No matter if you’re grilling, barbecuing, or cooking on your Blackstone, pork just LOVES BBQ sauce. The next time you’re cooking, don’t just grab the bottle of store-bought sauce, make your own Chipotle & Bourbon BBQ Sauce! It’s easy to make, and you can jazz up the flavors to get it just the way you like it. Hungry for saucy pork? Let’s get cooking!
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A little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, and with plenty of tanginess, this Chipotle & Bourbon BBQ sauce is the perfect BBQ sauce for chicken, ribs, and pork of all kinds.
Bottled sauces are thick, gloopy, and can be filled with artificial colors and flavors. Making your own homemade BBQ sauce is easy! Open up your spice cupboard, grab some bourbon, and make the best BBQ sauce ever right in your own kitchen!
What you’ll love about this recipe
- It’s thick, rich, and well-balanced with sweet and spicy flavor!
- Pairs perfectly with pork, chicken, ribs, and more!
- 15 minutes to saucy perfection!
What You Need To Make Chipotle Bourbon BBQ Sauce
- Bourbon – If you can drink it, it’ll work in this recipe! Any kind is fine.
- Onion – Fresh yellow onions have the right amount of onion flavor for this easy BBQ sauce recipe.
- Garlic – Fresh minced garlic.
- Water
- Tomato sauce – You want plain tomato sauce, not flavored marinara sauce.
- Dark brown sugar – Dark brown sugar has extra molasses in it which means extra flavor in this sauce!
- Worcestershire sauce – Dig that bottle out from the back of your fridge because you’ll need a few tablespoons for this recipe.
- Paprika – I used smoked paprika for extra smoky flavor but any paprika will work.
- Chipotle powder – Ground chipotles are crazy flavorful and have a lovely smoky flavor.
- Salt and pepper
How To Make Chipotle & Bourbon BBQ Sauce
For a full list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe at the end of this page.
- Add the bourbon and the diced onion to a small pot and set it on medium-high on the stove. Simmer the onion and bourbon for about 5 minutes or until it has reduced by about half.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, mix well, and simmer for another 5 minutes to blend all the flavors.
- Blend the mixture in your blender or with an immersion blender. If using a blender, cover the top of the blender with a kitchen towel to protect you in case the hot sauce sprays out.
- Return the sauce to the pot and simmer it on low for another 5 minutes, then cool and use with your favorite pork recipes!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Fresh spices make the world of difference. Chipotle powder and paprika both lose potentcy the older they are.
- There’s dark brown sugar and light brown sugar. You can use either, but dark brown sugar has more molasses in it which gives the pork BBQ sauce a richer flavor.
- Bourbon gives this sauce a nice sweet flavor, but you could also use dark rum.
How To Use Chipotle & Bourbon BBQ Sauce
There are so many ways you could use the best BBQ sauce, including the following:
- Pork chops and pork tenderloin both taste better when sauced with this BBQ sauce.
- Put it on top of smoked pulled pork.
- Use it on your favorite meatloaf.
- Sauce your wings with it.
- Dip your fries, pork rinds, and chicken nuggets into it.
- Glaze grilled salmon or shrimp with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it does. HOWEVER, most of the alcohol cooks off when you reduce the liquid in the first step. And, you use very little to begin with – just enough to get the bourbon flavor.
Yes! No ketchup was harmed in the making of this BBQ sauce. It’s plenty good and just sweet enough without it.
I sure think so! It’s thick, rich, and not too sweet. It’s got just the right amount of spice, too, but you can always add a bit more chipotle powder to kick up the heat a bit.
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Step By Step Process
Chipotle Bourbon BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1/4 cup water `
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Add the bourbon and the diced onion to a small pot and set it on medium-high on the stove. Simmer the onion and bourbon for about 5 minutes or until it has reduced by about half.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, mix well, and simmer for another 5 minutes to blend all the flavors.
- Blend the mixture in your blender or with an immersion blender. If using a blender, cover the top of the blender with a kitchen towel to protect you in case the hot sauce sprays out.
- Return the sauce to the pot and simmer it on low for another 5 minutes, then cool and use with your favorite pork recipes!
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Fresh spices make the world of difference. Chipotle powder and paprika both lose strength the older they are.
- There’s dark brown sugar and light brown sugar. You can use either, but dark brown sugar has more molasses in it which gives the pork BBQ sauce a richer flavor.
- Bourbon gives this sauce a nice sweet flavor, but you could also use dark rum.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
