Recipe

Basic Barbecue Sauce

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 35 min
Serves:

Store-bought barbecue sauce can’t hold a candle to sauce made from scratch. Best of all, you know that no additives are present, and you know exactly what went into it! Homemade barbecue sauce is definitely worth keeping on hand for those hazy summer days when all you want to do is fire up the grill.

Ingredients

1 can (796 ml) tomatoes packed in juice
1 1/2 cup (375 mL) onions, chopped
1 cup (250 mL) red peppers, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup (125 mL) apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp (15 mL) chili powder
2 tsp (10 mL) mustard powder, hot
1/4 tsp (1.25 mL) ginger, ground
1/4 tsp (1.25 mL) cinnamon, ground
1/4 tsp (1.25 mL) cloves, ground
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) hot pepper sauce
1/3 cup (75 mL) vegetable oil

Instructions

1 In a Dutch oven, or large shallow saucepan, crush tomatoes with potato masher.
2 Stir in onion, pepper, garlic, vinegar, brown sugar, chili powder, mustard, hot pepper sauce, ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
3 Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-high and simmer briskly for 30 to 35 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently right to bottom of pan to prevent sticking or scorching.
4 Transfer to food processor or blender and process until smooth. You may wish to place a towel over the food processor or blender to prevent splattering. Return to pan; stir in oil and heat to boiling point.
5 Use immediately or for longer storage, transfer to large sterilized jar with tight-fitting lid.