Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce

Whenever people learn about what I do it is often one of the first things they mention when they introduce me to others. I don’t really mind the free advertisement, but nonetheless it leads most people to think of food when they think of me (and vice versa). So naturally, I received an email when my church was looking for more entrants in the barbecue sauce contest. Pridefully (admittedly), I tend to think to myself things along the lines of: “But I’m a professional going against home cooks,” “Won’t it be an unfair fight” or “I’m pretty sure I’m going to win.” Lo and behold, I came in second place in the group voting.

I could come up with a number of reasons/excuses for the outcome, but I don’t think that’s quite necessary. Of all the regional cuisines found in America, barbecue can be one of the most hotly debated. Meat aside, one’s taste in barbecue sauce all comes down to their preference for spice, consistency, sweetness, vinegar, mustard, and tomato. I created a homemade barbecue sauce with a definite kick of heat from both a jalapeno and red pepper flakes. (This sauce is not for the faint of tongue.) I believe the ketchup, thickness, and three types of sugar (brown sugar, honey, and molasses) in this recipe qualifies it as a Kansas City-style barbecue sauce. The sauce is rounded out with some tang provided by apple cider vinegar and yellow mustard. I’ve been putting it on just about everything over the past couple of weeks, such as some shredded chicken to make the barbecue chicken sandwiches shown in this post.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons (smoked) paprika
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup molasses
• Juice of 1 lemon

Yield: about 4 cups

Procedure:

1. Heat the oil in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeno and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, and paprika and cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes more.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring regularly to prevent from burning on the bottom. (I let it go for 1 hour mostly because I got distracted by something shiny, but you can take it off the heat sooner if you don’t have the time.) Let cool slightly before blending to a smooth consistency.