Sweet and spicy barbecue sauce

The Witch has shared a few barbecue sauce recipes on this blog before. And honestly I've not made either of them again because they weren't just right. Let's get a few things straight first: The Witch is very paticular on what kind of BBQ sauce she likes. It can't have any HFCS. It must be sweet, spicy and tangy. Not mustardy. So when a good friend and awesome cook suggested I try her BBQ sauce I said why not??

Boy oh boy that was the best "Why not" decision I've made in a LONG time!! This sauce is GOOD people. Really really good. And easy, too!! The list of ingredients is long - please don't let that intimidate you. Almost all of the ingredients are things that you should have in your pantry. The liquid smoke is one that you might not have, but its readily available at the grocery store in the ketchup/steak sauce section. It comes in 2 flavors, hickory and mesquite. I like the hickory for sauces but please use which ever smoke flavor you like the most.

The sauce is sweet from honey, brown sugar and a kiss of molasses. Its tangy from tomato paste, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. The spice come to you courtesy of chili powder, a mere 1/2 teaspoon, yet it flavors the sauce greatly. The Witch ground ancho chilies specifically for this sauce, they're my favorite chilies, sweetish and spicy but not HOLY HELL THIS IS HOT spicy. To grind your own chilies into chili powder couldn't be easier: get about 6 dried chilies of your choice, break them into smaller pieces discarding the stems and some of the seeds. Place them into a grinder (I have a dedicated coffee grinder that's for spices only) and grind until they are powdered. That's it! Homeground ancho powder!

After mixing up the sauce and allowing it to simmer for an hour or more your house will smell amazing. Try not to eat all the sauce before slathering it onto your favorite foods. I simply grilled some thick cut pork chops and glazed them with this sauce. It was amazing!! Everyone in the Witch household agreed that this is our new barbecue sauce. Thanks again Jenni for the awesome sauce recipe!!

Sweet and spicy barbecue sauce
Source: Jenni
makes about 2 cups of sauce, 8 generous servings
2 1/4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring
2 teaspoons whiskey
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dark molasses
1/2 tablespoon ground red chile powder (I used ground ancho peppers)

In a sauce pan heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until slightly softened and the edges start to brown.

Add the remaining ingredients to the pan. Whisk well to incorporate. Bring up to a boil then reduce to a low simmer and allow to simmer uncovered for 1.5 hours or until sauce has thickened. Stir every 15 min or so and scrape down the sides to avoid burning and hot spots.

Serve with your favorite grilled meats. Enjoy!



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople recipe calculator
Amount Per Serving
Calories 149.8
Total Fat 4.5 g
Saturated Fat 0.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.6 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 674.2 mg
Potassium 288.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 31.5 g
Dietary Fiber 1.0 g
Sugars 28.5 g
Protein 0.9 g

BBQ sauce, 2 types

The Kitchen Witch has been playing around with BBQ sauces lately. I have my store bough favorites but they all contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is one of my no-no's ingredients wise. For years I've wanted to make my own sauce - but the only non HFCS ketchup I could find was small bottles of organic, which gets expensive after a while! Imagine my surprise when my Witchy Sissy found me Hunts HFCS FREE KETCHUP! Hooray!! Its in a BIG bottle, too :) Now that I was armed with HFCS Free ketchup BBQ sauce construction could begin. Who knew that making your own BBQ sauce was so simple? Why did I ever buy BBQ sauce before? Best of all you can adjust the sauce to your family's taste preferrances, want it sweeter? Spicier? More tangy? Adjust as you feel fit!

The first one I made was the Carolina style sauce. Its thinner than a regular BBQ sauce due to the high vinegar content. It has got quite a sour tang, from the vinegar and the mustard. It cooked down for about an hour which helped take the raw onion flavor out of it. Honestly, I only liked it on the pulled pork; it was too sour for chicken, in this Witches opinion.

The second sauce, Brown Sugar BBQ, uses basically the same ingredients as the Carolina style sauce but in different proportions. It's heavier on the ketchup and sugar and lighter on the vinegar & mustard. I liked this one a lot more, it was closer to what I envision BBQ sauce tasting like. More KC style than Carolina style.

In all actuality I think both sauces need a bit more work. The Carolina style needs more heat, I think it would play nicely with the vinegar. Maybe Sriracha could help here. The brown sugar one needs more 'sweet' but I didn't want to overload it with brown sugar. I think honey would be a delighful addtition. The Kitchen Witch also wants to incorporate fruit into the BBQ sauce, I love fruit on savory meat items, I think fruits natural sweetness would be great in a sauce. Fruits like maybe mango. Or pineapple. Yum! I can't wait to experiment with more BBQ sauces.

Do any of you make your own sauce? If so please share with me what you do to yours and maybe a link, if you have one! Happy grilling everyone!

