With summer in full swing there is no better way to celebrate than firing up the grill! Times have changed. The grill used to be seen as the vehicle for cooking only burgers, steaks and your occasional chicken. Today however, people are becoming more in tune with the grill, casting their fears aside and creating some of the most amazing recipes via the outdoor grill. Whether Bobby Flay had anything to do with this change in grill dynamic or not, one thing for sure the Grill is the -WAY TO GO- when it comes to summer time!
My homemade barbecue sauce is hands down the best! I don’t like to brag but come on- when its good its good:))) The bbq sauce is the perfect condiment, base or marinade for both seafood and meats alike. It is perfection on a large salmon fillet, ideal for bbq shrimp and of course the must have basting sauce for chicken and ribs. I love the consistency of it and the rich flavor. It is slightly thick, tangy and perfectly walks the line between sweet and spicy.
It is bone suckin, gotta have it now, kind of good and You can’t go wrong with it! The best part of all the base to the sauce is versatile and lends itself to whatever way you want to take it. More mustard- yes please, more vinegar- why not? A touch of red pepper flakes or adobe sauce- bring the heat! You can be creative with this sauce and go ahead- FREEZE THAT BABY! Make an extra batch of the sauce to freeze for a rainy day- or rather a sunny day:)
- 1¼ cup ketchup
- ⅛ cup Saucy Mama yellow mustard
- ⅓ cup distilled apple cider vinegar
- 4 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cane syrup
- 2½ TBSP butter
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ancho chile powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Combine all the ingredients in a medium size sauce pot. Bring to a boil and reduce and simmer for five minutes or until all the sugar has dissolved. Allow it to simmer until thickened to your preference. Serve warm or cover tightly in a plastic or glass container and store in fridge.
Just one more thing before I let you get to lickin the sauce off your fingers. I am BEYOND excited to announce to my Houstonian readers that we now have a brand spanking new Whole Foods Store in the Champions area. Fitting name don’t you think because Whole Foods in my opinion is the Champion ( thoughts of QUEEN are flooding my mind right now). Anyway! I had the priviledge of getting some cool shots of the store before it was officially opened and to say that this particular store branch rocks would be an understatement. There is locally sourced reclaimed oak and pine throughout the entire store, a beer and wine bar, build your own salmon burgers, a chocolate tasting station and if that wasn’t enough there is a bicycle repair station. I mean, I don’t bike but come on… if I did this would be a total SCORE!
What I love about Whole Foods is that it caters to our amazing local companies by not putting them out of business but rather giving them a chance to showcase their goods right there in the store. This branch has over 300 Houston based products with an expanded farmer’s market featuring local and seasonal items. There is so much to say about this new store and I can’t say enough how excited I am to be so close to it. Below are just a few more things specific to this store! If you are in the area- do yourself a favor and stop in! You won’t be disappointed!
• Simplecare products are handcrafted using learned culinary techniques and real food
ingredients combined with traditional methods of crafting skin care.
• Outdoor market with rain barrels, plants.
• More than 75 varieties of cut fruit and vegetables.
• 250+ organic items.
• Flying Banana display, where bananas ripen slowly, evenly and with less bruising.
• 16 feet of bulk and packaged candy and our largest chocolate selection in the region!
• Chocolate tasting station to try a few of our favorite bars and bites.
• Large selection of High-Pressure pasteurized juices.
• Grinders for fresh nut butters, and bulk containers for local honey and syrups..
• Candy wall.
• Wide variety of Fair Trade coffees and teas.
• 12 foot cheese case with over 300 cheeses available, all hand cut in store. Custom orders upon request.
• 10 foot olive bar – unique variety of imported olives.
• Smokehouse with complete BBQ bar.
• Dozens of house-made oven-ready items including gourmet burgers and 20 varieties of sausage made daily in-
house.
• Large selection of Texas/Oklahoma raised, grass-fed beef and Prime & Choice Grade-fed beef, Arkansas pasture-
raised chickens and Colorado buffalo. Capra regionally local lamb program – local lamb ranching partners.
• On-site sushi station with a Made To Order offering.
• Wood Fired Pizza – buy whole, by the slice or Take & Bake pizza – call in advance and custom-select ingredients
for pizza.
Gosh! That WFs is GORGEOUS! And I’ve never made BBQ sauce- I want to!!
Way to go Girl! We love WFs and this one is amazing! So is your BBQ sauce and we have been searching for one just the other day
and now we have one! Thanks for sharing your tips as well!
xxoo Anna and Liz
Home made sauce is always way better and yours looks absolutely perfect! Congrats on getting a WF. I worked for them for 10 years before doing my stay-at-home gig and I loved it 🙂 Take care and have an awesome week!
