Hey there! If you’re a bourbon fan like my husband, you’re going to LOVE this Sweet and Smoky Bourbon BBQ Sauce. It’s packed with rich, smoky flavors, way better than store-bought, and made with 100% natural ingredients. Plus, it’s a lot easier than it looks. Sure, it takes a bit of time, but the result is so worth it.

Why You’ll Love This Sauce

This BBQ sauce has the perfect balance of sweet, smoky, and spicy, thanks to the bourbon, molasses, and just the right amount of heat from cayenne and chili flakes. It’s thick, dark, and clings to ribs, chicken, or pulled pork like a dream. My husband would slather this on everything if he could!

Let’s dive into the recipe:

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Whole peeled tomatoes (or fresh Roma tomatoes, peeled)
• Chopped sweet yellow onion (about 1.5 large onions)
• Garlic, minced
• Packed brown sugar
• Garlic powder
• Mustard powder
• Paprika
• Cayenne pepper
• Chili flakes
• Salt
• Apple cider vinegar
• Molasses
• Bourbon (cheap bourbon works perfectly)
• Worcestershire sauce
• Liquid smoke (optional if you finish it in a smoker)

Instructions:

Step 1: Prep the Tomatoes Start by draining those canned tomatoes or peeling fresh ones. If you’re using fresh tomatoes, this step can be a bit tedious, but trust me, it’s worth it. I’ve run out of my home-canned tomatoes before and had to use store-bought, but fresh from the garden is always the best!

Step 2: Cook the Veggies In a large stockpot, heat over medium heat and throw in your tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. You want those onions nice and soft.

Step 3: Puree the Mixture Once the veggies have cooled down a bit, puree them until smooth. A food processor works best for this, but if you’ve got an immersion blender, that can work too. I find the processor gives a smoother texture.

Step 4: Add the Flavor Now, it’s time to bring out the flavor! Mix your dry spices in a small bowl: brown sugar, garlic powder, mustard powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili flakes, and salt. Add this spice mix, along with the vinegar, molasses, bourbon, Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke (if you’re skipping the smoker) to the pureed tomato mixture.

Step 5: Simmer and Thicken Bring everything back to a boil, stirring often to avoid burning. Then, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 1½ to 2 hours until the sauce is thick, dark, and sticky. The flavors will get more intense the longer you let it simmer. If you’ve got a smoker, throw this sauce in a foil pan and smoke it at 225°F for 3 hours for an extra smoky punch.

How to Get a Smoke Flavored BBQ Sauce

There are two ways to finish this Sweet and Smoky Bourbon BBQ Sauce: on the stove or in the smoker. I prefer the smoker—our Recteq 700 Bull is amazing! If you don’t use a smoker, taste it and add some mesquite liquid smoke to balance the sweetness of the brown sugar.

How to Store Homemade BBQ Sauce

My recipe makes 6 pint jars of BBQ sauce. It lasts 1-2 weeks in the fridge. If you’re not hosting a big barbecue, preserve it in a pressure canner. You can easily double the recipe to have more on hand. Once your family tastes it, they’ll want to put it on everything, so it’ll go fast.

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Sweet and Smoky Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Get ready to up your BBQ game with this Sweet and Smoky Bourbon BBQ Sauce! It's super easy to make, packed with flavor, and all-natural!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Servings 6 pints

Calories

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4½ 28 oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes (drained -or- 6 pounds of peeled fresh Roma tomatoes -or- 6 pounds of your canned garden-tomatoes)
• 1½ cups chopped sweet yellow onion (about 1.5 large onions)
• 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
• 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
• ½ tbsp garlic powder
• ½ tbsp mustard powder
• 1 tbsp paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tbsp salt
• ¾ cup apple cider vinegar (I use organic)
• ¾ cup molasses
• ¼ cup bourbon (cheap bourbon is fine for this recipe)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp liquid smoke (omit if finishing sauce on the smoker)

Instructions

 

• Preheat your large stockpot over medium heat.
• Add 4½ 28 oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes and chop them with a meat chopper. You'll puree them in your food processor later, so it doesn't have to be perfectly chopped.
• Add 1½ cups chopped sweet yellow onion and 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
• Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until onions are soft.
• Allow vegetables to cool until they can be put in a food processor. When tomato mixture is cool enough for your brand of food processor, puree the mixture until smooth. My food processor holds 9 cups at max, so I pureed mine in batches. NOTE: You can use an immersion blender but its so much harder to get it smooth. Use the food processor and it goes so much faster.
• While vegetables cool, mix 1 cup Light Brown Sugar, ½ tbsp garlic powder, ½ tbsp mustard powder, 1 tbsp paprika, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp chili flakes and 1 tbsp salt in a small bowl.
• Once smooth, put tomato mixture back to your pot and add brown sugar mixture, ¾ cup apple cider vinegar, ¾ cup molasses, ¼ cup bourbon, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce and 2 tbsp liquid smoke..
• Bring to a boil over high heat. Stirring frequently to prevent it burning to the bottom of your pot.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 1½ – 2 hours or until liquid is a thick and dark in color. Stir every now and again to prevent burning.
• Alternative to stovetop: Place BBQ in a tin foil pan and smoke at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 hours or until liquid is thick and dark in color.
• This recipe makes approximately 2 quarts, or 4 pints, of BBQ sauce. See canning instructions for preserving your Sweet and Smoky Bourbon BBQ sauce.

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