Barbecue Sauce
There is nothing more beautiful than the scent of a good barbecue sauce. It’s smouldering for the soul and quite primal. Made with love, time and stellar ingredients, a good barbecue sauce indicates a nerdy attention to detail, a heady mix of spices, and the balance of sweet, hot and smoky flavours.
This is spoonable joy and can be applied to so many dishes. To think of barbecue and only think of meat dishes is reductive. While it's glorious slow-cooked into oblivion with beef, pork or chicken, it is a wonderful bedfellow for grains and tubers.
Makes 1 litre (4 cups/ 34 fl oz).
Ingredients 20
1⁄2 tbsp fennel seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant, roughly ground
1⁄2 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant, then roughly ground
1⁄2 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant, roughly ground
1⁄2 tbsp celery seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant, roughly ground
1⁄2 tbsp mustard seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant, then roughly ground
1⁄2 tbsp black peppercorns, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant, then roughly ground
1 white onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
125 ml apple juice
125 ml apple cider vinegar
125 ml honey mustard
125 ml blackstrap molasses
125 ml maple syrup
200 g tinned tomato, chopped
150 g apricot jam, excellent-quality
70 g tomato paste, concentrated purée
1 chipotle in adobo
salt, to season
black pepper, freshly ground, to season
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Method 6
Add the toasted , , , , , , chopped , and to a food processor. Blitz until you have a paste-like mixture; not completely pulverised, but a wet-style blend.
Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the and, once shimmering, add the onion spice mix and cook, stirring regularly, for at least 10–15 minutes. You want the onion component to be thoroughly cooked through to ensure it doesn’t taint your final sauce with a weird raw onion flavour.
Add the , , , , , , , , and . Turn the heat to low.
Simmer, stirring regularly to prevent catching, for at least 30 minutes. The sauce should thicken and develop sweet, woody, smoky, and herbaceous flavours. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Blitz the sauce with a stick blender in the pot, then pass it through a strainer for a smooth, silky texture.
Pour into sterilised bottles or jars. Once cool, store in the fridge for up to 6 months.
