WICKED HOMEMADE BARBECUE SAUCE

Plump with tangy, sweet, salty, spicy perfection.  This sauce is wickedly good!

Wicked ~ awesome, excellent, cool, amazing.

Seriously, this sauce is all of those things.  I wholeheartedly admit I've never before waxed poetic about barbecue sauce.  Uh uh.  And didn't count on it happening. 

But Ina changed all that.  Of course it had to be Ina Garten.  I cannot even begin to tell you how many of my treasured recipes were sparked from Ina's unerring mission of cooking, making, baking, entertaining, perfection. 

Actually you know, a very cool thing happened to me one gorgeous sunny day, just a handful of years back.  We were whiling away a tropical Sunday afternoon, sitting on the patio at Quinn's Almost by the Sea in beautiful Kona.  Quinn's has the best damn fish & chips, ever.  Fresh caught Ono was on their Specials board and that's exactly what I wanted to have.

The friendly, chatty waitress came to take our orders and smiled a coy, 'knowing' smile at me.  Then gushed, "I just love your cookbooks and your TV shows".  I smiled at her whilst thinking, "Hmmmmm....I don't know what to say next who the heck does she think I am I wonder what to say WHO is she mistaking me for???......."   And then she looked at our group of friends around the table and asked,"Is Jeffrey with you?"

Ahhh, there it is.  She thought I was my Ina!  I think I smiled out loud.  I was all giggly inside and completely charmed by this mistaken identity.  So I played with it, just a bit.  I never said I wasn't Ina, I couldn't.  The words wouldn't cross my lips.  So I smiled way more than usual whenever she came to the table and now today, telling you this, I once again have a silly smile stuck on my face.

Good timing though, as my smile is completely apropos whilst I share this ridiculously good sauce recipe with you.  I've never before had any passion whatsoever for barbecue sauce.  I mean, I like it, every so often on steak, or chicken or of course ribs, but you know, it's good.  That's it.  That was then, this is now. 

I know I'm gushing a bit much about this, but this sauce is worthy.  Don't think twice about all the store bought, jarred, bottled ingredients.  Ina's genius will not fail you.  The depth of flavours, the mingling of east meets west, meets south, result in a robust I'll-never-make-any-other-barbecue-sauce, sauce. 

If you are even remotely inclined....do it.....make it....smear it.....spoon it.....brush it.......lick your fingers.  Repeat.

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 Adapted from FoodTV - Ina Garten - for
The Last Wonton.  Big, sumptuous thanks to Ina.  Yet again!

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Wicked Homemade Barbecue Sauce crazy delicious with Foolproof Ribs!

 

WICKED HOMEMADE BARBECUE SAUCE - Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
4 plump garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (I use about 10 ounces, 2 of those little cans) tomato paste
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup (8 ounces) Hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Heat oil in a large saucepan over high heat, add the onions and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook onions, stirring occasionally until translucent with some toasty golden brown edges, about 10 minutes.  Reduce heat if onions are cooking, or browning, too fast.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute more.  Add the tomato paste, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili powder, cumin and pepper flakes. 

Stir until well combined.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.  Use immediately or pour into a container and refrigerate for several weeks.

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