I find that one of the absolute joys of cooking is creating and playing around with different flavours and ingredients to bring a dish together. So to help you achieve success when you’re firing up the barbecue all summer long, here are a couple of our favourite homemade barbecue sauces that we use all the time.
Keep in mind that barbecue sauces are not marinades, they are a finishing sauce only. If applied to the meat at the beginning of (or too early on during) the grilling process, the sugars in these sauces will burn.
Barbecue sauces are meant to be a finishing glaze on the meat: Apply during the very last part of the cooking process and close the lid of your barbecue to help them slightly caramelize onto the meat… also a side portioning cup for dipping doesn’t hurt either.
Bourbon BBQ Sauce
“Any bourbon will work, but Jack is the best!”
1.5 cups ketchup
1/2 cup bourbon whiskey
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced very fine
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp salt
In a medium pot, combine the ketchup, bourbon, brown sugar, garlic, vinegar, Worcestershire, liquid smoke and the 1 tsp salt. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Lower the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside, off the heat, when done.
Grandma G’s BBQ Sauce
My Grandmother’s “secret” recipe
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup HP Steak Sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Dash of cloves
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp vegetable oil (however, if you want to keep this recipe closer to the original used by my Grandma, use 2 tbsp melted butter as they didn’t have vegetable oil on the farm)
Mix together and keep refrigerated.