Why buy barbecue sauce when you can design your own?
Barbecue sauce is one of the most versatile sauces out there — it can be served as a dipping sauce or a topping, brushed onto protein and vegetables during cooking, or stirred into beans and shredded meat after cooking.
Further contributing to its versatility is the fact that there are so many styles, from sweet and tomatoey to thin and vinegary, to thick and creamy. And while you can find plenty of bottled barbecue sauces, making your own is simple and provides a range of flavour and texture possibilities that taste worlds better than storebought. Even with their basic ingredient lists, all of these sauces will give any food a boost of bold, tangy flavour.
Classic Barbecue Sauce
Makes 4 to 6 servings (2 cups)
This sauce can be used on just about anything. For a thinner, smoother texture, strain the sauce after it has finished cooking.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped fine
Salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 1⁄4 cups ketchup
6 tbsp molasses
3 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Start to finish: 30 minutes Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and pinch salt and cook until onion is softened, about five minutes. Stir in garlic and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Whisk in ketchup, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire and mustard. Bring sauce to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 2 cups, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to four days.)
Per serving: 154 calories (21 calories, or 14 per cent from fat); 2 grams fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 milligrams cholesterol; 905 mg sodium; 35 g carbohydrate; 1 g fibre; 28 g sugar; 1 g protein.