As I mentioned a month ago, thanks to one of my regular blog reads, October Farm, I gave making my own BBQ sauce a try. My first take came out a little too spicy for us.

Don’t get me wrong. We liked it. Everyone we served it to liked it. It worked well on both chicken and beef in our taste tests. But, it was just this side of too much heat for everyday fare.

This version, has less heat, uses less ingredients, and manages to be finger licking good nonetheless.

2T olive oil
1 large onion – chopped in food processor
2 T. chili powder
4 T. garlic powder
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup yellow mustard
3/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
1.5 cup brown sugar
1 tsp hot sauce

Saute onions in oil until soft. Add spices and stir to coat.

Add remaining ingredients and blend well.

Simmer on low for at least an hour to allow tomatoes to lose their raw taste and for other flavors to meld.

But I hear you asking why I would bother.

For one, it allows me to control the ingredients in the food I serve my family. It eliminates all the artificial flavors, preservatives, and other chemicals inherent in bottled BBQ sauce.

But, while my recipe includes sugar, it allows me to eliminate the high fructose corn syrup that ranks so high on the ingredient list of the brands I would otherwise find myself buying. And while the jury is out on exactly how harmful HFCS actually is, I am simply trying to eat food that my ancestors would recognize. Simply put, I am slowly eliminating all the processed foods that my family eats.

If you are making this in preparation for a bar-b-que, consider also making some baked beans (or even our GERD friendly beans), chickpea salad, and our tomato salad.

Making my own BBQ sauce (and eventually my own ketchup) is just one step on that journey.

Blessings

Jia

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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