Barbecue Sauce 2
Submitted by sdw
Cajun barbecue sauce with bacon, pecans, honey, and citrus blended smooth. A spicy-sweet sauce with three peppers, orange rind, and Tabasco for chicken, pork, or ribs.
YIELD
5 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minThis isn’t your squeeze-bottle barbecue sauce. Crispy bacon, roasted pecans, honey, fresh citrus rind, and a Cajun triple-pepper seasoning blend all get simmered down and blitzed in a blender. What comes out is thick, smoky-sweet, and layered with flavors you won’t find in any store-bought bottle.
The base starts with half a pound of bacon fried until crisp, then onions cooked covered in that rendered fat until dark brown. That’s 8-10 minutes of hands-off caramelization building a deep, savory backbone. The seasoning mix hits next (black pepper, white pepper, and cayenne working three different heat levels at once), followed by stock, chili sauce, and a full cup of honey.
Fresh orange and lemon rind simmer in the pot to infuse their oils, then get pulled out before blending. That citrus brightness cuts through the richness of the bacon and butter, keeping the sauce from feeling heavy.
Let the sauce cool for 30 minutes before blending. Hot liquid in a blender is a mess waiting to happen. A quick 10-15 second pulse chops the bacon and pecans fine while keeping some texture.
Pro Tips
- Don’t skip browning the onions deeply. Light golden onions make a completely different (and blander) sauce.
- The pecans thicken the sauce when blended. For a thinner consistency, add a splash more stock after processing.
- This makes about 5 cups. Keeps well in the fridge for up to two weeks or freeze in portions for months.
- Use pork stock if you have it for the most rounded flavor, but chicken stock works fine.
Variations
- Bourbon version: Add 2 tablespoons of bourbon with the stock for a smoky-sweet depth.
- Milder heat: Cut the cayenne in half and skip the Tabasco if you’re serving kids or heat-sensitive folks.
- Peach swap: Replace the honey with peach preserves for a fruity Southern spin.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
In a 2-quart saucepan fry the bacon over high heat until crisp.
Stir in the onions, cover pan, and continue cooking until onions are dark brown, but not burned, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the seasoning mix and cook about 1 minute.
Add the stock, chili sauce, honey, pecans, orange juice, lemon juice, orange and lemon rinds and pulp, garlic, and Tobasco, stirring well.
Reduce heat to low; continue cooking about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove orange and lemon rinds.
Continue cooking and stirring about 15 minutes more to let the flavors marry.
Add the butter and stir until melted.
Remove from heat. Let cool about 30 minutes, then pour into a food processor or blender and process until pecans and bacon are finely chopped, about 10 to 15 seconds.
This sauce may be used to barbecue chicken, pork or ribs.
Makes about 5 Cups.
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