Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce
A homemade BBQ sauce with molasses, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar for a sweet and tangy glaze.
- Prep
- 5min
- Cook
- 20min
- Total
- 55min
- Serves
- 12
- Calories
- 60per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
Molasses does more work here than anything else in the pot. It adds a dark, slightly bitter sweetness that brown sugar alone can't, and it gives the sauce its deep color and shine. Apple cider vinegar keeps all that sugar in check, and smoked paprika brings smoke without any liquid smoke.
Simmer it on low for 15 to 20 minutes, until it coats a spoon, and stop there: it thickens noticeably as it cools. Brushed on a patty near the end of cooking it turns into a glaze, and stirred into pulled pork or jackfruit it coats every shred.
Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce
Prep 5 min, cook 20 min, total 55 min. About 60 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/sweet-and-tangy-bbq-sauce
Serves 12.
Ingredients
Instructions
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In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup ketchup, ¼ cup vinegar, 3 tbsp molasses, 1½ oz brown sugar, and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce.
Add 5 g smoked paprika, 3 g garlic powder, 3 g onion powder, 2 g black pepper, 1 g cayenne, and salt to taste.
Whisk until well combined and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens.
Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. The sauce thickens further as it cools.
Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Tips
- Use a deep saucepan and keep a lid half on. Thick ketchup sauces spit as they bubble, even on low heat.
- Stir along the bottom every few minutes. The sugars catch and scorch quickly, and a burnt layer turns the whole batch bitter.
- Judge the thickness at room temperature, not hot. If it's too thick once cool, stir in water a tablespoon at a time.
- Brush it on burgers only in the last 2 minutes of cooking. With this much sugar, it chars fast over high heat.
Substitutions
- Vegan: most Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, so use a vegan Worcestershire. The sauce then suits the jackfruit burger.
- Honey or maple syrup instead of molasses: a lighter, sweeter sauce with less depth and a paler color.
- More heat: double the cayenne, or add a minced chipotle in adobo for heat and extra smoke.
- Gluten-free: check the Worcestershire label, since some brands use malt vinegar made from barley.
Make ahead & storage
Once cool, it keeps up to 2 weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge. Pour what you need for basting into a separate bowl and throw out any that's left, so a brush that touched raw meat never goes back into the jar.
