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Whiskey BBQ Sauce

June 23, 2020 by Lyuba Leave a Comment

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This sweet onion whiskey BBQ sauce is fantastic on ribs, burgers, and sandwiches. It’s easy to make with caramelized onions and your favorite whiskey. Whiskey adds a nice flavor touch and balances well with sweet and spicy BBQ sauce.

long glass jar filled with whiskey bbq sauce

WHISKEY BBQ SAUCE

This BBQ sauce is great for anyone who is a whiskey fan. Or, if you just like to try difference types of BBQ sauce, definitely put it on the list.

My husband loves bourbon, so I thought it would be a nice touch to make a sauce with it and slather it over some smoked ribs or pulled pork. Although we prefer our ribs simple, coated with dry rub only, it’s a nice change of pace to add some sauce. If you enjoy your ribs with BBQ sauce on top, this sauce is a great compliment to pork.

I highly recommend using your favorite whiskey to make this recipe. There is almost a cup of whiskey in it, so you will want it to taste the best. Whether you prefer bourbon, rye whiskey, Irish whiskey, or any other, cook with what you love.

pouring whiskey from a measuring cup into a pot with cooked onions

HOW TO MAKE IT

Onions – slice a large sweet onion thinly and cook it over medium-low heat with a little oil, salt, and sugar. It will take about 15 minutes to cook slowly but you want it to caramelize so the sauce has that extra flavor.

Add whiskey – raise the heat to medium and pour in whiskey. Simmer it for 2-3 minutes and then add remaining ingredients.

Cook – lower the heat back to medium-low and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often.

Blend – take the pot off heat to blend the sauce. You can use either an immersion blender or transfer the mixture into a standing blender or food processor.

pouring tomato sauce into the pot with other ingredients

STORING INSTRUCTIONS

Make sure to cool the sauce down before storing!

Store the sauce in the refrigerator, in a glass jar or another food storage container with an air-tight lid. Stored properly, it should last for 7-10 days.

Can I freeze homemade BBQ sauce?

Yes, you can freeze this sauce. This is actually a pretty big batch of sauce so unless you’re planning on a large party, you can freeze part of it. Just note that the quality won’t be as good once thawed. I would recommend using thawed sauce mixed in cooked dishes like pulled meats, rather than as a dip or coating on wings and ribs.

To freeze it, transfer cooled sauce into a freezer zip-lock bag and get as much air out as you can. Close it tight, label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen sauce overnight in the refrigerator.

blending the sauce in a pot with an immersion blender

BEST WAYS TO USE IT

We already talked about ribs, but..ribs! It’s great with pork so mix it into your smoked pulled pork.

Brush it onto grilled chicken or toss chicken wings with some sauce. Both grilled chicken wings and smoked chicken wings will be good.

Even when you’re making slow cooked chicken to shred, mix it in with some BBQ sauce for tacos and sandwiches.

Of course, you can always pour some sauce over the burgers and other sandwiches. If you haven’t tried hot dogs with BBQ sauce yet, you’re missing out!

spoonful of bbq sauce near a metal pot of sauce

SOME MORE SAUCES TO TRY

My husband and I love BBQ sauces so I make quite a few of them. One of our favorite ones is still the White BBQ Sauce, which we slather on all kinds of chicken.

And of course, you can’t go wrong with the classics like the all purpose BBQ Sauce or Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce.

stirring a bowl of bbq sauce with a whisk

If you made any of my recipes and shared them on Instagram, make sure to tag me @grillingsmokingliving and #grillingsmokingliving so I can see all the things you tried!

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Whiskey BBQ Sauce

This sweet onion whiskey BBQ sauce is fantastic on ribs, burgers, and sandwiches. It’s easy to make with caramelized onions and your favorite whiskey. 
Print Recipe
CourseMain Course, Sauce
CuisineAmerican
KeywordBBQ sauce
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Servings13 (Makes about 26 oz.)
Calories111kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet onion
  • 1-2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tsp white granulated sugar
  • salt
  • 3/4 cups whiskey
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed and minced
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 16 oz tomato sauce
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Slice a large sweet onion thinly.
  • Preheat a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat with a little oil. Add onions, salt, and sugar. Mix and cook for about 15 minutes, until onions caramelize and brown.
  • Raise the heat to medium and pour in whiskey. Simmer it for 2-3 minutes and then add remaining ingredients.
  • Lower the heat back to medium-low and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often. (You may been to loosely cover the pot with a lid so the sauce doesn't splatter.)
  • Take the pot off heat to blend the sauce. You can use either an immersion blender or transfer the mixture into a standing blender or food processor. Blend well until smooth.

Storing:

  • Cool the sauce first to room temperature and store it in the refrigerator, in a glass jar or another food storage container with an air-tight lid. Stored properly, it should last for 7-10 days.

Notes

Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have a slight variation.

Nutrition

Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 599mg | Potassium: 332mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 351IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

collage of two images of long jar with whiskey sauce on top and spoonful of sauce near a pot on the bottom

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Let's get grilling!

Welcome, everyone! I’m Lyuba Brooke, come in, grab a beer, and head to the backyard. Here, I love to grill, barbecue, and share everything I make. You will find a ton of recipes for grilling, smoking, and the sauces to dip it in.

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