This delicious barbecue sauce is made from scratch, filled with a tangy and rich flavor.
Alright, this might be a little backwards. I wanted to share my experience with a vegan meatloaf, but I’ll start by discussing the barbecue sauce. The meatloaf recipe itself will be next week. From what I can tell, barbecue sauce is a spiced-up ketchup. But why start at that level when you can go all the way down to the base!
For some reason, I decided it would be a good idea to make my own ketchup to then modify it into barbecue sauce. I used a slow cooking process, which turned this into a 10-hour recipe. It was perfect for a weekend project. I woke up and started the process, and it was about ready by the time dinner rolled around. The timing works out very nicely.
Check out the Make section of MCG for more fun recipes like desserts and savory dishes.
Ingredients
The core of ketchup (and therefore barbecue sauce) is tomatoes. I decided to use cans of crushed tomatoes because they removed the step of crushing the tomatoes, and I really love the brand. The flavor of San Marzano tomatoes is very distinct for me and one I find myself going back to repeatedly. I also put quite a few spices into the ketchup base. These spices can also be added to enhance the barbecue sauce flavor, but I really wanted them cooked into the core of my sauce.
Process
I am not sure why I was under the impression that ketchup would be difficult to make. It’s a rather simple process, but it does require patience. So maybe that’s why I found it difficult… To start, I mixed all my spices with a bit of sugar. This was just to encourage everything to mix as evenly as possible.
Then I added crushed tomatoes and white vinegar. I also used ½ cup of water between the two tomato cans to make sure I got as much out as possible. I mixed the spices into the tomatoes before letting the mixture reduce. This is where most of the time was allotted. The mixture needs to be reduced by half to become ketchup.
When ready, I used a blender to help get the mixture much smoother. An immersion blender can also work, but I was a little lazy about it. Straining this mixture through a sieve is the best way to ensure a thin and smooth texture. I chose to skip this step because I thought it would be more prudent to do this after adding the barbecue extras.
So that’s what I did! I added brown sugar and apple cider vinegar to the base to add a more complex sweetness and even more tang. Vinegar is such an interesting ingredient, but I feel like I don’t use it that often. When I tasted the sauce, I had to stop myself from just sitting down and eating it. It was mouth-watering good. I debated adding more spices in but went against it just because I was so happy with how it turned out.
Reflections
This barbecue sauce is so good and was the perfect pairing for my vegan meatloaf (stay tuned!). I could also easily see this becoming my go-to sauce. The only real downside is how long it takes the tomatoes to cook. I am very curious how the results of this recipe if I had used a pressure cooker instead of the slow cooker. It is an experiment I want to keep in the back of my mind.
Lessons
The Perks of DIY
Was this a lot of work? Decently. Would it have been easier to purchase barbecue sauce at the store? Absolutely. Which leads me to the question of why do this in the first place? There are two reasons. One: I enjoy cooking and especially making things that I have no good reason to make. But the second reason is much more compelling.
Everyone has their own preferred taste. Some like it spicy, while others prefer sweet. From the beginning to the end of this barbecue sauce, I had full control over flavors and ingredients. Which meant I could make the sauce exactly to fit my taste. Doing something yourself does give you more control over personalizing items,which I find rather special.
recipe
Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
Ketchup Base [Approximately 3 ½ Cups]
- 56 Ounces Crushed Tomatoes 2 cans
- 2/3 Cup Sugar
- ¾ Cup White Vinegar
- 1 Whole Clove
- ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ Teaspoon Celery Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Mustard
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
Barbecue Sauce
- 3 ½ Cup Ketchup
- 2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 2/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
Ketchup Base
- In a pressure cooker / slow cooker / large pot, combine sugar, clove, black pepper, celery salt, ground mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, salt. Mix well.
- Add crushed tomatoes, ½ cup water, and white vinegar. Use the water to get all can contents out.
- Let cook over high heat, uncovered, until the mixture is reduced by half and thickened. This can take about 10 to 12 hours. Adjust to pressure cooker as desired.
- Using an immersion blender (or a normal blender), briefly mix until smooth.
- Pass through a sieve to remove any extra / thickened bits.
Barbecue Sauce
- Using the blender, add brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. Blend until fully combined.
- Any spices from the ketchup base can be used to adjust the barbecue sauce. This should be done to taste.
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