Chopped Challenge #5, Part 3: Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

I have to say, I really like this barbecue sauce. I'd never made homemade barbecue sauce before, and now I'm not really sure why. You just toss a bunch of stuff in a pot and let it cook down, stirring it occasionally. It's really easy, and you can make it taste like whatever you want really. I'm definitely going to make barbecue sauce more often now.

This sauce in particular is really sweet. I'm serious. There are 5 ingredients in there that have the main purpose of adding sweetness. A couple more add sweetness as well as other qualities. I also don't like my barbecue sauce to have a lot of spice to it, so if you're into that sort of thing, you might want to up the amount of cayenne you add or add in some other spicy ingredients.

I repurposed a glass ketchup bottle to store this sauce (and made my own label to put on it). This recipe made enough to fill the bottle, so it should be enough sauce to last you several meals, if you're just using it as a dipping sauce like we did.


Ingredients

1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 - 3/4 c ketchup
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
1/3 c bourbon
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1/3 c maple syrup
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne


Directions

Add all of the ingredients to a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low, and allow to cook for 30-45 minutes. Sauce should reduce in volume by at least half. Strain out the onions, and store sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use.