Southern-Style Molasses Barbecue (BBQ) Sauce
Main, Sauce & Stock
Ingredients
1/4 cup quality olive oil
1 cup diced sweet onion such as Vidalia
1 tablespoon chopped garlic, about 2 cloves
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup molasses I am using blackstrap molasses, but regular molasses works great, too
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a 5 quart heavy bottom sauce pan, heat the olive oil.
Add the onion once oil is shimmering and reduce heat immediately. You want to sweat the onions rather than brown them.
Add the garlic, red wine vinegar, molasses, and ketchup. Bring to a simmer and reduce until slightly thickened, stirring constantly, about 15 to 20 minutes. **I like to reduce mine by half.
When the sauce is viscous enough to coat the back of a spoon, taste. Season if necessary with salt and pepper.
Sauce may be used immediately, or refrigerated overnight. The vinegar profile mellows with refrigeration. Sauce may also be frozen for future use.
Notes
Consistent basting yields a layer of ‘bark’ that is sweet and nicely charred. It is the key to your barbecue being better.
Molasses comes in different forms. Blackstrap molasses is a byproduct of sugar cane’s refining process. Sugar cane is mashed to create juice, and then boiled once to create cane syrup. A second boiling creates molasses. After this syrup has been boiled a third time, a dark viscous liquid emerges known to Americans as blackstrap molasses.
Molasses BBQ sauce is the one I use for pulled pork, pulled chicken, barbecued ham, and as a topping for burgers, fries, and cold in chicken and smoked Gouda wraps. It’s versatile, it makes a lot, and it freezes very well for when I don’t have the time to devote to starting something from scratch.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 servings | Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 373mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 77IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg