bbq sauce

A friend of mine asked me to share my recipe for BBQ sauce, so I thought I’d share it here as well. The ingredients for the base sauce are delicious on their own, but the addition of the ingredients for the hot or sweet options really make it shine. If you try it, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups ketchup 
  • 2 cups tomato sauce 
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar 
  • 1 1/4 cups red wine vinegar 
  • 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses 
  • 2 tablespoons butter 
  • 4 teaspoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke 
  • 1 teaspoon paprika 
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed 
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Hot

  • 2 tablespoons cayenne chili powder

Sweet

  • 8 tablespoons blackberry jam
  • 2 tablespoons honey

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
  2. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes, or until sauce reaches desired thickness. If the sauce gets too thick, it can be thinned with a few tablespoons of water.