DIY Basic BBQ Sauce

While I’m freezing my buns off over here in the dead of winter I’ve, oddly enough, been craving some of my favorite summer foods. I’ve made pineapple smoothies, tacos and even downed a bottle of rose to pretend like it’s not blustery and bleak outside. One of my favorite guilty pleasures of summer is BBQ…whether this is cooking literally everything on the ol’ cue, or slathering BBQ Sauce on a pulled pork sandwich. I probably go through at least 10 bottles of BBQ sauce each season, and I can hear my Mom saying “You know, you could just make your own. It’s easy!” as I put yet another bottle in my grocery basket.

Anything that’s processed is either a) packing it with sugar, b) packing it with salt, or c) sneaking something processed/gross/not-good-for-you ingredients that you can’t pronounce, that aren’t even necessary but keep the shelf-life longer. So let me chant the same words to you that my Mom keeps saying–You can make you’re own..it’s easy! You probably have half the ingredients already, and you’ll feel so much better about creating your own little sauce-y heaven. Use this with literally anything: as a Pizza sauce, as a marinade, as a salad dressing, over nachos, over pulled pork, or even over my BBQ Crockpot Chicken. The options are endless!

P R E P

Similar to the Crockpot/Instapot method–just dump it all into one pot and let it simmer! There’s no rush to do it all at once or stagger it. Just simply measure out your ingredients one by one and you’ll let it cook. See? Easy!

What you’ll need

• 1 medium saucepan.
• A whisk. A spoon is fine if you don’t have a whisk.
• 1 15 oz can of Tomato Sauce.
• 1/2 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar.
• 1/3 cup of Honey.
• 3 tablespoons Tomato Paste.
• 3 tablespoons Molasses.
• 2 tablespoons light Brown Sugar.
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
• 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika. Regular Paprika works fine!
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper.
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt.
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh Ground Black Pepper.

Serving Size: 2 Cups.

Total Prep Time: N/A

Total Cooking Time: 30 minutes.

You probably have most of these items in your pantry! If not, these are super cheap and you WILL use them at some point!

Just throw in a saucepan and heat for 20-25 minutes. Easy!

Directions

• Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to medium heat.
• Cook for roughly 20-25 minutes, whisking often, until the sauce thickens. Make sure that your sauce isn’t over-boiling.
• Do a taste test! You are the chef now (insert overly-used Captain Phillips reference).
  • For a more tangy flavor: Add a little more Apple Cider Vinegar.
  • For a more sweet flavor: Add more Brown Sugar.
  • For more of a smokey flavor: Add more paprika.
  • For more of a peppered flavor: Add more black pepper.

POST COOKING NOTES

• I’m sitting here kicking myself for not doing DIY sauce from the beginning–this was SO easy and I’m half tempted to just eat this by the spoonful on it’s own. You’ll feel so much more healthy, clean, and fancy for making your own sauce, trust me!
• You can store this in an airtight container (I typically use a mason jar) for up to 2 weeks (if it even lasts that long…).

Enjoy! Follow me on Instagram @ basickneadss (with TWO S’s).

 

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