Homemade BBQ Sauce
I started making my own barbecue sauce last summer and I haven’t bought a bottle since. I love this stuff and so does my family. I have to go replenish their supply from time to time and this morning was one of those occasions.
I showed up at their door, looking fashionable in my Target dollar bin headband. Butterfly headbands are going to be all the rage this Spring.
One evening I received an unexpected call from my Dad. He sounded panicked, I could tell something was very wrong. “What’s the matter, you sound upset”, I said, beginning to worry.
“Elise, it’s an emergency”, he replied. There was a long pause. “We’re almost out of barbecue sauce! We need you to come over and make us more before we run out!” I don’t think I found his charade quite as funny as the rest of the family did, but still I complied and made them their sauce.
I tried to carefully measure everything as I made today’s batch so that I could relay the recipe here, but to be honest, I really just take a bunch of stuff out of the cupboard and throw it in a pot. My recipe is never quite the same. I start with a few basic ingredients, always varying the amounts based on my mood. I add more stuff as I go along and let it simmer down until it tastes right. There really is no exact science to barbecue sauce.
This recipe makes about 4 cups of sauce and will last for a few months in the fridge.
Ingredients:
- 32oz bottle Ketchup
- 2 cups Coca-Cola
- 1 cup Beer
- 1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Rice Vinegar(not pictured)
- 1 tbs Mustard(I prefer using dijon)
- 1/2 cup Maple Syrup
- 2 cups Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1 tsp Chipotle Powder
- 2 cloves Smashed Garlic
Directions:
Throw all of the ingredient in a pot over medium heat. Whisk until smooth. I smash the garlic cloves with a knife and add them to the pot whole, then fish them out when the sauce is done. When the sauce starts to bubble, turn the burner down and let the sauce simmer for 2 or 3 hours. The time is not exact. When it looks and tastes like barbecue sauce, it’s done!
I think that the cola is really what kicks this sauce into overdrive. It’s definitely my secret weapon. Leaving it out would be a crime…just sayin’.
Tags: barbecue, barbecue sauce, beer, brown sugar, coke, Food, garlic, grilling, honey, ketchup, maple syrup, mustard, soda, soy sauce, spring
I can’t wait to try this BBQ sauce!
I’d love to try making my own BBQ sauce. Thanks for the recipe.
I wouldn’t have thought of adding coca-cola to BBQ sauce – it is the magic ingredient. This will be appearing at my next BBQ – and I am going to have to get a butterfly headband too
Impressive! You need to bottle this. =)
What a unique combination of flavors! Definitely going to try this one!
This looks so good! I’m going to have to try it.
I also love to make my own bbq sauce,I’ve never used coke in mine though,great post.
We’ve made our own BBQ sauce for several years now and There’s no question it’s better than anything at the market. Yours looks delicious as well. I’ve never tried it with Coke, but I’ll bet it’s yummy!
Homemade is so much better, and I’ve been looking for a new recipe because I need to make a batch to go on pineapple pizza. I wonder if it would freeze OK.
This is something I have never made, but my kids would love it