Maple Syrup Barbecue Sauce

This is a great recipe for a thick, sweet, barbecue sauce with a fantastic flavor. It is the perfect condiment for grilled pork and poultry, or for pulled pork. 

Don’t get deterred by the ingredient list for this homemade barbecue sauce. After gathering the ingredients, the sauce is a cinch to make. All it takes is a 15-minute simmer on the stovetop and stirring.

Although there are lots of choices for store-bought barbecue sauce, there’s several good reasons for making your own. You know exactly what’s in the sauce, whether it’s the amount of sugar and salt content, allergens, or additives and preservatives. Also, some barbecue sauces are made with high-fructose corn syrup and homemade barbecue sauce is the surest way to avoid it. 

One of the basic ingredients in American barbecue sauce is ketchup. Choosing low-sugar ketchup or a ketchup with no sugar added gives you an opportunity to cut down on the sugar. The other two sweeteners in this recipe are maple syrup and brown sugar, both of which give the sauce its deep, caramelized flavor. 

Unlike other barbecue recipes that use apple cider vinegar, this sauce is made with lemon juice. The lemon zest provides additional zing. 

There is very low salt in this sauce, unlike store-bought barbecue sauces, which are high in sodium. 

The consistency of this sauce depends on how finely you chop the onions, the finer the better. If you prefer the barbecue entirely smooth, you can puree it afterwards. 

The sauce keeps for up to one months in the fridge but if you don’t need a full batch—the recipe makes about 4 cups—you can also make half. When you take the sauce out of the fridge, it will be quite thick at first. Leave it on the kitchen counter to come to room temperature, or briefly reheat the needed amount in the microwave, just long enough to liquify it without burning it.