Paleo Maple Barbecue Sauce

When my husband and I first started dating, I noticed he was a barbecue sauce guy more than he was a ketchup guy.  I liked that!  It only took a few meals out to realize he was a barbecue sauce guy more than he was an any-other-kind-of-sauce guy.  No honey mustard, no remoulade, no cocktail sauce, no teriyaki, not even really ranch... he liked barbecue sauce!

His tastes have expanded over the years...I'm that wife that makes him try things he has absolutely no desire to try, but he loves me, so he does.  And thankfully, he has discovered a couple of things he can add to his flavor profile (that's me sounding foodie-ish!), but let's be honest...if headed to a deserted island with only one allowed sauce...it would be barbecue!

Guess what?

Every single barbecue sauce in my local market has refined sugars as one of the top ingredients.  ...sigh...  So, I've been practicing!

I have tried at least a dozen variations on barbecue - most of them 2 or 3 times trying to get it right.  And I think I've narrowed it down to 3 that we like best of all - a peach barbecue sauce with a few dashes of cholula, a smoky roasted apple barbecue sauce that makes ribs happy, happy, happy and my latest success story - Paleo Maple Barbecue Sauce!

It's my favorite....but I do have a sweet tooth and I grew up on those brown sugar barbecue sauces that my daddy always loved and slathered on chicken and ribs and corn on the cob and hamburgers and turkey legs and sometimes even steaks on the grill!

And, even though it has quite a few ingredients, it's pretty straightforward stovetop cooking, so I wanted to share the recipe with you so you can have a nostalgic, sweet barbecue sauce in your fridge without straying from your Paleo lifestyle.  This is sweetened with Grade B Organic maple syrup and a touch of raw honey.  AND (bonus) - I get to use my immersion blender which always makes me happy!

Here's how you do it...

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped yellow or sweet onion
1-2 cloves of minced garlic
1 T avocado oil
1 7oz can of organic tomato paste
4 T unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup of water
1 T molasses
2 T raw, local honey
1/2 cup of organic grade B maple syrup
1 t sea salt
1/4 t allspice
2 t ground mustard
1/4 t ground cloves (optional)

Heat the avocado oil over medium to medium low heat and sweat the onions until they become soft and translucent, about 7-10 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, being really careful not to brown or burn the garlic.

Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk to combine.  Increase heat to medium high and bring the sauce to just boiling.  Reduce heat immediately to medium low and let simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.  (It will bubble and splatter, so be careful)  Remove from heat, let cool for 10 minutes and blend with immersion blender until the onions and garlic are smooth and incorporated into the sauce.  Taste for seasoning - add salt or a touch more syrup if needed.  You can also add warm water if you want a thinner sauce - but be sparing - you can't take it out if you add too much!

Store in an air-tight container in your fridge.  Tip:  When you spoon out the sauce - always use a clean spoon.  NEVER use a spoon that has been in other food or on your plate or (heaven forbid) in your mouth!  You will avoid bacteria and contamination, making your sauce last longer without going bad.  Trust me - it's worth washing an extra spoon or two! Also, clean the rim of the jar or container with a clean, damp paper towel before closing it back up.