Tracy’s Barbecue Sauce

I only met her once, but it was an important encounter. Tracy is a friend of a friend, and I can only remember one thing we talked about. She was funny and engaging and left an impression on me that I will never forget; however, I probably wouldn’t recognize her if she walked past me on the street. It was at a party, outdoors on a beautiful May afternoon. We’d both probably had a drink or two. And then it was over. Everyone took their family and children home from the baby shower, and I never saw Tracy again.

She must have brought a dish with barbecue sauce to share at the party – chicken or ribs perhaps. We got to talking about it and she explained that she made her own sauce. “Why bother buying the store-bought stuff? It’s too sweet and gloopy. It’s filled with chemicals, and you can make your own with ingredients that are probably sitting in your refrigerator and pantry right now. It’ll be way better.”

I walked away from the party that day with the recipe for Tracy’s barbecue sauce, and I’ve never looked back. I used to buy barbecue sauce in a bottle, but no more. Tracy was right. Thank you wherever you are.

Tracy’s Barbecue Sauce

This barbecue sauce is perfect on grilled chicken or ribs and sometimes I use it to make barbecue chicken sliders if I’ve got leftover roast chicken. I like that you can modify the recipe for your tastes; you can vary the level of sweetness or tang if you like, by adding more or less sugar or vinegar, and if you want your barbecue spicy, by all means add more hot sauce or even some cayenne pepper.

Meat should never be marinated in barbecue sauce before grilling, unless it is sliced very thin. The sugars in the sauce will burn to a black crisp before the meat is cooked through. Rather, cook your meat until it is almost done, brushing on the barbecue sauce and flipping frequently during the last 10 minutes of cooking. This will give the sauce enough time to adhere to the meat and caramelize in spots, without burning.

This barbecue sauce does have a relatively thin consistency. If you like your sauce more viscous, cook it down for a few minutes in a small saucepan before using. The recipe calls for season salt, which I have never added, mainly because I don’t have it in my spice cabinet. Since season salt usually contains MSG, it probably adds a bit of umami or savoriness to the flavor. However, it is delicious without it.

Makes about 1½ cups, 5 minutes

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. paprika

1 tsp. season salt

¼ tsp. garlic powder

10 drops hot sauce, such as Tabasco

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsp. olive oil

3 Tbsp. cider vinegar

½ cup ketchup

½ cup water

1. Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together.
2. To thicken, if desired, add sauce to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat, stir frequently, and reduce to desired consistency.

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