Yesterday, I had the bright idea to make barbeque sauce to be named later a “Kickin’ Whiskey Sauce”. After looking through recipe after recipe (they all consisted of the same basic ingredients) I decided on a whiskey flavored sauce. Really, who doesn’t like a little Jack every now and then…
I pulled up the recipe I wanted to use, got out all of the ingredients and started mixing. Here’s my thinking – it’s BBQ sauce. It can’t be all that hard. Mix up a few things and presto a beautiful spicy, tangy, whiskey based sauce. I mean it’s not like I was making a ganache.
So, I mixed and stirred and waited while it simmered…..the waiting took so long. The anticipation was killing me smalls. Then the moment came to taste this beautiful creation. I couldn’t wait, it was going to be sweet and tangy with a hint of Jack Daniel’s. My mouth was watering. The moment of truth was finally upon us – EGADS it was AWFUL! It was runny and tasted like vinegar. My mouth was definitely watering. It felt like my cheeks were going to be sucked down my throat. My eyes watered and my nose started running – yes it really was that bad.
Back to square one, what am I going to do with this mess??? Back to my research. The light bulb comes on… I’ll just add some more of the base ingredients from the original recipe excluding the vinegar! On to dragging out all of the ingredients and start mixing again (now, its a science experiment). We finally came up with a sauce that was edible, thick, spicy, sweet, tangy and a hint of Jack Daniel’s. I know you are uber excited for the final recipe, so here it is:
Kickin’ Whiskey Sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups ketchup
1 Tablespoon ground mustard
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon sweet paprika
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 Teaspoons thyme
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon black pepper
2 Teaspoons cayenne (or less if you don’t want it as spicy)
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Jack Danilel’s
Directions:
Sweat onions and garlic in butter. Add ketchup and spices when onions and garlic are transparent. Stir until well blended, add liquids and simmer for 30 minutes or so until slightly thickened. Add 1 Tablespoon of Jack Daniel’s to finish the sauce. Serve warm or chilled whichever you prefer.
