Classic barbecue sauce

A full, lightly sweet barbecue sauce with soft acidity and clear umami. Onion, tomato, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce give depth; mustard powder, smoked paprika and a little cayenne add character.

Serves: n/a.
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 35–45 minutes
Total time: 45–55 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 25 g butter
• 500 g very ripe tomatoes
• 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• 6 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 to 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp salt, plus extra to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Preparation

• Peel and finely chop the onion.
• Peel and finely chop the garlic.
• Roughly chop the tomatoes.

Method

1. Soften the onion
   Melt the butter in a pan over low to medium-low heat. Add the onion and let it soften for 6 to 8 minutes without colouring.
2. Cook the garlic briefly
   Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Cook the tomato purée
   Add the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute so that the raw taste disappears.
4. Add the ingredients
   Add the tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, mustard powder, smoked paprika, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and black pepper.
5. Let the sauce simmer
   Bring the sauce just to the boil and let it simmer gently without a lid for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir regularly. The exact cooking time depends on how much moisture the tomatoes contain.
6. Check the consistency
   The sauce is ready when the tomatoes have completely cooked down and the mixture is lightly thickened: it should fall slowly from a spoon and leave a trail when you draw a spoon through the sauce.
7. Blend the sauce
   Blend the sauce until smooth with a hand blender. If you wish, pass it through a sieve for a finer texture.
8. Reduce further and adjust the seasoning
   If necessary, let the sauce reduce for a few more minutes until it reaches the desired thickness. Taste and adjust with extra salt, vinegar or a small amount of sugar.
9. Serve
   Serve with grilled meat or chicken, burgers and sausages. The sauce is also suitable as a glaze for spare ribs or drumsticks; in that case, let it reduce a little further for a stickier result.