Give BBQ Sauce A Smoky Maple Lift With A Splash Of This Bourbon

BBQ sauce is extremely versatile. Armed with sweet, spicy, and tangy notes, its utility is not restricted to evenings spent grilling meat. It might be designed for basting and marinating meats, but it works just as well in stews, sandwiches, and even in a salad dressing. This versatility also means that many ingredients can be included in it, too, depending on the flavor profile you're looking for. For example, incorporating a few splashes of Knob Creek Smoked Maple Bourbon into the mix will give a simple barbecue sauce recipe a smoky lift.

Knob Creek's smoked maple offering is a smooth, smoky and slightly sweet bourbon with full-bodied maple notes as well as hints of rich vanilla and caramel. It has an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 45%, which means it needs to be incorporated in the barbecue sauce at the cooking stage, as opposed to just stirring it into a store-bought version of the condiment.

The good news is that barbecue sauce is easy to make from scratch. All you need to do is mix tomato ketchup, white wine vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, honey, and vegetable oil in a saucepan and cook it for a few minutes. Then to take your sauce to the next level, just add in a few splashes of Knob Creek Smoked Maple Bourbon to the mix. Make sure you bring it to a boil, and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. This is enough time for the sauce to incorporate flavors of smoky maple while burning off the alcohol.

You'll find that the bold, punchy flavors of your smoked maple bourbon barbecue sauce will pair especially well with food on the meatier side of the spectrum, from steak sandwiches to briskets and meatballs. When it comes to grilling, here's a key tip. Water the sauce down to ensure that it caramelizes beautifully without burning. Also, depending on what meat you're working with, when and how you add your sauce matters. This guide on the best time to add BBQ sauce to pork, beef, and chicken will get you started.

But don't just stop at adding Knob Creek bourbon. Barbecue sauces lend themselves brilliantly to experiments. The bolder the better. For example, if you don't have Knob Creek Maple Bourbon handy, you could use two ingredients to replace it. A store-bought maple syrup and a few splashes of Jim Beam or any other bourbon from your bar. The key is to find the right balance between the three main flavor profiles in play — sweet, tangy and spicy — and then adding an oomph factor by bumping up the ones you want to amplify.

Maple syrup, for example, just adds a new dimension to the sweetness that is usually provided by brown sugar or molasses. You could use pineapple or apple juice if you want to give your barbecue sauce fruity undertones. Raid your spice cabinet to add heat and nuance. Extra smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper can all add depth and spice. Incidentally, you can also use small tricks to improve store-bought sauce (some of them really do need improvement, as you can see from our ranking of 10 store-bought BBQ sauces). And once you hit upon the perfect formula, note it down and call it your Secret BBQ Sauce!