Barbecue Sauce with a Little Sweetness

It's that time when grills are heating up and burgers are being flipped ... in other words ... it's barbecue time!  (Of course in my world, it also means it's time to get out the bug repellent, as I am the original mosquito magnet.)

I'm not a fan of real spicy or very hot food, so I prefer a sweeter barbecue sauce on my ribs. If you read the labels of most store-bought sauce, you will find the first ingredient to be high fructose corn syrup. Since food ingredients are labeled in order of highest to lowest in terms of quantities used, this means these sauces are made up mostly of high fructose corn syrup, yuck!

I love this sauce, it is easy to make ... most ingredients are likely to be already in the kitchen. It just takes a little time to cook everything down into a nice thick sauce. For a less sweet sauce, simply cut the amount of sugar.

Barbecue Sauce

• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup light-brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup apple-cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon barbecue seasoning

Barbecue Sauce with a Little Sweetness

Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot or a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Reduce the temperature to very low and simmer, uncovered, for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat, cool, and use as needed. Store in a tightly sealed container, this sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 2 months.