I Made My Own BBQ Sauce!

And I love it!

It's homestyle for sure. Chunky, yummy and sweet but I'm shocked how easy it was and now I'm excited to try other combinations and even fresher ingredients.

I have been on a hunt for a good BBQ sauce for ages but everything in the grocery store is crap. Is it just me or is it impossible to find a brand that doesn't list high fructose corn syrup as of the top 3 ingredients?

I mean, I'm not 100% anti-corn syrup. I don't think a small amount here or there will kill me but the main ingredient? Really? When I use BBQ sauce I want to smother, dip, slather and drench my meats in something that not only tastes good but is made with ingredients that at least have some redeemable qualities.

So I took matters into my own hands and threw a bunch of stuff in a pot, crossed my fingers, and BAM!

Yup, I saved an old BBQ sauce jar so I could use it to store my own. Smart, right? Actually I have a whole cupboard of saved glass jars I just can't seem part with. One day they shall all find a use!

Anyway, I don't think my first stab at homemade BBQ sauce is going to win any awards but it's yummy and easy. I hope it inspires you to have a little fun in the kitchen and leave those bottles of high fructose corn syrup at the store. Next time I may cut back a little on the molasses and syrup just to see if I can get away with reducing the sugar content even more because this first attempt was pretty sweet.

That being said, the family loved it on chicken the other night.

I even used a little extra on the side for dipping!

What can I say? I'm a dipper.

More about dinner later.

Here's what I did to make the sauce…

Ingredients

• 16 oz jar of tomato puree
• ¼ cup molasses
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Put everything in a pot over medium-high heat.

Side note: Smoked paprika has changed my life! I finally found some at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago as it seems my local grocery stores never carry it.

Whisk and bring to a slow boil.

Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

I let it cool in the pot and then transferred to my jar.

The next day I decided to use it on a cut-up chicken.

And went with the indirect grilling method.

I put the chicken on one side of the grill over no flame and then turned the other side on high. This is how I grill when I don't want to babysit it.

After 1 hour…

I served with baked potatoes and grilled asparagus -- both a family favorite!

Tonight I'm going to use it on a pork loin! I'll let you know how it goes. 🙂

📖 Recipe