I heart Holiday Recipe Club. It keeps me creative. I love to see what ingredients are chosen for each holiday. (HRC is posted by Erin at Big Fat Baker. Thanks for the challenges, Erin!)
Since our last challenge was for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, it is appropriate (and ironic) that we come back across the pond for Indepence Day. This time around the secret ingredients are blueberries, barbecue sauce, and/or whipped cream. Even though we just have to choose one ingredient and we don’t have to combine them ALL into an edible dish, I always hope that someone will tackle this feat and use them all together. (Should we have a Chopped themed holiday at one point for HRC?)
This was an easy pick for me. Please join me for a July 4th favorite: homemade BBQ sauce.
Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce Adapted from Top Secret Recipes (See below.)
2 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 c. ketchup
3 c. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c. molasses
1 1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. liquid smoke
1 t. chili powder
1 T. Sriracha (or your favorite hot sauce)
1 ½ t. sea salt
1 ½ t. fresh ground pepper (or more to your liking)
In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil and sauté minced garlic for one minute. Do not burn.
Add ketchup, vinegar, molasses, honey, brown sugar, liquid smoke, chili powder, Sriracha, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
You can see all the pepper floating on top.
Heat to boil, and then reduce heat to a low simmer. Stir periodically. Simmer for 45-60 minutes. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Makes about two quarts plus 1 cup(ish).
This recipe makes a lot. It is easily halved. Use this on any meat, add to bake beans, or use it as a dipping sauce for grilled shrimp and chicken or jalapeno poppers. Really, I haven’t found anything this sauce doesn’t elevate. (Well maybe blueberries with whipped cream.) 🙂
Here is a great BBQ tip when grilling: Make a mop using rosemary sprigs. Use the sprigs to sop up the sauce and brush on the grilled meat. This gives this sauce (and any sauce used with grilling) another level of flavor.
This technique would also work with a bundle of thyme or sage. Just make sure it is a woody herb that can stand up to the dipping and heat.
We put a dry rub on these ribs (just a basic Memphis rub that my brother-in-law made for us) and then sauced them up during the last 10 minutes of grilling. They came out very tender with just the right amount of caramelization.
Oh so tender with just the right amount of burnt ends! 🙂 These are a mess to eat but well worth the extra napkins!
This recipe is based on one from my favorite cookbook, one that I am embarrassed about. I think I have mentioned this before. I really don’t know why I hide this recipe book. Maybe it is because it is a full of knock-offs of some of the big chain restaurants. But, you know, with a little tweaking, some of these recipes are pretty darn good. (It is definitely not a Dorie Greenspan, Yotam Ottolenghi or Julia Child guide to cooking!) 🙂
The original recipe came from the now defunct Tony Roma’s. I was excited to have their BBQ sauce recipes because that was my father-in-law’s favorite restaurant for a while. Here is the original (plus one more).
You can see all the sauce spatters and notes. It is a well-used recipe.
Happy Fourth of July, happy eating and happy grilling today! Enjoy your time with family and friends as we celebrate the founding of our nation. (Oh, and I hope you can ooh and aah over some fireworks as well tonight.)
The next HRC post will be July 14th – Bastille Day (France). The secret ingredients? Mushrooms (limited to truffles, porcinis, oysters, and chanterelles), Champagne, Brie.
Check out the Holiday Recipe Club calendar for all the other upcoming events.
Well used and it was a great inspiration—although the original is pretty fabulous too. I love that this uses honey. I wish I had remembered your peach BBQ sauce when I was doing up peaches!!!! Doh! I have got to start pinning stuff immediately when I see it!
I enjoy those knock off recipes, too. I don’t have any of the cookbooks, but I have checked most of them out of the library at one time or another and I have a notebook with more than a few jotted down. The bbq sauce sounds delicious.
I do too. This one is kind of hilarious b/c it has diagrams on how to put the food together. The “teriyaki” Chicken Breast from Western Sizzler (aren’t they closed too?) is too goofy—a chicken breast with a slice of pineapple with dimensions just like a blueprint.
A lovely sauce recipe my friend 😀
Can’t go wrong with bbq!
