Homemade Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Okay, so this isn't a baked good. It isn't even a dessert. I'm totally off the rails today! But trust me. It's well worth deviating from the baking norm just this once.

I don’t think there’s a meat on this planet that wouldn’t benefit from a little BBQ sauce. I could probably put BBQ sauce on nearly everything and be content. Meat, potatoes, pizza—all my favorite food groups. At this very moment, I have no less than 5 bottles of it in my pantry (no joke). But sadly, those bottles might just sit there forever, because I’ve found the ultimate, never-eat-bottled-stuff-again BBQ sauce. Sticky, sweet, and spicy—this Honey Chipotle BBQ is my new favorite use-on-everything sauce.

I made it for BBQ Chicken Pizza months ago, and Boyfriend nearly lost his mind (not really). He kept asking me to make more so he could use it on everything he cooked. I finally made him his very own jar and gave it to him as a Christmas gift. (See? Reigning supreme as the Queen of Lame Presents.) That pint of BBQ sauce was gone within about a week. I still have a tiny bit of my own jar hanging out in my fridge, but I’ve been craving BBQ Chicken Pizza again, and I knew there wouldn’t be enough. Time to whip up some more.

You probably have everything you need already in your kitchen.

Sauté the garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil for about 30 seconds until fragrant and lightly browned, and then add the rest of the ingredients. Bring it up to a simmer, turn the heat down to low and let everything get well acquainted for about 20 minutes. You’ll have yourself a beautiful dark spicy BBQ sauce in less time than it’d take to head to the store.

Fair warning: This sauce has kick to it. If spice isn’t your thing, go ahead and cut back on the chipotle and cayenne. It’ll still be amazing.

 Later in the week I'll show you my favorite way to use this yummy sauce, so check back!

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Homemade Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Adapted from Crumb
Makes about 2 cups



4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cups ketchup
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup honey
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons molasses
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 to 3 teaspoons chipotle powder (depending on how spicy you want it)
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, sauté the garlic in the oil for about 30 seconds until fragrant and lightly browned. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring mixture to a simmer, and then reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
2. Remove from heat. Sauce should be thick and sticky. It will continue to thicken as it cools, so if sauce seems too thick, add a bit of water, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches desired consistency. With a fine mesh strainer, strain sauce into a pint sized jar, discarding the garlic pieces. (Or you can use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the sauce until smooth before pouring into the jar.) Store in refrigerator.