February 5, 2012

Lip Smackin' Homemade BBQ Sauce

Since Lil-J started his gluten-free diet last summer, one of the biggest challenges we've had in our home is supplementing convenient condiments.  When cooking meat for him, we will use homemade spice mixes, but I always feel guilty when giving him ribs or chicken without BBQ sauce.  Unfortunately, almost all store-bought BBQ sauce contains malt vinegar.  Malt (made from barley) contains gluten.  And for some reason, malt and malt vinegar is in ALMOST EVERYTHING!!!  AHHHH!

Yesterday, while barbequing chicken for dinner, I decided to try out my own homemade BBQ sauce.  I started searching online, checking out numerous recipes from numerous websites.  After about the 20th recipe, I got the gist of the basic ingredients of a successful homemade BBQ sauce.  I then got to work concocting my own creation, to finger-licking, lip-smackin' results!

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (you can substitite with any vinegar)
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp yellow or dijon mustard
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:
  1. Blend all ingredients until the sauce is smooth.  Yeilds approximately 500mL.
  2. Brush sauce over any meat, 5 minutes before removing the meat from the grill.
  3. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.  I can guarantee it won't last that long, though!


I always looked forward to eating BBQ growing up - my dad always made the best homemade BBQ sauce.  I can't wait for him to try mine, I think he'll be impressed!  Try it yourself and you just may never buy store-bought BBQ sauce again!


TIPS:
1. Save empty store-bought BBQ sauce bottles.  Wash and dry thoroughly, and you will have the perfect bottle for your own homemade BBQ sauce.
2. Play around with the ingredients - that's how I developed my own recipe!  Add more molasses for sweetness, some HP Sauce for a smoky flavour, or more dry spices for a zesty flavour.
3. If you're not concerned about gluten, add 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce to the mix.  Delish!



DISCLAIMER: Not all food products used in this recipe are certified "Gluten Free". I do, however, causiously check all food labels and Brand websites before making my gluten free desserts. If you have gluten allergy concerns,
I suggest you do the same.

2 comments:

Ella Pretty Blog said...

I had no idea that malt vinegar was so widely used - how frustrating for a gluten-free diet!
I love being able to make home-made versions of food we're not able to eat from outside due to ingredients (i.e. like making our own version of Vietnamese Banh Me - with chicken instead of pork). Your son must have been so excited to have BBQ sauce again!

Shauna MacKenzie said...

It is very frustrating. On the other hand, my little man's GF diet has forced us to create our own recipes for many foods, including condiments. It takes a lot of effort but I'm sure the changes are better for our family in the long run! It's great that you do the same!