BBQ Sauce Perfection

Such a simple title for something so complex. There are more types of BBQ sauce than I can count. But for you guys, I’ll try…

Kansas BBQ- tomato based, sweet and tangy
Texas BBQ- tomato based, sweet and spicy
Memphis BBQ- tomato based, sweet (molasses not honey)
Alabama BBQ- mayonnaise based, tangy
North Carolina BBQ- tomato based, spicy and tangy
South Carolina BBQ- mustard based, spicy

Sauces can be customized even further, some people like a really spicy sauce *raises hand* other people like a really sweet sauce *eyeballs husband with judgement*. Other people like a very tangy sauce.

Of course all of the above listed sauces have MANY variations which change their flavor profile but that is just a rough estimate of what the flavor is. Did you know that other cultures have BBQ too? Korean and Japanese BBQ are very tasty. They are also very different from what people in the United States considers BBQ sauce.

Korean BBQ- Tamari based, sweet sauce
Japanese BBQ- Mirin based, savory sauce

However this is not a post about those sauces. This is a post about my homemade BBQ sauce. I am hoping to give some as gifts so I need to get a few jars made up. With trial and error on my recipe I have made what I call, ‘the perfect sauce’ because it has just enough sweet/spicy/sour/savory/smokey to make everyone happy. If you are truly sensitive to heat and spice this may not be the right sauce for you. Although the other flavors help to mellow the sauce…it IS still spicy.

Why not just buy at the store?

My family has very different tastes when it comes to BBQ sauce. As I mentioned earlier, I like spicy but Kevon likes sweet. By making my own I am able to get a sauce that everyone likes without having to buy several bottles to please everyone. For the record, that is exactly what we used to do.

I used to buy several bottles at a time. I have done it where ONLY one sauce per meat aka I have my pieces and hubs has his. However trying to keep track of which was which sometimes was a pain because they all look the same in the end. I have also bought and mixed different flavors to achieve what I was going for but it was never quite right.

Another good thing that comes from making your own sauce, I can gift my sauce to others. I am sure someone would be appreciative to receive a bottle of sauce from the store but where is the sentiment. Knowing that the jar I am giving was made with love and not machines. Perfection. I can’t be the only one who loves a homemade/handmade gift. Plus everything looks pretty in a glass jar and you can wrap or decorate it to suit the season.

Getting Cooking

My sauce it tomato based. When I think of BBQ it has to be tomato based. I have nothing against those other sauces, but I think of them as just a sauce, not a BBQ sauce. They have a time and a place in cooking. Today is neither the time OR the place.

First thing I do is get the ketchup into the sauce pan to begin warming. As of writing this post, I buy my ketchup at the store. I base the choice on the best bang for the buck. Usually whichever bottle is the biggest. I have a goal to learn to make all my own condiments by summer so hopefully I wont be using store bought ketchup for long. We also aren’t trying to cook the sauce per se, only warm it to bring out the potential in all the seasonings and to allow it to meld together. Just bring it to a boil once, then reduce it and keep it at a low simmer the whole time remaining.

After the ketchup is set up and warming begin to add the remaining ingredients. Next will be the vinegar. I use apple cider vinegar because I find that it has the best taste for this particular recipe. I have however made this with other vinegar like white, and once with a garlic vinegar that I had around for salad dressing. This is a big ingredient in this recipe and it would be a missed opportunity to not add the best flavor possible. So experiment like I did and make this your own. This of course also brings me back to making my own ketchup to get better flavor. *someday*.

Measure, Measure, Measure

After the vinegar, add the brown sugar. Dark brown sugar offers more to the flavor of the sauce than light brown sugar, but feel free to substitute if needed. I am fairly certain that in this particular batch it was a mix of both because I didn’t check the supply before starting.

I have already learned from renovations to “measure twice, cut once” but when it comes to cooking there is still room to learn “measure twice, cook once” too. It never seems to fail, I am ALWAYS missing SOMETHING. Frustrating, but I do it to myself.

Whatever dry rub you put on your meat is what I would recommend for this dish. I LOVE the way the rub and the sauce compliment each other when cooked properly on the meat. I make my own dry rub that I will be sharing with you as soon as my spice cabinet is back in full working order. Until then, just use a personal favorite.

After that add in the mustard, the honey, and the Worcestershire. At this point you have already made an amazing BBQ. However…lets kick it up a notch shall we. Add some liquid smoke for flavor I happen to be partial to hickory at this current moment but I have used others with equally delicious results.

Then add adobo sauce. (I use the Embasa Chipolte in Adobo, 1 7oz can gives about 8 Tablespoons of adobo, and then you can use the chipoltes in something else!!).

Now you have created a sweet, sour, savory, smokey, spicy, rich full depth flavor barbecue sauce. You can slather it over some food or jar it up for another purpose. In the fridge it will stay good up to a month as long as you didn’t change the vinegar proportions in the recipe. Or you can keep it long term by canning it.

To can it, start by sanitizing your jars. It will process for 20 minutes but to me this isn’t a step worth skipping regardless of processing time. I take my family safety seriously.

Fill the jars with sauce leaving 1/4 inch of head space. After apply the lid being careful to keep the sauce side sanitary. Wipe the edge of the jar to ensure a clean edge for a proper seal. Apply the right tightening just enough to secure but not wrenching it tight. There will be some air movement during processing, if the air cannot escape the jar you will not get the appropriate seal/preservation.

After 20 minutes in the water bath remove to cool and wait for the telltale pop of the lid. Once cool, store or gift or whatever your plans for this sauce is because it is ready! In my case, slap a label on it and gift it.

BBQ Sauce

In a pan over low heat combine:
4 cups Ketchup
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar
4 Tablespoons BBQ Dry Rub (use the same blend you will use on the meat!)
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
4 Tablespoons Honey
4 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke
8 Tablespoons Adobo Sauce

At first sign of boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Preservation

Fill jars with sauce leaving 1/4″ head space. Process 8-16 ounce jars for 20 minutes.