Dehydrator Barbecue Sauce

This barbecue sauce is built for the pantry. Dehydrated onions and bell peppers rehydrate and break down during a long, slow simmer with ketchup, honey, white wine, Worcestershire, vinegar, and liquid smoke. The result is a thick, complex Cajun-leaning sauce with sweet, smoky, and tangy layers.

Letting the dried ingredients soak in water before adding the wine and wet ingredients gives them a head start on rehydrating. Skip this step and you’ll end up with crunchy onion bits in an otherwise smooth sauce.

The several-hour cook time is doing real work here. It melds the sharp edges of the vinegar and hot sauce into the sweetness of the honey and ketchup, creating a sauce that tastes like it’s been tended over a fire all day.

Kitchen Tips

• Soak the dehydrated vegetables for at least 15-20 minutes before adding the rest. They need time to soften fully.
• Cook covered on low heat. Uncovered simmering reduces the sauce too fast and concentrates the salt.
• The mint is unusual in a BBQ sauce but adds a subtle herbal note that lifts the whole thing. Don’t skip it.
• This makes a large batch. It keeps well in the fridge for a couple weeks or freezes for months.

Variations

• Add smoked paprika for even deeper smoke flavor alongside the liquid smoke.
• Swap white wine for dark beer for a maltier, richer base.
• Stir in a tablespoon of molasses for a darker, Kansas City-style sweetness.