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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.
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.
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).
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:
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.
Put this sauce to great use! Here are some recipes from The Roasted Root you can incorporate it into:
- Paleo Instant Pot Barbecue Pulled Pork
- BBQ Shrimp and Sweet Potato Bowls
- Barbecue Pulled Chicken Chili
- Barbecue Pulled Turkey Tostadas
- BBQ Pulled Pork Enchiladas
Please make this.
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Maple Bourbon Barbecue 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!
Can this be frozen? So good.
Hi Marion! I haven’t tried freezing the sauce, but I think it would work! I haven’t always had great success with freezing glass, so whatever you use, I’d just be sure it’s freezer-safe. xo