Sweet-n-Spicy Barbecue Sauce

Though the long ingredient list may seem daunting, don't let it scare you off! It actually is quite easy to put together and beats the bottled stuff full of unpronounceable this and unpronounceable that. This sauce is an excellent accompaniment to pulled pork, barbecued chicken, or grilled tofu.

Sweet-n-Spicy Barbecue Sauce (adapted from this Food and Wine recipe)

makes about 3 cups

1 T organic canola oil

3 fresh garlic cloves, chopped

1 white onion, chopped

fine sea salt

1/4 C Bacardi Rum [optional]

1 1/2 T chili powder

1/2 T ground black pepper

1/4 t ground allspice

1/4 t ground cloves

1/2 C light brown sugar

1 C water

1 C organic ketchup

1/4 C organic molasses

1/4 C organic yellow mustard

1/4 C organic cider vinegar

1 T hot sauce [use less if you prefer less of a kick]

1. Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add in the chopped onion and garlic along with a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

2. Pour in the rum, and simmer for two minutes. If not using alcohol, skip immediately to next step.

3. Add in the chili pepper, black pepper, allspice, and cloves. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the spices become fragrant.

4. Stir in the brown sugar, water, ketchup, molasses, mustard, cider vinegar, and hot sauce. Reduce the heat to low/medium-low and simmer for about 30-45 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

5. After the sauce has thickened, use an immersion blender to puree the sauce. (Alternately, use a blender, but allow the sauce to cool a bit first before pureeing, and puree in batches.)

6. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to two weeks.