Believe it or not, homemade barbecue sauce is simple to make and can be tailored to your every taste dream and desire. There is no better way to take your cook out to the next level than with this sweet and tangy Bourbon Barbecue Sauce! Say goodbye to those unnecessary preservatives and extra sugars and say hello to the best damn Bourbon Whiskey infused barbecue sauce this side of the Appalachians. Toss out those store-bought bland and boring sauces and stick with me as I show you just how easy it really is to make your own flavorful, unique barbecue sauce full of those wonderful bourbon whiskey notes and subtle smoky flavors...Let's get cooking!
Making this sauce is quick so try not to get too distracted sampling all the bourbons in your collection trying to decide which to use. And yes, just like cooking with wine, don't use anything you wouldn't drink on it's own merit so try to find something in that mid-range price level that won't break the bank, but still full of those delicious barrel aged flavors we want to incorporate and bring through in our barbecue sauce!
There are a couple ways we can go about starting with our prep. You can rough chop some onion and garlic and either strain it out later or try and smooth it with an immersion blender........OR make life simple and just use a food processor now to super finely chop/puree the onion and garlic to start. You can choose either method, but I'm a simple man with a simple plan so I chose the food processor myself. Toss the pureed onion and garlic mixture in a medium-sized pot with a bit of olive oil and sauté it for 3 or 4 minutes, until it begins to get translucent. Carefully pour in your bourbon, as not to splash and start up a giant alcohol-fueled fire in your kitchen, especially if using a gas burner! Let this simmer a few minutes to burn off the ethanol and leave those delicious barrel aged notes behind that set this barbecue sauce above all others.
While that mixture is simmering, get the remaining ingredients measured and ready to add to the pot. If you are smart, choose a bowl big enough to hold everything and save some dishes. I, unfortunately, decided I needed to do some extra dishes and chose too small of a bowl like some sort of kitchen rookie, ugggg. Nonetheless, it is all going in together so you can combine everything now or individually add them.
Anyway, after the bourbon and onion/garlic puree have simmered for 5 minutes or so, dump in everything else and stir to combine. It's a little thick to get combined so I started with a normal slotted spoon, then continued to stir with a whisk once everything was incorporated.
Bring this up to a low boil being careful of flaming hot tomato splashes! As soon as it starts to really get popping, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Don't completely walk away, though, and give it a little stir every 5 minutes to keep anything from sticking and burning. It should begin to reduce and thicken as it continues simmering. Once mine was about 1/4 reduced, I pulled it from the heat and let it begin cooling. Feel free to further reduce it for a super thick sauce, but I think 20 minutes just about NAILED IT!
BOOM....You did it! As quick as we started we are done and this Bourbon Barbecue Sauce is ready to slather over some ribs, chicken, or even that annoying neighbor's yappy dog you decided to throw on the grill after sipping a little too much extra bourbon while making this sauce! All kidding aside, this sauce will brighten up anyone's day and make your next home cook out kick your neighbor's weak barbecue's ass all up and down the block! Try it for yourself and let me know what you think. Different bourbons will bring varying notes and flavors to the party so experiment and twist my arm till I go out and buy your ideal bourbon myself. Don't tempt me with a good time! As always, enjoy the good times with family and friends, revel in having the best damn barbecue on the block, and try new things......just keep cooking!
BOURBON BARBECUE SAUCE
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