Stovetop Barbecue Sauce
A balanced, base-level barbecue sauce is built by simmering ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and spices until the mixture thickens and the vinegar's sharp edge dulls. This version relies on a slow reduction to marry the sugars and acidity, resulting in a dark, clinging glaze that works on anything coming off a grill.
The finish is in the reduction.
Do not rush the final ten minutes; you are looking for the sauce to coat the back of a metal spoon without dripping off immediately.
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Whisk
- Silicone spatula
What goes in.
- 2 cupsketchup
- 1/2 cupapple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cupdark brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbspmolasses
- 1 tbspyellow mustard
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 1/2 tspgarlic powder
- 1/2 tsponion powder
- 1/4 tspcayenne pepper
Checking the viscosity
Dip a metal spoon into the sauce and pull it out. If the sauce runs off like water, keep simmering. When it coats the spoon in a thick, opaque layer, it is ready.
The method.
Combine ingredients
Whisk the ketchup, vinegar, sugar, molasses, mustard, and spices in your saucepan until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Simmer
Set the heat to medium-low. Once you see small, lazy bubbles forming at the surface, turn the heat down to low.
Reduce
Let the sauce cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom. Watch for the color to darken from bright red to a deep, mahogany brown.
Cool
Remove from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken further as it cools.
Other turns to take.
Spicy Heat
Add one finely minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce to the base before simmering.
Sweet Bourbon
Replace the vinegar with 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and 1/4 cup bourbon, adding it at the very start.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always use dark brown sugar; the higher molasses content provides a deeper background note.
Keep the heat low. If the sauce boils aggressively, the sugars will burn and create a bitter, metallic taste.
Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
The ones that keep coming up.
My sauce is too thin, how do I fix it?
Keep it on the heat for an additional five to ten minutes. It will always thicken as it cools, so don't over-reduce it while it is hot.
Can I use tomato paste instead of ketchup?
No. Ketchup already contains the necessary vinegar and salt balance. If you use paste, you will need to fundamentally rework the liquid-to-acid ratios.
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