Brown Sugar BBQ sauce
makes about 3 c of sauce (1 bottles worth)
2 c ketchup
1/2 c brown sugar
2 T brown mustard
2 T cider vinegar
1 t kosher salt
1 t chili powder
heavy pinch cayenne pepper
1/8 t black pepper


Carolina Style BBQ sauce
Makes about 3 cups (1 bottles worth)
1 c ketchup
1 c cider vinegar
1/2 c brown mustard
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t kosher salt
1/2 onion finely minced (1/2 c total)
1/2 t chili powder
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/8 t black pepper


Cooking directions for both sauces:
In a heavy bottomed sauce pan heat the ingredients together. Cook over medium low heat for 45 minutes or until sauce has darkened in color and flavors have melded. Stir often, there is a lot of sugar in both of these sauces and you don't want them to scorch!
Nutrition Facts provided by Spark People recipe calcula
Brown sugar BBQ sauce
16 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 68.0
Total Fat 0.0 g
Saturated Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 485.4 mg
Potassium 25.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 19.3 g
Dietary Fiber 0.0 g
Sugars 17.3 g
Protein 0.0 g

Carolina Style BBQ sauce
16 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 44.5
Total Fat 0.0 g
Saturated Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 384.3 mg
Potassium 35.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 10.9 g
Dietary Fiber 0.1 g
Sugars 9.5 g
Protein 0.1 g

Mock BBQ pulled pork

True barbeque is done over smoke at very low temperatures for a very long time. Low & slow. This dish is NOT real barbeque. It is a delicious alternative for those of us who don't own a smoker or have 24 hours to stand watch over a wood fire and want good BBQ flavor, anyway.

By using a dutch oven sealed tightly and a low heat oven we're able to mimic the low & slow barbeque process, sans the smoky flavor. If you'd like you can add some liquid smoke to your pork about 1/2 way through cooking. Liquid smoke isn't something to be afraid of, it's created from the smoking process, when moisture condenses in smokers the smoke collects in the water droplets and if you collect that, instant liquid smoke. All the smoky flavors with out the hassle of maintaining a fire for long periods of time. Its an indoor BBQ'er's best friend. If the Liquid Smoke isn't your thing, feel free to leave it out. I've made this pork both ways and both are delicious. Its strictly a personal taste preferance.

Our preferred way of ingesting this delicious pork is in sandwich form, with a toasted bun and a side of cole slaw. Its also quite good on a baked potato. Top with your favorite BBQ sauce and you're good to go! The leftovers are awesome as well, the Husband is very excited about pulled pork sandwiches for lunch. Lucky man :)

Mock BBQ pulled pork
makes approx 8-10 servings (for a 4 lb roast)
1 pork butt/shoulder, bone removed and cut into large hunks
2 large green onions, chunked (can use regular onion)
1 T oil
2 T ketchup
2 T cider vinegar
OPTIONAL 1-2 t liquid smoke

Rub:
1/4 c brown sugar
2 T dry mustard powder
1 t chili powder
1 t garlic powder
1 t paperkia
1/2 t cumin
2 t kosher salt
1/2 t pepper

QUICKER COOKING METHOD: I developed this quicker cooking method due to time constraints one day. I also liked how the smaller pieces of meat get more exposure to the rub therefore more flavor. Remove the bone from the meat and cut it into large hunks, about 4 in square approx. Some pieces will be bigger or smaller, its all good. Remove any excessive connective tissue and fat but leave some of it in, it adds flavor. If you have 6 hours available for cooking you can leave the roast whole and pull it after its cooked.



Mix the dry rub ingredients together in a bowl. Liberaly sprinkle rub over meat. Press it into the surface of the pork.

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and add oil. Once its hot add 1/2 the pork and sear the outside. Once the pieces are browned (about 5 min) remove from pan and add remaining pork.

Once all pork is cooked add ketchup, vinegar and onions to the pan. Place the seared pork back in the pan, cover top with foil and then put the lid on the foil. Bake at 300 for 2.5-3 hours or until pork is very tender and falls apart when squeezed.



Once tender remove pork from oven and allow to rest in pan for 15 minutes. Drain off any excess fat and shred meat.

~*~Kitchen Witch Tip: To shred slow cooked or braised meats I use my tongs. When you squeeze a piece of meat with the tongs it should crumble and shred when pressure is applied. A few pinches with the tongs and voila! You've got easy pulled pork~*~



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe calculator
Amount Per Serving
Calories 384.6
Total Fat 27.2 g
Saturated Fat 10.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat 12.2 g
Cholesterol 106.5 mg
Sodium 363.3 mg
Potassium 389.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 8.2 g
Dietary Fiber 0.0 g
Sugars 8.1 g
Protein 26.6 g