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
Contains alcohol
Ultimate version
A deep, smoky sauce enriched with bourbon, molasses and treacle and slow-reduced.
Per serving£1.00
Total cost£4.00
Time1 hr
Ingredients for 4
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , crushed
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 60 ml bourbon
- 250 g passata
- 3 tbsp cider vinegar
- sweet
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- spice
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chipotle paste
Method
- Heat the oil in a heavy pan and fry the onion slowly for 10 minutes until deeply golden.
- Add the garlic, smoked paprika and chipotle paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the bourbon and let it bubble for 2 minutes to cook off the harsh alcohol.
- Stir in the passata, molasses, treacle, sugar and vinegar with a splash of water.
- Simmer very gently for 30 minutes, stirring, until thick, dark and glossy.
- Blend until silky, then cool; the flavour deepens further if made a day ahead.
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.