Honey-Whiskey Barbecue Sauce
Guess what I made?
Yup… more barbecue sauce. Oh and ribs. Now the ribs could have used a little more char in my opinion but the sauce… oh that sauce… I could slather a shoe in it and be quite alright with it.
Remember when I made this homemade ketchup? Well I was thinking that I just had to put it to good use, ya know “twist my arm”. And I’m not talking about putting it on a hot dog or burger. Uh-huh-huh NO, I’m talking barbecue sauce. Whiskey barbecue sauce. So while you could totally use reg-o ketchup… why would you? I mean if you’re going to make a kick-butt sauce why not go all the way? Making your own ketchup is sooooooooo easy and once you cross into the realm of making your own… you won’t go back. Evah.
To make this barbecue sauce start by halving an onion and slicing it into strips.
And simply drop those into a sauce pan.
Smash and peel four cloves of garlic.
And have them join the onions in the pot.
Add in the 3/4 cup of Honey Whiskey which you should be able to find at your local super market… but if you can’t, buy the whisky bourbon variety. It’s all good in the hood… bourbon whiskey can totally be substituted in this recipe.
Set the pot over medium-high…
…And bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes or so.
Meanwhile add the two cups of homemade ketchup…
…add the cider vinegar.
Da brown sug-AH.
Pour in the Worcestershire sauce.
And a teaspoon of Frank’s Red Hot or any hot sauce you fancy.
Lastly add in a 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper.
Stir it all up so everything is gelling.
By now the whiskey should have reduce a smidgen and the onions and garlic are soft.
Add in the ketchup/brown sugar mixture and give it a good stir.
Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes, stirring often.
Pour the sauce through a strainer that has been set inside a large bowl.
Make sure you scrape the bottom of the strainer before you discard the onions and garlic.
Boom. Sauce.
Slather it on your wings, ribs or really anything that calls for barbecue sauce. Amen.
Honey-Whiskey Barbecue Sauce
Barbecue sauce just got a wakeup call... and it called for whiskey.
Yield: about 3 cups
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 a Sweet Onion, sliced vertically into strips
4 Garlic Cloves, smashed and peeled
3/4 cup Honey Whiskey or Bourbon
2 cups Homemade Ketchup {see my recipe box}
1/3 cup Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
Directions:
In a sauce pan; add the slice onions, smashed garlic and the whiskey. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until the onions and garlic have softened, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile combine the homemade ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, brown sugar, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Stir well until all is combined.
Once the onions and garlic are softened, add the ketchup mixture. Stir and simmer for 20 minutes.
Pour the barbecue sauce into a mesh strainer that is set inside a large bowl. Remove and discard the garlic and onion pieces.
Use right away in any recipe calling for barbecue sauce or cool and store in an airtight jar for up to two weeks.
Over the past few years I’ve been on a mission to find and create recipes that I can make from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes on this blog as they are tried and true from my kitchen to yours! (
Sweet sauce!
Oh goodness me, this both looks and sounds amazing!
Ooooo! That looks soooo good!
simplyscratch replied: — August 10th, 2012 @ 4:35 am
Thanks
Char or no char, that looks just amazing, Laurie! Even at 9 am with my tea!
This looks like barbecue sauce perfection!
I can never get enough BBQ sauce. Love the zing of bourbon in this creation. Looks super delish.
i would probably try to bury my face in that pot of sauce. FEED ME!
Mmmm…We just had ribs two nights ago but I think this calls for a repeat! Looks delicious!
you have just solved my conundrum for my Sunday dinner!!! Can’t wait to try it!!!
OMG, this sauce looks amazing! I’m just starting to venture into cooking with whiskey, and I can’t wait to try this! I seemed to have discovered your blog at the perfect time
Just gotta make it! Hubs will looooooove it
Best. BBQ. Sauce. Ever.
Enough said
LOVE the addition of whiskey in this, Laurie!! wow, what a great sauce to slather over some ribs!
This looks so good! I have yet to make my own BBQ sauce (GASP, I Know!)
Whenever I’m choosing a BBQ sauce, it’s gotta have HONEY! Bu tI’ve never seen or heard of throwing whiskey into the mix. Between this and your homemade ketchup… you’re the condiment queen!
Honey Whiskey – oh my heavens!!! Just give me a bowl and a spoon and I am good!
My husband is such a huge BBQ sauce fan. He’s been working on his own sauce for a while now, I’m definitely sharing this with him, he’s a pretty big whiskey fan!
Homemade bbq sauce is soooo much better than the bottles stuff! This looks delcious…wish I had some for dinner tonight!
I can wait to try this recipe next week for my blog:prettybluerose.com. Your blog is fab, keep up the good work. The pictures are great!
Best,
AG
Oh my!!! This goes beyond delicious, I’m drooling!! Have a nice week!!
Oh it’s the sauce I wanted you got me out of jail . I don’t know how to thank you . Really cool barbecue sauce.
I luv brown sugar in a bbq sauce. This is definitely finger lickin’ sauce.
Made this recipe to go with my bbq’d pork chops…fabulous!!
I can’t express how amazing this sauce is! It is sweet, spicy, and tangy. I love the addition of the whiskey. My eyes and mouth were watering as I strained the sauce. Most importantly, I am so proud that I made a way better scratch version of barbecue sauce!