Jack's Barbecue Sauce

This barbecue sauce is a slow-simmered heavyweight. Ketchup forms the base, but it’s the maple syrup and a full cup of butter that give it a glossy, velvety body that clings to grilled meats like a lacquer.

English mustard brings a sharper heat than the yellow stuff, and it holds up through the long simmer without fading. Worcestershire and lemon juice add layers of tang, while a bay leaf and half an onion (fished out at the end) give backbone flavor without leaving chunks behind.

The hour-long simmer is where everything concentrates. The sauce reduces and thickens, the butter emulsifies into the ketchup base, and all those flavors fuse into something way more complex than any bottle you’d grab off the shelf. The kitchen smells incredible the whole time.

Kitchen Tips

• Keep the heat low after bringing to a boil. A lazy simmer prevents scorching and caramelizes the sugars slowly for a deeper color.
• Leave the onion half intact so it’s easy to pull out. If you dice it, you’ll need to strain the whole batch.
• Stir every 10 minutes or so. The sugars in the maple syrup and ketchup can stick to the bottom.
• This sauce freezes well for up to 3 months.

Variations

• Add a few tablespoons of bourbon or whiskey in the last 15 minutes for a boozy, smoky depth.
• Swap maple syrup for dark molasses for a thicker, more robust Kansas City-style sauce.
• Throw in chipotle peppers in adobo for a smoky, spicy kick.