Smoky Barbecue Sauce

Smoky Barbecue Sauce

I love homemade barbecue sauce.  It’s simple to make, and we often have all of the ingredients on hand.  Since it’s summer, I wanted to make a large vat we could keep in the fridge and use all month.  We simmered this for four hours.  It works just fine after about 20 minutes or so, but the flavor intensifies with each passing hour.

Ingredients

  • 1 (40-ounce) bottle of ketchup (Heinz, of course)
  • 1/3 cup worchestershire sauce
  • 1/3 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground mustard
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 1 tablespoon smoky hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 10 whole cloves (or ground for convenience)
  • 5 whole allspice (see cloves)

Preparation

  1. Mix all ingredients in a large pot.
  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring well, until slightly bubbly.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 hours.
  4. Remove the cloves and allspice.
  5. Cool.  Pour into glass jars and seal tightly.  Store in the refrigerator for about a month.

Yields a vat of barbecue sauce (or about 3 quarts)