Also my subscription to your blog was not working anymore so I tried to unsubscribe but that didn’t work either – is there anything else I can try?
Thasnk you!
Thanks, Jessica. Hope I inspired you. What would even be better would be to make your own ketchup base, but so far I have neither the tomatoes or motivation to do so! 🙂
I went to my Pinterest Pin of this to jot down any ingredients I needed. I have spent the better part of an hour looking at all your recipes! I love them so much I posted about you on my FB page! I truly am thrilled that I found you through Food Stories!! I’m going to take pictures and make a post of this sauce on the weekend!!
I think I have mentioned this before. I really don’t know why I hide this recipe book. Maybe it is because it is a full of knock-offs of some of the big chain restaurants. But, you know, with a little tweaking, some of these recipes are pretty darn good. (It is definitely not a Dorie Greenspan, Yotam Ottolenghi or Julia Child guide to cooking!) 🙂
Comments & Replies
29 responses to “Happy Indepence Day BBQ Sauce”
No wonder this is a well-used recipe! It looks fabulous!
Well used and it was a great inspiration—although the original is pretty fabulous too. I love that this uses honey. I wish I had remembered your peach BBQ sauce when I was doing up peaches!!!! Doh! I have got to start pinning stuff immediately when I see it!
Oh how I love ribs and barbeque sauce. This looks like an incredible version. Wish I was eating this today. Happy 4th!
Erin—Grill some up immediately! 🙂
I love homemade BBQ sauces-they are all so different! I’m excited to try this new recipe 🙂
Hope you do try it! Let me know and Happy 4th!
I enjoy those knock off recipes, too. I don’t have any of the cookbooks, but I have checked most of them out of the library at one time or another and I have a notebook with more than a few jotted down. The bbq sauce sounds delicious.
I do too. This one is kind of hilarious b/c it has diagrams on how to put the food together. The “teriyaki” Chicken Breast from Western Sizzler (aren’t they closed too?) is too goofy—a chicken breast with a slice of pineapple with dimensions just like a blueprint.
Love the addition of sriracha to this
The original calls for “hot sauce” but sriracha is king around here.
This looks wonderful! I am just delving in to the world of homemade BBQ sauces & I want to try them all!
Hope you try this one (or one of the two from the cookbook).
A lovely sauce recipe my friend 😀
Can’t go wrong with bbq!
Also my subscription to your blog was not working anymore so I tried to unsubscribe but that didn’t work either – is there anything else I can try?
Thasnk you!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Well, that’s no good! I have entered you manually. Please let me know if it doesn’t work. Thanks for letting me know.
The ingredients in this sound really good! I have not tried a homemade BBQ sauce, but sounds like something I’ll be adding to my cooking list!
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you do add it to your list and try it.
I’ve never been a big fan of BBQ sauce, but this one with it sriracha looks like one I could get on board with! Glad you had a good 4th!
Thanks, Laura. In my humble opinion sriracha makes anything better!
liquid smoke and siracha?! Wow. Actually, that’s a sauce I might like to try on my baked beans 🙂
Check out tomorrow’s post b/c that is exactly what I did!
that sounds like an amazing bbq sauce! wow!
Thanks, it is a favorite. I have tweaked it over the years.
Oh yum, Debra! I’ve been wanting to make my own BBQ sauce and this might be just the inspiration I need!
Thanks, Jessica. Hope I inspired you. What would even be better would be to make your own ketchup base, but so far I have neither the tomatoes or motivation to do so! 🙂
[…] Happy Indepence Day BBQ Sauce […]
Wow EE, this rocks! I”m going to make it next weekend!
I went to my Pinterest Pin of this to jot down any ingredients I needed. I have spent the better part of an hour looking at all your recipes! I love them so much I posted about you on my FB page! I truly am thrilled that I found you through Food Stories!! I’m going to take pictures and make a post of this sauce on the weekend!!
Kelli–
Thank you so much. I enjoy your blog as well!!!!! Glad to find a fellow Okie!
[…] the sauce is a homemade BBQ sauce, sometimes from a bottle and sometimes these get plopped into our favorite spaghetti […]