Oh, you Texans–always the best. Wait! You are when it comes to beef and barbecue and…..!! We love Whole Foods. The one we frequent most is the third largest in the country with all that you mentioned plus seven restaurants!! I could spend the day there.
Best,
Bonnie
Wish we had a Whole Foods nearby! That barbecue sauce looks wonderful. We grill all the time too, and it looks like it would be perfect on just about anything. 🙂
Amazing issues totally, you may been given a new readers. What could you actually advocate when it comes to your posting you built at times during the past? Any kind of confident?
I suspect that the interest in grilling stems from the popularity of Bobby Flay. I know he’s been influential in our grilling more often. There is a big divide, at least in the Carolinas, about BBQ sauce and whether it should be vinegar based, ketchup or mustard. . Your sauce sounds delicious and it looks like you’ve made everyone happy by including all three. Congratulations on having Whole Foods in your area. I remember when Champions was first built in the seventies and at that time it seemed so far out for a round of golf. Times have certainly changed for the best.
Sam
Your barbecue sauce does look outstanding and I have been wanting to make some at home for a while now. So going to try your recipe!
I am a huge fan of Wholefoods. It is a 25 minute drive from where I live, but we are lucky to have 2 in Tampa -Fl. I can actually go spend a whole day there. Just makes me so happy. I recently tried their freshly squeezed orange juice that is kept where the fresh vegetables are- OUTSTANDING!! Never had better juice!
freshly squeezed OJ! doesn’t that sound so nice! I love WF too:) thanks for the kudos on my sauce;)
i’ve been searching for a good barbecue sauce recipe & think ive found it! thanks for sharing, looks fantastic!
thanks Thaila! Appreciate you stopping by
Your BBQ sauce looks perfect! And I love the idea of making some extra to freeze! I have a WF about 5 minutes away…it’s not nearly as grand as yours, but it’s definitely foodie heaven!
Homemade bbq sauce cannot even compare to anything that comes in a jar, that’s for sure!
Absolutely heavenly barbecue sauce Belle and I would love a whole foods here.
Have a beautiful day.
🙂 Mandy xo
So true, Jessica, when something that we create is really, really good, than kudos, give yourself a huge pat on the back! I prefer home-made grilling rubs and sauces too, simply to know what went into them and not having all of the salt and preservatives! So much fresher, flavorful, and healthy! This is a keeper because everything that you create are scrumptious favorites of mine! Thank you for sharing your special sauce!
xo
Roz
Oh no – I almost missed this post! I love homemade BBQ sauce and have a recipe my husband won’t let me alter. Silly boy – “secrets in the sauce?” Love it! Love Whole Foods too – wish I had one closer. Have a wonderful weekend.
Hey! I know exactly what you mean. My husband has his secret rub for his bbq chicken! LOL!
Always love your BBQ recipes, this is the one to keep! Thanks!
thanks Veronica! Hope you are doing well!
Apart from the chile powder, this is my father’s all-time favorite bbq sauce. We all loved it. He used the tiniest dash of cayenne but you’d have to guess it was there. Love this!
I LOVE homemade BBQ sauce. There really isn’t anything better. I’m definitely going to give your recipe a try because it’s high time we had some this summer!
Lovely sauce! It looks perfect with just about anything! We do not grill, but these would be great as a marinade for baking, with such fantastic delicious flavours from all the ingredients! Thanks for sharing!~
This is the kind of bbq sauce I would love too! Thanks for sharing the recipe, Jessica.
Your homemade bbq sauce looks delicious. The color and ingredients in the sauce already indicates that it’d fit my taste! Enjoy WF! It’s nice to have one in the neighborhood. I love shopping there. 🙂
thanks Nami! I know I am a sucker for dark rich colored sauces. They scream delicious. If its too light I have to second guess myself! LOL! I am sure you make one heck of a bbq sauce with your own spin
Now that my husband is cooking more, I get to play more. This sauce sounds like a fun place to start! Thanks.
love that you get to play more! You are too funny. This is a wonderful sauce for you both to make and enjoy
You must brag about this recipe, as it is worth bragging. Wow, what an awesome barbeque sauce: I am sure it can’t get any better. I am going to bookmark this. And this wholefoods market is so interesting…we don’t have such markets in India, although we do have specialised gourmet stores here. Stay in touch!
Oh I appreciate your comment so much! so sweet and i know if you made it you would love it. I know you might not have WF ther but I know you have amazing market places!