Your New Favorite Smoky Barbecue Sauce (without ketchup)

Mmmm . . . barbecue sauce!

Is there any thing better than the smell of the grill and the mouth-watering aroma of smokey barbecue sauce?

Yeah, I didn’t think so.

But for years I did not eat barbecue sauce. It wasn’t something my family gravitated to when I was a kid. And on the occasions when we did have barbecue chicken, we use Kraft barbecue sauce. Which, in my opinion, was only a slight upgrade from ketchup.

And I don’t like ketchup. I know that is a controversial opinion. Especially for someone who lived in Pittsburgh for awhile. But I don’t. It’s too sweet and too artificial tasting for my liking. I’ll take yellow mustard any day.

Somewhere along the way I was introduced to good homemade barbecue sauce. And it changed my world.

Tangy, smoky, complex . . . Finally I understood what all the fuss was about. Still . . . I didn’t seek to recreate those flavors for many years. But when I did, this barbecue sauce recipe was born.

Why You’ll Love It:

This recipe is easy to make with pantry staples. The only “special” ingredient you need to whip up a batch of this barbecue sauce is Liquid Smoke. Liquid Smoke is readily available inmost grocery stores (trust me, if I can buy it in my hometown, you probably can too). You can also get it online. And a little goes a long way. So even the small bottle will last you a long time.

But this homemade barbecue sauce is also completely customizable. If you don’t have Liquid Smoke, you can add more smoked paprika. If you don’t love the smoky flavor, just skip it. If you like sweeter barbecue sauce, increase the brown sugar or molasses. You really can’t go wrong.

One of the things I love about cooking is that you are free to experiment and recreate a recipe to meet your tastes. Every one of us is different, and our food should reflect that. I encourage you to tweak this barbecue sauce (and all these recipes) to make your mouth happy.

How to Make Barbecue Sauce:

To make the barbecue sauce you need quite a few ingredients. But don’t let the list intimidate you. They are pretty common ingredients, and all you have to do is combine everything in one big pot.

In a large pot combine canned tomato sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, Dijon mustard, ground mustard powder, Worcestershire Sauce, smoked paprika, liquid smoke, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper or hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Once the mixture simmers, allow it to continue cooking for about five minutes. Then reduce heat to low, cover, and continue cooking for 25 minutes stirring occasionally.

See? I told you it was easy.

Enjoy!

There are so m any ways to enjoy this barbecue sauce. It’s delicious on chicken, ribs, and burgers. Try it on brisket, pulled pork, or lentils for a vegetarian take. We use it on chickpeas, jack fruit, and (don’t laugh) even pot roast.

It makes awesome sandwiches. And is fantastic on nachos.

P.S. Try my delicious Crockpot Barbecue Lentils – a vegetarian (and nut free)

Smoky Barbecue Sauce (without ketchup)

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 15- oz cans tomato sauce
• 4 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses*
• 2 tbsp Dijon
• 1 tbsp ground mustard powder
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 5-10 drops of liquid smoke, to taste
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp cayenne or dash of Hot Sauce
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Combine all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan. Stir and cooke over medium heat until barbecue sauce begins to simmer.
• Let the sauce cool, simmering lightly, stirring often, for abut 5 minutes. Reduce heat and allow sauce to continue cooking for about 25 minutes until slightly thickened.
• Use immediately, or store covered in the refrigerated for up to two weeks.

Notes

• Pin

*Do not use black strap molasses. I used Grandma’s molasses, which is a light, unsulfured molasses.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy recipe, homemade sauce, nut free, smoky, vegertarian

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This is an example of a WordPress post, you could edit this to put information about yourself or your site so readers know where you are coming from. You can create as many posts as you like in order to share with your readers what is on your mind. This is an example of a WordPress post, you could edit this to put information about yourself or your site so readers know where you are coming from. You can create as many posts as you like in order to share with your readers what is on your mind.