Barbecue sauce

This is my favorite barbecue sauce recipe. It comes from the cookbook for the old River Run restaurant in Plainfield, Vermont.

• 15 oz. ketchup (1 1/2 c.)
• 4.0 oz. cider vinegar (1/2 c.)
• 0.64 oz. Worcestershire sauce (2 tbsp.)
• 0.25 oz. dry mustard or ground mustard seed (2 tsp.)
• 0.10 oz. freshly ground black pepper (1 tsp.)
• 0.06 oz. cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp.)
• 0.06 oz. chili powder (1/2 tsp.)
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• small amount of medium onion, minced (2 tbsp.)
• 3.0 oz. water
• 2.6 oz. light brown sugar (3/8 of a cup)

I make the sauce in a small saucepan. The best way to measure out the ketchup, vinegar, water and brown sugar is to just put the saucepan on the scale:

The minced garlic and onion:

Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat stirring frequently. Reduce the heat and simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally (every 15 minutes or so).

My stove is incapable of making low heat, so I use my induction hot plate which works great for simmering sauces.

The sauce should only be kept for a week or two in the refrigerator but it can be frozen. I put 2.0 oz. in these tiny 4 oz. freezer-safe jelly jars and freeze them so I can just grab a jar out of the freezer when I need some barbecue sauce.

For a large (4.6 lb.) package of ribs, it takes about 5 oz. of barbecue sauce, so it might be a good idea to make a few larger packages, too.

The recipe is scaled from the excellent River Run Cookbook by Jimmy and Maya Kennedy and Marialisa Calta, pp. 195 - 196. I added additional cayenne and chili powder to make it a little spicier.