.5375646165359 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.3509742065019 g
- Fiber 0.173123637392566 g
- Protein 0.486964333394517 g
- Saturated Fat 0.104475277911907 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (37g)
- Sodium 284.717969209067 mg
- Sugar 12.3644409791433 g
- Trans Fat 0.039263913438828 g
- Calories 60 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in the chili powder, cayenne and pepper; cook 1 minute longer.
- Stir in the ketchup, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and pepper sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until sauce reaches desired consistency. Cool for 15 minutes.
- Strain sauce through a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl, discarding vegetables and seasonings. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Use as a basting sauce for grilled meats.
Swapping cider vinegar for white distilled vinegar introduces a sharper, less complex acidity that requires an extra pinch of molasses to balance the sugar profile. Commercial sauces rely on chemical thickeners like modified food starch to achieve viscosity, but a scratch-made reduction depends entirely on the natural pectin in onions and the controlled evaporation of water over low heat. Cooking the aromatics gently prevents scorching the sugars present in the molasses and ketchup.
Achieving the Proper Consistency
Achieving a smooth, glossy texture requires specific mechanical intervention rather than just patience at the stove. Simmering the mixture uncovered for thirty to forty minutes concentrates the tomato solids while releasing moisture, but leaving the chopped onions and minced garlic intact creates a pulpy, uneven mouthfeel that burns easily on hot grill grates. Passing the finished liquid through a fine-mesh strainer eliminates these fibrous solids entirely. Because the natural starches and sugars thicken further as the condiment cools, remove the saucepan from the heat source when the liquid still coats the back of a spoon slightly loosely.
- If the sauce scorches at the bottom of the pan, reduce the heat source immediately and do not scrape the burnt sediment into the mixture.
- Store the strained liquid in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to thirty days.
- Whisk the batch thoroughly before application if minor separation occurs during cold storage.
