Maple BBQ Sauce with Bourbon

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Maple bourbon BBQ sauce with onion, garlic, real maple syrup, and bourbon. Sweet, tangy, and a serious upgrade from anything store-bought.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Condiments

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 148kcal

Author: Cheryl Bennett

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

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.

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.