Meathead's KC Classic Barbecue Sauce

I can't take any credit for the deliciousness we ate last weekend. Jason was the smoke master and turned out some impressive ribs and homemade sauce. The ribs were really amazing, but the sauce recipe is a lot easier to share. There are so many different kinds of barbecue sauces, but we did a sweet sauce with a vinegary bight to it. (If you are not a vinegar fan, you can cut the amount in half. I recommend leaving it as is if you're shmearing this stuff on smoked meats.) This sauce is such a great staple to have in your fridge this summer for all of your barbecuing needs!

Meathead's KC Classic Barbecue Sauce
Recipe courtesy of Meathead on www.amazingribs.com

2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon table salt

2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup yellow ballpark-style mustard
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup steak sauce
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 cup dark brown sugar (you can use light brown sugar if that's all you have)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 medium cloves of garlic, crushed or minced

2 tablespoons tamarind paste (secret ingredient. optional, but strongly suggest using if you can find it.)

1) In a small bowl, mix the chili powder, black pepper, and salt. In a large bowl, mix the ketchup, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, lemon juice, steak sauce, molasses, honey, hot sauce, brown sugar, and tamarind paste. Mix them, but you don't have to mix thoroughly.

2) Over medium heat, warm the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and saute until limp and translucent, about 5 minutes. Crush the garlic, add it, and cook for another minute. Add the dry spices and stir for about 2 minutes to extract their oil-soluble flavors. Add the wet ingredients. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes with the lid off to thicken it a bit.

3) Taste and adjust. Add more of anything that you want a little bit at a time. It may taste a bit vinegary at first, but that will be less obvious when you use it. Remember, it is going on meat and will be cooked once again. Strain it if you don't want the chunks of onion and garlic. I prefer leaving them in. They give the sauce a home-made texture. You can use it immediately, but I think it's better when aged overnight. You can store it into clean bottles in the refrigerator for a month or two.