Jbham's Bar-B-Q Sauce
This is a Kansas City-style sauce that I make at home. It is sweet and smoky with a little bite. For more of a bite, you can use a hot paprika or up to 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
This is a Kansas City-style sauce that I make at home. It is sweet and smoky with a little bite. For more of a bite, you can use a hot paprika or up to 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
- 5 teaspoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon new mexico chili powder
- 1 tblspoon sweet smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tbspoons fresh limon juice
- 2 tablespoons prepaired yellow mustard
- 1/3 cup burbon
- 6 shakes tabasco hotsauce
- Carbohydrate 22.146125475 g
- Cholesterol 1.27096354166667 mg
- Fat 0.747965575416667 g
- Fiber 1.25026324408263 g
- Protein 1.24575352041667 g
- Saturated Fat 0.33911661325 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (103g)
- Sodium 503.3114485 mg
- Sugar 20.8958622309174 g
- Trans Fat 0.0971914476666665 g
- Calories 94 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, wine vinegar, molasses, liquid smoke and butter. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, celery seed, cinnamon, salt and pepper. and all other ingredients.
- Reduce heat to low, and simmer for up to 20 minutes. For thicker sauce, simmer longer, and for thinner, less time is needed. Sauce can also be thinned using a bit of water if necessary. Brush sauce onto any kind of meat during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Deep mahogany in color and thick enough to cling firmly to the back of a spoon, this Kansas City-style condiment delivers a concentrated balance of tomato acidity, molasses sweetness, and sharp woodsmoke. Pairing a heavy, sugar-rich sauce like this requires choosing proteins that can withstand intense caramelization without burning prematurely, as high sugar content will char rapidly at surface temperatures exceeding 265 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Apply the sauce only during the final 10 minutes of cooking to prevent the substantial amount of brown sugar and molasses from scorching over direct heat.
- Control thickness dynamically by simmering the mixture past the standard 20-minute mark to evaporate excess water, or whisk in tap water by the tablespoon if it becomes too viscous.
- Substitute red wine vinegar with apple cider vinegar at a strict one-to-one ratio when a sharper, fruitier acidity is desired to cut through rich meats like pork shoulder.
- Store the finished condiment in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to three weeks, or freeze portions in plastic bags for up to three months.
Smoked brisket, pork ribs, and grilled chicken thighs provide the ideal fatty foundation to balance the intense concentration of vinegar and spices. Applying the sauce too early converts the sugars into bitter carbon compounds rather than a glossy glaze.
