Apple Barbecue Sauce!

Sharon123's Note:

Adapted from a recipe by Mike Mills. This sauce is smooth and on the thin side, and it seeps down into the meat. Mike Mills is the only person to win three Grand World Champion titles at the Memphis in May International Barbecue Festival. He is also barbecue guru and partner at Danny Meyer's Blue Smoke restaurant in New York City and owner of six notable barbecue joints, two in Southern Illinois and four in Las Vegas. Mike is the author of Peace, Love, & Barbecue: Recipes, Secrets, Tall Tales, and Outright Lies from the Legends of Barbecue. Gleaned from the Boston Globe.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 3 cups

• 1 cup ketchup
• 2/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup apple juice or 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (more or less to taste)
• 1/3 cup imitation bacon bits, ground in a spice grinder
• 1/3 cup peeled and grated apple
• 1/3 cup grated onion
• 2 teaspoons grated green bell peppers

Directions:

1. Mix together the ketchup, rice vinegar, apple juice or cider, cider vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, white pepper, cayenne, and bacon bits in a large saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in apple, onion, and bell pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes or until it thickens slightly. Stir it often.
3. Allow to cool, then pour into sterilized glass jars. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
4. VARIATION: To make this sauce a little hotter, add more cayenne pepper to taste, approximately another 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon. Be careful; a little cayenne goes a long way.

Reviews

[kellcinn]

WOW! This is absolutely the best sauce I have ever tasted. I made one half of the recipe exactly as written for pulled pork sandwiches, and only wish I had known how good it would be the next day (I would have made more). DH has declared this the official pork bbq sauce of the household. Thanks for a great addition to the recipe files.

[weekend cooker]

Absolutely GREAT BBQ SAUCE!!! This has excellent flavor. Very easy to prepare and make. It was a great dinner with diner524's Australian Beer-Barbecued Wings#230361. Made for Potluck tag.

[Linda's Busy Kitchen]

Fantastic BBQ sauce with great flavor! I made to put on some country ribs. The sauce wasn't real thick, but it still clung to the ribs for a delicious outcome. Thank you for sharing this with us Sharon. YUM! Linda