Sauces
American
AmericanBBQ Sauce
A sweet, smoky and tangy barbecue sauce for ribs, burgers and grilled chicken. Basic doctors a shop-bought ketchup base, Better simmers a proper from-scratch sauce, and Ultimate deepens it with bourbon, smoked paprika and a treacle-molasses richness.
Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy-free
Nut-free
Better version
A proper from-scratch sauce simmered with fried onion, tomato and spices.
Per serving£0.58
Total cost£2.30
Time40 min
Ingredients for 4
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , crushed
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 200 g passata
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp English mustard
Method
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion gently for 8 minutes until soft and golden.
- Add the garlic and smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the passata, tomato puree, sugar, vinegar and mustard with a splash of water.
- Simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick and glossy.
- Blend smooth for a classic finish, then cool and store in the fridge.
Equipment
The three ways, side by side
Budget
A quick stovetop sauce built on ketchup with smoky, sweet store-cupboard tweaks.
Better
A proper from-scratch sauce simmered with fried onion, tomato and spices.
Ultimate
A deep, smoky sauce enriched with bourbon, molasses and treacle and slow-reduced.