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4.93 from 14 votes

Bourbon Honey BBQ Sauce

A deliciously sweet and tangy homemade bourbon and honey BBQ sauce for the grill, dips, pizzas and more!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Sauces
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bourbon bbq sauce, healthy bbq sauce, honey bbq sauce
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 133kcal
Author: Erin
Cost: $0.65

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil or other oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic crushed, minced
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice optional
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • ½ cup molasses
  • 2 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoon brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper swap with ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper for spicier BBQ sauce
  • ½ cup bourbon

Instructions

  • In a small pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium high heat.
  • Add 2-3 cloves of minced garlic and 1 minced shallot and sauté until shallot becomes translucent.
  • Add the onion powder (1 tsp), smoked paprika (½ tsp), sweet paprika (1 tsp), allspice (¼ tsp), and a 6 ounce can of tomato paste and sauté for about 2 minutes until spices darken in color and become fragrant.
  • Pour in bourbon and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan.
  • Reduce heat to medium and add molasses (½ cup), honey (2 tbsp), apple cider vinegar (⅓ cup), soy sauce (1 tbsp) and salt (2 tsp) and pepper (⅛ tsp). Stir and cook on a low simmer for 25-35 minutes (or up to 2 hours on low to remove all traces of alcohol).
  • If desired, use an immersion blender in the pot, or run through another blender for a few pulses until onion and garlic bits are no longer visible and sauce is smooth; but this is just optional so do according to your personal preference. The garlic and onion bits are great left as is, for a basting sauce on your favorite grill item!
  • Store in a jar or container with a lid in the fridge for up to one month and use a dipping sauce, a grilling sauce, pizza sauce or anywhere you would use barbecue sauce.

Notes

  1. For a less sweet sauce, omit the brown sugar completely.
  2. Soy sauce can be substituted with Worcestershire. 
  3. For a spicier kick, substitute the black pepper for cayenne pepper.
  4. Sauce must be simmered high enough that liquid evaporates (along with alcohol) and the sauce can thicken up. 
  5. If the sauce isn't thickening, increase the heat incrementally until the liquid evaporates more quickly. 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 591mg | Potassium: 385mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 339IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg