Kansas City Style Sweet and Smoky Barbecue Sauce

This is one of the simplest and best barbecue sauces you can make. This sauce follows in the traditions of sauces created in the kitchens of Kansas City for decades. It has a thick sweet, smoky flavor that goes great with ribs. This is a recipe from Steven Raichlen’s book Raichlen’s Indoor! Grilling.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Place the all the ingredients in a heavy nonreactive saucepan and whisk to mix.
2. Slowly bring sauce to a boil over medium heat. Let the sauce simmer gently until thick and richly flavoured, about 10-20 minutes, whisking several times.
3. Taste for seasoning, adding more of any of the ingredients you may desire.
4. Transfer the hot sauce to glass jars. Tightly cover the jar and let the sauce cool to room temperature.
5. Once the jar is opened, refrigerate the sauce; it will keep for several months.

3 cups