BBQ Sauce & Ribs

 

I love BBQ sauce and have collected several recipes to make my own over the last two years but for one reason or another I just never got around to actually making it.  Last weekend I bought some ribs at the grocery and thought I would try my own sauce. I had a bottle of store bought waiting in the pantry incase mine failed. 

I'm a sweet BBQ sauce girl, I like my sauce thick and sweet and a little smoky but not too much. When I found  Erica Lea's version I thought it was the perfect first-time homemade sauce to try. I didn't have liquid smoke which the original recipe calls for and like I said, I don't love a super smokey sauce so I just left that out. I also heated my sauce so it could reduce and thicken a bit, plus I really like my sauce to be warm.

I love this sauce and will be making more of it. The ribs turned out great and I cannot wait to make them again. Previously I made my ribs in the oven but this time the crock pot did all the work and the results were probably better, in my opinion. The meat was super tender and fell right off the bone which is how I like my ribs. Next time you want some BBQ, make your own sauce. It's really easy and I liked this sauce a little better than the bottled stuff I normally buy.

BBQ Sauce 

Adapted From: Cooking for Seven

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 (6 oz.) Can Tomato Paste

1 Cup Maple Syrup

1/4 Cup & 2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

1 1/2 Tablespoons Onion Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

3/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat over medium low heat until warm.

For the ribs:

I purchased one package of spare ribs and cut them into 4 servings of 4 ribs each. I placed them in the crock pot and cooked on low for 4-5 hours. Then I poured 1 cup of the BBQ sauce over the ribs and cooked 1 more hour. When serving, I like to brush extra sauce on my ribs but that's my personal preference.

This recipe can easily be doubled and you can give your friends and family some sauce. Is there anything better than a homemade gift? Not in my opinion!

Do you have a favorite BBQ sauce?