BBQ Sauce

Ketchup • Smoked Paprika • Brown Sugar — Today's Special • USA

Today's Special No. 10 — a classic American barbecue sauce built on ketchup, cider vinegar and brown sugar, simmered until it turns dark, glossy and smoky. For ribs, pulled chicken, burgers and grilled corn.

Ingredients

• 240 g — Ketchup (1 cup)
• 60 ml — Apple cider vinegar (1/4 cup)
• 25 g — Brown sugar (2 Tbsp)
• 15 ml — Worcestershire sauce (1 Tbsp)
• 3 g — Smoked paprika (1 tsp)
• 2 g — Garlic powder (1/2 tsp)
• 2 g — Onion powder (1/2 tsp)
• 2 g — Fine sea salt (1/4 tsp)

Step-by-Step Method

1. Combine everything cold. All ingredients in a saucepan before the heat goes on — paprika and powders hydrate evenly and cannot scorch in a cold start.
2. Simmer low 10 minutes. Bring to a gentle simmer and hold it there, stirring often. The sauce darkens, thickens and the raw vinegar edge cooks off.
3. Adjust the balance. Taste for the barbecue triangle: sweet (brown sugar), tangy (vinegar), smoky (paprika). Nudge one corner at a time, a teaspoon at a time.
4. Cool & store. Cool, jar, refrigerate. Keeps 2 weeks. Brush it on grilled meat only in the last 5 minutes — its sugar burns fast over direct heat.

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