Bourbon-Coffee BBQ Sauce
Step up your summer grilling game with this bourbon-coffee BBQ sauce! Spicy, smoky and complex with a boozy punch, this homemade BBQ sauce perfectly complements any grilled meat. After one taste, I have no doubt this will become your new favorite BBQ sauce.
Servings 24 servings
Calories 40kcal
Equipment
- Medium-size saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) tomato sauce can
- 1 (6-ounce) tomato paste can
- 3 garlic cloves grated or minced
- ¾ cup brewed coffee preferably dark roast
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses not blackstrap
- ¼ cup real maple syrup
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder can substitute regular chili powder
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup bourbon
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, stir together the tomato sauce and paste until it becomes one cohesive mixture.
- Stir in the garlic, coffee, apple cider vinegar, molasses, maple syrup, dark brown sugar, chipotle chili powder, espresso powder, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder and salt.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until the mixture slightly thickens, stirring often to prevent burning. If necessary, you can turn down the heat but maintain a simmer. Cooking time generally takes about 15-20 minutes.
- Turn off heat. Stir in bourbon. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- For the coffee, use an actual brewed cup of coffee, not coffee grounds.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If stored properly, it should last several weeks.
- Serve at room temperature. I like to let the sauce come down to room temperature or spoon what I plan to use in a separate container and zap it in the microwave. The refrigeration chill naturally dilutes some flavors, so you'll miss out on the sauce's complexity if you serve while cold. This isn't much of a problem if you baste the sauce onto meat while grilling, but it is if you drizzle the sauce onto pulled pork or use as a dipper.
- If basting, pour a small amount of the sauce into a separate container to avoid cross contamination.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 40kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Sodium: 185mg | Sugar: 8g