Old-Fashioned Molasses Barbecue Sauce

When you’re grilling a great piece of pork or chicken, finishing it with a slather of rich, flavorful barbecue sauce is a great way to top off the meat. There are plenty of good bottled sauces on store shelves, but when you’re going the extra mile of smoking that pork or chicken low-and-slow for two or three hours, why not go the extra mile with your sauce too?

It doesn’t get any better than homemade barbecue sauce, and, as usual, the best is the simplest—in this case, kind of old-fashioned too. That’s where molasses comes in. I think molasses adds just the right amount of richness, thickness, and sweetness to result in some of the tastiest barbecue sauce anywhere—in your own kitchen, not that store shelf.

Try this sauce on some lip-smackin’ smoked baby-back ribs. Mmmmmm.

Makes about 3/4 cup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 tbsp molasses
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• sea salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 small, hot, red chile (such as Thai or a small, red serrano), finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped white onion

Preparation

1. Combine the ketchup, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard in a bowl and season with salt.

Ready to Cook

1. Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic, chile, and onion and cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to medium and add the ketchup mixture. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until thickened, 10 minutes.

Garlic Mixture Beginning to Cook 

Ketchup Mixture Added

Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature before basting pork ribs, chops, or chicken. (Or, make the sauce a day ahead, cover and refrigerate overnight, and bring to room temperature before using.)

Old-Fashioned Molasses Barbecue Sauce