Homemade BBQ Sauce

I love sauces but sometimes when we buy them in the store they are loaded with things that we can’t control and that we don’t really need. Homemade BBQ sauce is one of my husband’s specialties. The BBQ sauce that he makes is delicious and adaptable and not difficult at all. It is great on beef, on pork, on chicken and as a dipping sauce. There’s no added sugar and no added salt or preservatives. This recipe makes a cup and a half so it’s just the right amount, too.

This recipe starts out by making onion juice. I know how odd that sounds because I thought the same thing. The essence of the onion, without the onion itself adds a depth of flavor to the base of the sauce, and its the first step to making an amazing BBQ sauce.

Chop a medium onion into chunks. In the bowl of a food processor equipped with a chopping blade, combine onion chunks and water. Process until almost smooth. It starts kind of looking slushy. It will never be all the way smooth, so slushy is good. Strain the onion mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids.

Into the bowl add ketchup, molasses, cider vinegar, Worchestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, liquid smoke, Cholula and black pepper. Stir until well blended and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and cool until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add chili powder and cayenne pepper and stir until it forms a paste.

Add liquid from bowl to saucepan. Stir until well combined. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened slightly.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before using. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Enjoy!

Homemade BBQ Sauce

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Course: Sauces

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 medium onion peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp Worchestershire
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
• 2 tsp Cholula or other hot sauce
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

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Method

 

1. In the bowl of a food processor equipped with a chopping blade, combine onion chunks and water. Process until almost smooth.
2. Strain onion mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids.
3. Into the bowl add ketchup, molasses, cider vinegar, Worchestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, liquid smoke, Cholula and black pepper. Stir until well blended and set aside.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and cool until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Add chili powder and cayenne pepper and stir until it forms a paste.
6. Add liquid from bowl to saucepan. Stir until well combined. Bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened slightly.
8. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before using. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Enjoy!

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