BBQ SAUCE, MY VERSION

BECOS BTT and I are typical millennials who have issues with food, I sometimes have to create my own recipes for things that make us feel unwell or unhealthy.  After a couple years of my husband complaining of heartburn every time he ate his beloved Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce, I finally figured out that there was something I could do about it: make my own. I did a bunch of googling and tried different recipes, even recipes for supposedly copy cat Sweet Baby Rays. None were exactly what I (/we) was looking for, so I decided to take the base ingredients and work from that to create my own recipe. I’ve had more time to cook, or, more specifically, more time to document my cooking, in the past 8 months, and I’ve loved the freedom to experiment, then perfect. Getting BTT to be honest and objective about each one was the hard part, and my recipe is still evolving, but we both like the current version and it doesn’t make either of us sick. Best of all for me (becos I admire versatility above most things) it can be edited to taste: a dash more vinegar for a sour sauce, a couple tablespoons more sugar for a sweet one, double the molasses for a richer sauce, dump the pepper flakes instead of measuring for some spiciness. You know what I mean. So. I thought this would be a perfect accompaniment for the blackened chicken recipe I posted the other day (bbq chicken and pineapple quesadillas come to mind😍). And without further ado I present:

BBQ SAUCE, MY VERSION 

                     INGREDIENTS

3/4 CUP | 150G BROWN SUGAR

2 CUPS | 650G KETCHUP 

1/2 CUP | 140G WATER (use less water to make a thicker sauce)

1/2 CUP | 117G APPLE CIDER VINEGAR 

1/4 CUP | 90G MOLASSES 

3 TBSP | 85G COFFEE

1 TBSP | 9G   MINCED GARLIC 

1 TBSP | 20G  WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE 

1 TSP | 7G   SALT

1 TSP | 2G   PEPPER

1 TSP | 3G   PAPRIKA 

1 TSP | 2G   MUSTARD POWDER

1/2 TSP | 1G  RED PEPPER FLAKES

*updated 21|03|22 to include weight measurements! I was getting frustrated using so many different measuring instruments to make this. Now I can just plop my pot on my gram scale, zero it out, and then add all the ingredients directly to the pot, measuring by weight rather than amount. Maybe someone else can benefit by this too. The G by each numeral stands for GRAMS.*

DIRECTIONS 

1. IN A POT, WHISK EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
2. BRING TO A BOIL, STIRRING WELL
3. TASTE. 
4. ADJUST FLAVOUR IF NECESSARY.
5. SIMMER ON LOW HEAT FOR 20 MIN TO THICKEN. STIR PERIODICALLY SO IT DOESN’T STICK ON. (If you don’t mind very thin bbq sauce, this step can be skipped. Half the time I’m too lazy or too hurried to bother with it.)
6. COOL.
7. USE LIKE YOU WOULD ANY OTHER BBQ SAUCE. (My new favourite use is for garnish on things like ham and pineapple pizza. My little neighbour girls helped me use it to garnish pork tacos while playing restaurant, and that’s something I’d def use it for again.)
8. STORE. (I’ve real success storing it. In the fridge, it has been edible for up to 2 months, possibly more. Becos of this I can make large batches, pour it into glass bottles, and have it on hand at all times.)