Bourbon Barbecue Sauce - two recipes
My quest for a favorite barbecue sauce ended when I tried it with bourbon. I ended up with two recipes and both have their subtleties but are very easy to make and amazing. The servings below include both versions.
Servings 3 cups
Ingredients
For the redder sauce (left in the image):
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ⅓ cup bourbon
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce such as Tabasco, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
For the brown sauce (right in the image):
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup bourbon
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon hot paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground is better
Instructions
- For both recipes, put all ingredients in a medium saucepan with high edges as the sauce bubbles as it simmers and climbs up.
- Mix with a wooden spoon and cook at low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens a bit. Make sure the bottom doesn't scorch.
- Remove from the pan, let cool completely, and taste. Adjust if necessary; you might want to return the mixture to the heat briefly, for a few minutes, if adding something more, to allow everything to meld again.
- Optional: strain or process the sauce to achieve a smoother consistency.
- Transfer the sauce to a glass jar with an airtight lid, and refrigerate. They can be stored for weeks in the refrigerator, sometimes months, depending how well canned they are.
Notes
Adjust: always taste and adjust ingredients to your preference.
For longer storage, the best way to keep it is through the canning process. It's not complicated, but there are some steps you must follow. Here is a link with general information on canning.
