Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Total Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
10-15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
0 out of 5 stars
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Ingredients
6 cups
- 1 1/2 cups minced yellow onion (from 1 large onion)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup (265 grams) tomato paste (from a 10-ounce can)
- 1 cup (235 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup (335 grams) honey
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup (240 grams) smooth dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) soy sauce
- 1 cup (335 grams) hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons mild chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- Red pepper flakes, to taste (Ina recommends 1/2 tablespoon, mine are quite hot and I use 1/2 teaspoon)
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Preparation
Chef’s notes
This is a tangy, subtly spicy, delicious mutt of a barbecue sauce. On her show, Ina Garten explained that she had at one point tried to develop different sauces to complement different cuisines — from Asian to various South Eastern regions — but only when she mixed them all together in frustration did she find exactly her barbecue sauce nirvana. I couldn’t agree more. I make this all summer, freeze leftovers in one-cup servings, and sob when we run out. This also makes excellent host gifts.
This is fantastic brushed over chicken to grill, Ina has also used it on ribs (but you all know I’m a dry rub girl). Although it’s not strictly vegetarian (it has Worcestershire sauce) or vegan (ditto, plus honey), I think it would be excellent on sturdy grilled tofu.
Use a mild chili powder here for a classic barbecue sauce flavor. If using a hotter one, add it to taste because 2 tablespoons of a very hot one could quickly make the sauce taste like hot sauce. I also find that red pepper flakes vary wildly (my current jar can heat a dish with just a pinch or two) so I’d add these to taste as well.
Update:
I revisited this in 2017 and found I could use a little less oil and more tomato paste and it worked out just as well. Consider these ingredient levels fairly flexible if you want to adjust to your tastes.