Whiskey & Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

There are few sauces I enjoy making more than homemade barbecue sauce. Sure it's not as fancy or chic as The Classic French Sauces, like Beurre Blanc or Demi-Glace, but it's as delicious a sauce as they come. What I love most about a good barbecue sauce is that it will hit on all the types of flavours at once: sweet, salty, sour, spicy, bitter and umami. Making a good barbecue sauce is a true balancing act.
       This barbecue sauce packs a nice spicy kick thanks to the chipotle peppers, but is balanced out by a supporting cast of ingredients. Brown sugar brings the sweet, red wine vinegar the tang, and a healthy dose of whiskey adds a nice bitter edge. The key to working with spirits in a sauce is to add a little at the beginning of the cooking process as well as a little at the end. You want to add most at the beginning so that the alcohol will burn off and the flavour will mellow, but you also want to add a splash at the end to bring back that raw whiskey flavour. 
       This whiskey & chipotle bbq sauce is really versatile and works for any recipe where you want a spicy kick, weither it's chicken, pork or beef. The first dish that I made with it was grilled pork chops with a corn salsa and it turned out great. I'll be posting a recipe for that dish soon.

     I guarantee you that once you try making your first homemade barbecue sauce, you will be anxious to go back and try another recipe. If you have already tried your hand at making homemade bbq, hopefully this is one that you can add to your repertoire. There are so many variations to try: lime & ginger, mango chili, even dark chocolate. My signature recipe is smoked maple syrup. I may post the recipe for that one soon, but for now it is a closely guarded secret! If there is any barbecue sauce recipe that you would like to see me post in the future, just make a request in the comments section.

Prep time: 10 minutes. Cooking time 20 minutes. Makes 500ml

Ingredients

 1L         (4 cups)           canned tomatoes
 125 ml  (1/2 cup)          chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
 250 ml  (1 cup)             chopped onions
                     4               cloves garlic
155ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbs) whiskey
 60 ml (1/4 cup)             red wine vinegar
 30 ml (2tbs)                  worchestershire
 30ml  (2tbs)                  djion mustard  
250 ml (1 cup)               brown sugar
             2 tbs                 vegetable oil            



1. Heat 2 tbs vegetable oil in a sauce pot and then add the onions. Allow the onions to brown ( about 5 minutes) and then deglaze with a 1/4 cup water. Continue browning the onions for a further 5 minutes and then add the garlic. Stir constantly and then add 125ml (1/2 cup) whiskey. Be careful when you add the whiskey because it will probably ignite, causing a very big flame.



2. Add the vinegar and sugar and let reduce until the mix is syrupy.

3. Add the tomatoes, djion mustard & chipotle pepper and let simmer gently for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and then puree with a blender. Stir in 2 tablespoons whiskey. Homemade barbecue sauce will keep for up to one month in the fridge.