Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce Recipe
This maple bourbon BBQ sauce recipe has the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. Sautéed onion and garlic are simmered with pure maple syrup, bourbon, brown sugar, tomato sauce, and spices to make a rich, deeply flavored sauce that is thick enough to cling to chicken, ribs, or pulled pork.
It comes together in one pot and can be blended smooth or left as is for a sauce with a bit of texture.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
Why This Recipe Works
• Sweet + Tangy – Balanced flavor from the maple and brown sugar with the tomato and vinegar.
• Versatile – Great for grilling, dipping, and glazing.
• Quick & Easy – Everything cooks in one pot, then blend it up! Ready from start to finish in about 45 minutes.
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Homemade Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce Recipe
With the summer holidays right around the corner, this BBQ sauce is going to be slathered on grilled chicken, burgers and ribs. Bourbon gives it just a hint of smokiness, as does the smoked chili pepper.
Because we are starting out by sweating the aromatics (onions and garlic), we are building layers of flavor right from the start. The sauce cooks down to concentrate those flavors, and we end up with a sauce that is thick and rich, and full of complex flavor. This sauce is serious business.
Ingredients
- Neutral oil – I use avocado, but grapeseed or canola are also good options.
- Onion and garlic – These aromatics give the maple BBQ sauce great flavor.
- Dark brown sugar – Using dark brown sugar eliminates the need to add molasses.
- Substitution: White sugar + molasses will make dark brown sugar.
- Bourbon – The alcohol will mostly cook off, leaving a smoky sweetness behind.
- Maple syrup – Grade A maple syrup is perfect for this sauce.
- Apple cider vinegar – Acidity helps balance the sweetness and makes the sauce tangy.
- Tomato sauce – This is a tomato-based BBQ sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce – Gives the sauce great flavor.
- Dry mustard powder – Mustard powder has a bite to it and gives the sauce a little heat.
- Ancho or Chipotle pepper – Chipotle powder has more heat, ancho is more mild. They are both smoked peppers.
- Salt and pepper – Everything needs to be seasoned.
How to Make Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce
Here’s a quick summary of how to make maple BBQ sauce. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Sauté – Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pot like a Dutch oven. Sweat onions and garlic until translucent.
- Add remaining ingredients to the pot, and bring to a simmer.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
- Taste and adjust heat, sweetness, seasonings to your preference, if needed, then blend.
Maple BBQ Sauce FAQ’s
If properly stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this sauce will last up to 2 weeks.
Swap out the bourbon for apple juice to make this alcohol-free.
Yes. Honey will give the sauce a sweeter, more floral taste, whereas maple syrup gives it a deeper flavor and it’s not quite as sweet.
Does the Alcohol Cook Out?
Most of the alcohol from the bourbon will cook out, but some will remain. Alcohol doesn’t cook out completely. To cook most of the bourbon out of the sauce – use a WIDE, shallow pan and stir constantly. Stirring helps the alcohol to evaporate, as does a larger surface area.
To reduce the alcohol content as much as possible, simmer the bourbon in a small sauce pot until it is reduced to roughly 2 – 3 tablespoons before adding to the sauce. This will still give the sauce a smoky sweetness, but with less spirits.
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Storage / Freezing Information
To store: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
To freeze: Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Use Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce
- Brush on grilled chicken or ribs
- Mix with pulled pork
- Toss chicken wings in the sauce
- Use as a burger or sandwich sauce
- Serve as a dipping sauce for meatballs
Chef Tips for the Best BBQ Sauce
Don’t cook the sauce down too much – it will thicken as it cools, and again as it coats meat on the grill or in the oven. The sweet spot is around 45 minutes. If you prefer more of a glaze instead of a thick sauce, take it off the heat around 30 minutes. The color and the thickness of the sauce change as it cooks down – that’s a visual cue for doneness. If you find that it is not thick enough after you’ve blended it, return the sauce to the pan and cook it down for another 10 minutes or so.
Simmer the BBQ sauce over medium low heat to avoid burning. Because this sauce has both brown sugar and maple syrup, the sugars can scorch on the bottom of the pot, so you’ll need to stir it occasionally, making sure you get the bottom and the sides of the pot, to prevent the sugars from burning.
Maple syrup is not the same as “pancake syrup”, which is typically made from corn syrup. It is also much sweeter than maple syrup and lacks the complexity of maple.
Variations and substitutions
- Substitute for bourbon in BBQ sauce – Swap bourbon for apple juice or apple cider. You can also use whiskey.
- Make it spicier – Add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, a few dashes of hot sauce, add half of a diced jalapeño pepper, or double the chipotle pepper.
- Not smoky enough – Add a teaspoon or two of smoked paprika, or liquid smoke.
- Too sweet – Add a splash of vinegar or a teaspoon of mustard to give it some bite.
- Too tart – Add a tablespoon or two of brown sugar or maple syrup.
- Too thin – Simmer 5 – 10 minutes longer to let the liquid evaporate.
- Too thick – Add a tablespoon or two of water to thin.
If you like this BBQ sauce, try these
- Apple bourbon BBQ sauce
- Blueberry bourbon BBQ sauce
- Peach bourbon BBQ sauce
- Chipotle apple BBQ sauce
- Pineapple mango BBQ sauce
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Maple BBQ Sauce with Bourbon
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil grapeseed, avocado and vegetable are all good options
- ¾ cup diced red onion 1 small onion / 180ml
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup dark brown sugar sub white sugar + 1 – 2 TB. molasses
- ½ cup bourbon sub apple juice if desired / 120ml
- ½ cup maple syrup *not pancake syrup / 120ml
- 1 cup tomato sauce 240ml
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 60ml
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard powder *I use Colman's Dry Mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt *I use Diamond Crystal – see note
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Chipotle or Ancho chili powder If you prefer it spicier, use 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed pot, like a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium / medium low heat and sauté onions and garlic until translucent and fragrant, 6 – 8 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients to the pot. Bring to a simmer, place a lid on so it partially covers the pot, allowing steam to escape, and cook down for approximately 45 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning, making sure to get the bottom and sides of the pot, until thickened and syrupy. Keep an eye on your sauce – if it comes to a rapid boil, reduce the heat.
- Let the sauce cool slightly, then carefully transfer to a blender and purée until smooth, or use an immersion blender to blend in the pot, if you want a smooth sauce. *See note
- Taste the sauce, and adjust to suit your preferences, if needed. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up two weeks.
Chef’s Notes
- Recipes yields 2.5 cups
- For a sauce with more heat, use ground chipotle powder. For a sauce with less heat, use Ancho chili powder. Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapeños. Ancho peppers are smoked poblano peppers.
- If you don’t have DARK brown sugar, use white sugar + 1 – 2 tablespoons molasses. Light brown sugar will also do, but dark brown has almost double the molasses.
- A note on salt – Not all salt is created equal. A teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt weighs about 2.7 grams, Morton’s kosher salt weighs a little over 5 grams for a teaspoon and table salt weighs 6 grams for a teaspoon. So, adjust accordingly, depending on what kind of salt you are using.
- When blending hot liquids in a blender – The way I do this is to remove the clear blender cap in the middle of the lid, then place a clean, folded kitchen towel over the hole (I recommend using a dark towel for this in case it gets stained). The towel covers the hole so you won’t get splashed, but it also allows steam to escape. Place your hand on top of the towel to hold in place, then turn the blender on low to get it started. When the sauce has started moving, increase the speed. Decrease the speed when the sauce is blended to your liking before shutting off to avoid splashes.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. Use your preferred nutritional calculator using the products and brands you are using for exact information.
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