A lot of home barbecue sauce recipes call for bottled Chili Sauce, which to me is an extravagance. I love it all by itself on hotdogs and in recipes, but I don't buy it because it is an extra. The other day I splurged and bought a bottle of Mesquite Flavor Liquid Smoke, speaking of extras. Although I cringe at the thought of something so artificial, I want to try some recipes with it. Besides, bottled barbecue sauce that we buy in the store - the ones that say they have that smoky flavor - all have some form of liquid smoke flavoring in them. I'm just guessing that it would work to make this with bourbon replacing some or all of the water.

1 tablespoon oil
3/4 cup onion, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons liquid smoke (any flavor, I used Mesquite)
3/4 cup catsup
3/4 cup water (part or all can be bourbon)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt

Saute the onion in the oil. Add the other ingredients and combine well. Simmer without a lid for at least an hour so it reduces and thickens. Refrigerate until ready to use and any leftovers. I store mine in a jar that pasta sauce came in.

My final product tastes just like Sweet Baby Ray's Award Winning Barbecue Sauce marketed by guys out of Chicago who claim they won a cookoff with the recipe. A bottle of it was left here by some summer renters in one of the cabins.

Comments:

This recipes sounds delicious, with or without the smoke flavoring! Got to try it!

Okay, here's my stupid question. If, after all that work, your sauce tastes like Sweet Baby Ray's Award Winning BQ Sauce, why not just buy a bottle of that sauce and save yourself all that time and work? I doubt it costs more than all your ingredients combined, esp. with the liquid smoke.

Sounds good but I am going to stick with Hunts hickory because I have no shame.

I don't like store-bought sauces and this recipe doesn't sound complicated. I am thinking on it. But I have never seen liquid smoke in the store. This is one of those situations where if I don't recognize an ingredient, I forget about the recipe. I'll take a look at the sauce shelf at Publix. Ed puts ketchup on everything. I eat all meat without sauces. So far.