Today, in the spirit of rebelling against the date on the calendar, and giving in to my own desires, I tuned out the holidays, turned up the Aerosmith, and got down on some serious southern cooking.
We have to do these things sometimes. We just do. It’s good for the soul.
To make my day “off” really count, I slow roasted some ribs, made macaroni and cheese I swear will be the end of me ever fitting in my skinny jeans again, and whipped up a few other waistline destroyers I’ll be posting soon; that’s a promise. But the real highlight of my eating adventure was the sauce – it’s always the sauce. And this sauce is a star!
What makes it so special? Let’s see… chipotle peppers, pure maple syrup, a slew of spices, and a bone warming amount of good ol’ whiskey. Whiskey is a winter essential, you know.
It makes a fabulous present, too!
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably still searching for a few last minute gifts and have absolutely no desire to hit the mall… sound about right? Good news: pour this sauce into a mason jar, pop a cute bow on the top, and you’re officially a gift giving rock star. Done and done.
Chipotle Maple & Whiskey Barbecue Sauce - Baker by Nature
Makes 2 cups of sauce
Ingredients:
6 oz can of tomato paste
2 tablespoons adobe sauce from chipotle peppers
1/2 cup whiskey
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons light molasses
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons dijion mustard
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Stir all ingredients together in a large saucepan. Over medium heat bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is reduced to 2 cups, stirring often. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Oh, holy yum! I would looooove this, especially on some homemade pulled pork. Or some smoked chicken. Or, really, on anything. It looks + sounds amazing!
Holy cow. Totally drooling over this. We make homemade BBQ sauce all the time but have never added whiskey. That will change pronto. Love this! (PS – Merry Christmas!!)
Whisky was always my drink of choice back in my college days and I love the flavor booze gives to food! I also happen to ADORE barbecue sauce so this recipe is pretty much perfect for me! We cook a lot of meat in my house (lots of pork and ribs), so this recipe will fit in very nicely!!
I love everything about this – especially the mac n’ cheese part. Sounds like an awesome way to kick off the holiday weekend!
Dude. You literally put three of my favorite things into one sauce. This looks AWESOME!
I want this! When I’m in Aruba I can get this Dutch whiskey-cocktail sauce. It’s like a mayo-ish, ketchup-ish, cocktail sauce meets bbq sauce meets whiskey! in a bottle. Pretty much you just recreated it for me. Except where I think they use more creamy/mayo-base, you used tomato paste. I need this – if you’re selling, I’m buying this right off you!
Wow–this looks fantastic. I bet the whiskey adds a great touch to the flavor of the sauce. Yum!
I’ll have to try your recipe. Merry Christmas!
I want to dip approximately everything in this sauce!
wow i would be thrilled to have this as a gift! i LOVE anything bbq sauce and this sounds fabulous!
Killer flavors happening in this sauce. Wow!
I’m going to be dreaming about this sauce, it sounds amazingly delicious!
With snow on the way, you have me dreaming of my grill that is stored away until summer. I will be bookmarking this recipe for this summer. Have a wonderful Christmas.
This looks DIVINE Ashley!!!
Oh Ashley! What a great “savory” recipe on your blog today!! I love homemade BBQ sauce. I’m saving this recipe to try next year!!! Looking awesome…can’t wait to try!
I agree, I love homemade bbq sauce. I make a bourbon one (on my page) and it’s the bomb!! Your’s sounds rockin’ too!! Hope you had a great Christmas Ashley!!
Chipotle Maple sounds very intriguing but the addition of whiskey totally makes it a must-try!
I’m imagining this with pulled pork–yummm!
Wow…this sauce looks amaaazing! I think I can almost taste it. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!