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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Whiskey BBQ Sauce

    Published: March 22, 2020 · Updated: December 5, 2020 · By: Krissy · 14 Comments
    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    how to make homemade whiskey bbq sauce

    When you make this easy homemade Whiskey BBQ Sauce, you get a sticky, flavorful, tangy sauce that give your barbecued meats a mouthwatering finish.

    mason jar with homemade barbecue sauce

    Why this recipe works so well:

    • My barbecue sauce is so incredibly delicious. The flavor is really intense in the best possible way. Once you make this recipe, you'll never want to buy store bought barbecue sauce again.
    • This recipe is not difficult to make. In fact, it's rather easy and no skill is required.
    • The only chopping involved is for the onion and garlic which can also be pulsed in the food processor.
    • Most of the ingredient can already be found in your pantry.
    • The recipe is easy to double, triple, etc. if you want to make a big batch for future use.
    • This sauce tastes fantastic on chicken, beef, pork - you name it!
    • The whiskey adds great flavor (even if you're not a fan) and the alcohol burns off during the cooking process.

    Here's how to make it:

    Even though there are quite a few ingredients in this recipe that each need to be measured, the actual recipe only takes a couple of steps.

    1. The first step is to cook the minced garlic and onion in whiskey. To do this, you'll use a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. You'll cook the onions until they get very tender and translucent which will take about 10 minutes.
    2. Then, you'll add all of the remaining ingredients that include salt and pepper, ketchup, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and hot pepper sauce. This mixture gets brought to a boil and then simmers over low heat for about an hour.
    ingredients for homemade easy whiskey bbq sauce

    Cooking tips for perfect results:

    • I prefer this sauce as a finishing sauce used during the last phase of your barbecue cooking as opposed to a marinade, but do with it as you will.  Just make it!
    • Because I like my barbecue sauce smooth, I prefer to run the onion and garlic through the food processor. You can dice them by hand, but the food processor makes the process quick and easy.
    • If you make a large batch of barbecue sauce, you can freeze it or water bath can it for future use. To freeze, I recommend using reusable plastic containers. To water bath can, I've used pint sized jars and have let them boil for 20 minutes.
    • If you're looking for other sauce recipes, be sure to check out this Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce or a Dr. Pepper Jalapeno BBQ Sauce.
    homemade bbq sauce with ribs

    Step-by-step recipe video below!

    When you make this easy Whiskey BBQ Sauce, the end product is a tangy dance of flavors that give your summer barbecued meats a mouthwatering finish.

    Whiskey BBQ Sauce

    When you make this easy Whiskey BBQ Sauce, the end product is a tangy dance of flavors that give your summer barbecued meats a mouthwatering finish.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!

    CLICK TO PLAY RECIPE VIDEO

    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
    Scale: 8 servings
    Recipe Created By: Krissy Allori

    Ingredients

    • ½ small yellow onion (minced)
    • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
    • ¾ cup bourbon whiskey (I used Jack Daniels)
    • ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
    • ½ tablespoon kosher salt
    • 2 cups ketchup
    • ¼ cup tomato paste
    • ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons liquid smoke
    • ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
    • ½ cup packed brown sugar
    • Dash of hot pepper sauce (Tobasco recommended)

    Instructions

    • Over medium heat in heavy bottom sauce pan, cook onion and garlic in whiskey until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes. Mix in remaining ingredients and stir.
    • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.
    • This recipe can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled, if desired, and canned in a water bath for future use.

    Notes

    Cooking tips for perfect results:

    • I prefer this sauce as a finishing sauce used during the last phase of your barbecue cooking as opposed to a marinade, but do with it as you will.  Just make it!
    • Because I like my barbecue sauce smooth, I prefer to run the onion and garlic through the food processor. You can dice them by hand, but the food processor makes the process quick and easy.
    • If you make a large batch of barbecue sauce, you can freeze it or water bath can it for future use. To freeze, I recommend using reusable plastic containers. To water bath can, I've used pint sized jars and have let them boil for 20 minutes.

    NUTRITION INFORMATION

    Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 1142mg | Potassium: 382mg | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 440IU | Vitamin C: 6.4mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1.1mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dee

      June 30, 2019 at 9:48 am

      I want to make this a few days in advance of company coming. How long will it last refrigerated?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        July 05, 2019 at 12:59 pm

        I've made it and kept it in the fridge at least a week (I think) with no issues.

        Reply
    2. Gerry

      January 05, 2019 at 10:18 am

      5 stars
      The sauce is simmering on my stove as I am writing this and it smells delicious. I've cheated and taken a couple of tastes along the way and can't believe how great it tastes. I had to mix a couple of different bourbons because I only had half a cup of Beam left in a bottle and about a quarter cup of Black Feather bourbon in another bottle. I also substituted minced dehydrated onions for fresh, but I very happy with how the recipe is turning out. Tomorrow I'm going to smoke some boneless pork country ribs on my pellet smoker. I'm thinking this is going to be my go to barbecue sauce in the future. Thanks for the great recipe.

      Reply
    3. Dennis

      April 05, 2018 at 2:45 pm

      The recipe sounds very good and I will be giving it a try thanks for posting. One suggestion I would make is changing the wording in your recipe, Jack Daniels is Tennessee Whiskey not bourbon whiskey there are very distinct differences in the distilling process which make them taste very different, if the whiskey adds a certain flavor to the recipe i'd be more specific, I will try it both ways to see which i prefer.

      Reply
      • Krissy

        April 06, 2018 at 6:11 am

        Thanks, Dennis!!! I definitely have some learning to do when it comes to the world of whiskey! Let me know what you think!

        Reply
    4. Chris bome

      September 13, 2017 at 3:43 pm

      Made a 5 batch today and used my kitchen aide hand mixer to blend in onion pieces after all cooked.... have to say this is one of the best .... canned 16 pints if canning make sure to bring all to a boil at 180 for at least 5 minutes then hot clean stearlized jars and water bath 15 minutes .... thanks for the great recipie

      Reply
    5. Francesca Diotallevi

      August 21, 2017 at 2:57 am

      With this recipe how many bbq sauce will have?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        August 28, 2017 at 3:27 pm

        about 4 cups

        Reply
    6. Pam

      July 17, 2017 at 6:58 pm

      How much does this recipe yield?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        September 18, 2017 at 2:06 pm

        about 3 cups

        Reply
    7. Lisa

      September 06, 2014 at 7:21 pm

      5 stars
      How long do you process it in a water bath?

      Reply
      • spfoodie

        September 07, 2014 at 4:50 am

        I think we did like 45min. The seals popped just fine and I've used sealed bottles since and we're all still fine. Perhaps we were just lucky. 🙂

        Reply
        • Drew

          August 15, 2018 at 3:30 pm

          5 stars
          You’re very lucky. Tomato based products generally requiIre pressure canning, not water bath. You can submit your recipe to the FDA for best practices as to the method and time.

          Reply
          • Gerry

            September 09, 2020 at 7:37 pm

            Grew up in an Italian family that canned tomato sauce using fresh plum tomatoes in the fall. My parents did this every Sept. so we had sauce for the whole year. They never pressure canned, but used a boiling water bath to sterilize and seal the pint & quart jars. Never had a problem from eating the sauce and we had pasta twice a week. I'm 71 & my brother is 78 and we're both still going strong.

            Reply

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