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Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Easy homemade barbecue sauce recipe sweetened with pure maple syrup and molasses. This Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce is amazing for all grilling adventures!

Just.yum.

Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce - a refined-sugar free, easy recipe that can be made in just 30 minutes!

Is it too early to talk about barbecue sauce?

Forgive me if I’m jumping the gun on barbecue season, but over here in No Winter’s Land, it’s been grilling weather for 88% of the winter.

Plus, BBQ season is more of a state of being than an actual season, yes? As in, we can grill any time we dang well please, am I right??

I’m just going to come out and say it: best barbecue sauce I ever did make right here.

You’d never know this sauce is naturally sweetened and way better for you than store-bought sauce, because it’s such a magnificent balance of sweet/spicy/smoky/whiskey.

Zero sugar, zero corn syrup, no weird food coloring. Quick note to my gluten-free friends: this isn’t technically gluten-free on account of the whiskey, but you can omit the booze and still end up with a stellar sauce.

 Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce - a refined-sugar free, easy recipe that can be made in just 30 minutes!

I will say, this sauce requires a million ingredients (okay, not a million, but more than I would like), but you probably have every last one of them already.

How to Make Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce:

My favorite part about making this sauce is it’s a one-stepper. One.and.done. All’s you do is toss the million ingredients into a saucepan and let that sucker simmer for 20 to 30 minutes (or a little longer if you’re a real go-getter).

 Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce - a refined-sugar free, easy recipe that can be made in just 30 minutes!

What this level of convenience means for procrastinators like me, is you can whip up this barbecue sauce right before you barbecue on a moment’s notice. BOOM insta-delicious Q.

Wanna see one of the best parts about barbecue sauce? This:

Grilled Chicken BBQ Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Leftover grilled chicken bbq grilled cheese sandos are just too legit for words.

My vegetarian friends: black beans were made for barbecue sauce! Over and out.

2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce 1/4 cup tomato paste ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons brown mustard 1/4 cup molasses ⅓ cup maple syrup ¼ cup worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons liquid smoke 1-½ teaspoons paprika ½ teaspoon ground cumin ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, optional 3 tablespoons bourbon

Put this sauce to great use! Here are some recipes from The Roasted Root you can incorporate it into:

Please make this.

My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!

If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!

Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce - a refined-sugar free, easy recipe that can be made in just 30 minutes!

Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Easy naturally sweetened barbecue sauce recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
3 cups of sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup vegan worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons liquid smoke, see note*
  • 1-½ teaspoons paprika
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, optional
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients except for the whiskey to a large saucepan. Whisk to combine and heat over medium. Bring to a full (but controlled) boil. Reduce the heat and allow sauce to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes, until thick.
  • Add the whiskey and continue cooking another 5 minutes.
  • Remove saucepan from heat and allow it to cool. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Transfer sauce to a sealable container and refrigerate until ready to use. Sauce will keep for up to 3 weeks.
  • Use as a meat marinade or for drizzling on all the foods ever.

Notes

*You can omit the liquid smoke and replace it and the regular paprika with smoked paprika.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 cup - Calories: 77kcal - Carbohydrates: 15g - Protein: 1g - Fiber: 1g - Sugar: 12g
Course: Salsas, Sauces, Spreads, Dips, & Dressings
Cuisine: American
Keyword: barbecue, bbq, bourbon, homemade bbq sauce
Servings: 3 cups of sauce
Calories: 77kcal
Author: Julia
Recipe Rating




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Matt

Thursday 31st of December 2020

I need to try this when i have all of the ingredients. I had to substitute white sugar for molasses and i used smoked maple syrup. It is fabulous.

Julia

Saturday 2nd of January 2021

Oooh that sounds fabulous! Thanks for letting me know, Matt!

Katie

Sunday 2nd of August 2020

Would this recipe work for canning?

Laurie

Monday 4th of May 2020

Can this recipe be water bathed to make it shelf stable?? If so, directions please! Many thanks. We make and sell hundreds of gallons of pure maple syrup every year!

Robert David

Friday 5th of July 2019

This BBQ sauce is EASY and fast to make and goes really well with grilled tofu, portabello nd summer squash.

Julia

Saturday 6th of July 2019

That's one of my favorite parts about the recipe - it's just so simple! Thanks so much for the feedback, Robert! xo :D

William J Hornby

Wednesday 29th of May 2019

Here’s hoping this sauce is the bees knees. I am entertaining a lady and want to impress her with my ribs! Also Hoping she enjoys my other anatomical features, as well. She hates ketchup! Loves Bourbon, and adores Maple Syrup. The plan is for a dry rub Memphis style marinade with your sauce on the side. The other side will be occupied by Uncle Bill’s Eggy Potato salad, and Big Bellied Bertha’s Baked Beans. Cocktails feature Bourbon Lemonade and Mint Julips

Julia

Thursday 30th of May 2019

Thanks for the great chuckle, William! I hope you and your lady enjoyed the sauce and that certain anatomical features were enjoyed by the two of your as well :D BTW, the meal you laid out sounds absolutely incredible! I hope your woman knows how lucky she is! xo

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