This Whiskey BBQ Sauce From Scratch is smokey, sweet, and tangy. It’s the perfect BBQ sauce for any meat you want to throw on the grill!
In this household, we grill a lot. Even during the cold, rainy, Portland nights my studly husband will be out there with a head lamp and raincoat grillin‘ up something delicious. That’s how deep his dedication to his craft is. And I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t one of his (many) selling features. That and his ability to whip up something like this Whiskey BBQ Sauce From Scratch!
In addition to being our resident grill master, he also made us this delicious BBQ sauce. Which may explain why there’s so much bourbon whiskey in it… 
But really, what’s not to love about a sauce that has onion and garlic cooked in whiskey and then simmered to deliciousness with ketchup, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, tomato paste, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, fresh ground pepper, and plenty of hot sauce?
Right, not much. Once the sauce is brought to a boil and simmered for a good 20 minutes, and you have an amazing smokey, slightly sweet, super flavorful Whiskey BBQ Sauce From Scratch. Yes, it takes longer than opening a bottle from the store, but trust me, the flavor is worth it. We used this sauce to make the most delicious Pulled Pork Sandwiches From Scratch that my husband maaayyy have eaten for many many meals in a row – including breakfast. 😉
Whiskey BBQ Sauce From Scratch
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whiskey
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 onion minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/3 cup vinegar
- 2 tablespoons liquid smoke
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the onion, garlic, and whiskey. Simmer together for 10 minutes until the onion is translucent. Mix in the ground black pepper, salt, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, brown sugar, tomato paste, liquid smoke, and hot sauce.
- Bring everything to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Run sauce through a strainer if you want to remove the onion and garlic for a smoother sauce, otherwise, transfer to jars and let cool. Refrigerate for at least overnight to allow flavors to develop.
- Enjoy!
This sounds good. Grill will be fantastic if the sauce is yummy and hot. The sauce is very easy to Cook. Thanks for sharing.
Great! Doubled it and added slightly more whiskey(used a scotch) and a tad bit of O.J. Wonderful.
Oooh sounds amazing!! Thank you for sharing!
I need to try this on everything right away!! You and me are on the same page with the whiskey!! Love that combo. I am going to grab the ingredients and whip this up, cheers for sharing!!
Whiskey BBQ Sauce From Scratch sounds great. I love the way the garlic tastes with Worcestershire sauce and smokey flavor.
This sounds awesome. I am drooling with the thought of this yummy flavor.
This BBQ sauce looks and sounds so delicious and perfect for the summer!
I love the idea of adding whiskey to bbq sauce.
This looks amazing. What sort of volumn would this recipie produce?
It’ll make about 1.5- 2 cups!
Yum, yum & YUM!!! This sounds delicious – cannot wait to try it when BBQ season rolls around. Added to my must make list!!
I don’t even care that I don’t have a grill, I’m making this sauce! And the image of your husband bbq-ing with a headlamp on is killing me!
I went to college in the PNW and was always so impressed by the all-weather grillers I knew, because I was never that hard core! 😉
This sauce looks fantastic. I’ve been wanting to try to make my own BBQ sauce for ages and as luck would have it, I’m making ribs this weekend. Now I have no excuse!
Haha! My husband and I are from the Northeast so we’re not too phased by the mild winters up here 😉 Oooh this sauce would be amazing on ribs!!! 😀
Brown sugar and whiskey in BBQ sauce. OH YES. This sounds absolutely wonderful. Whiskey is often my secret ingredient in recipes and I am sure it adds a nice flavor to BBQ sauce.
That’s a great secret ingredient to have! 😉
My husband is a huge fan of grilling! He would absolutely love this sauce! Awesome recipe! 🙂
Thanks so much, Sherri! 🙂
THIS has my name all over it. YUMM, I love sauces and especially those with a whiskey kick! YUM
Thanks, Cindy! 😀
Just popping in to say I actually made this and it’s very good. I find BBQ sauces can be overwhelmingly sweet and prefer hot and sour so reduced the sugar and used a very hot sauce. This did impact the glaze (not so glossy), but not the taste.