Homemade BBQ sauce

A few years ago when we started paying attention to what we ate, one of the first things we started doing was label reading.  If we couldn't pronounce the ingredients and/or they weren't "natural" we stopped eating it.  By not natural I mean things like high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), caramel color, monosodium glutamate, etc.  This one step removed a lot of everyday foods from our pantry and fridge.  One of the items that used to always be in our fridge was BBQ sauce.  If you have a bottle there too, go grab it and read the ingredients.  Chances are you'll find HFCS and caramel color at the very least. (Look these up if you're not familiar with the health issues!)

So, we stopped buying BBQ sauce.  No big deal, we'll make it.  After trying several recipes - some simple and others with pretty odd ingredients, I determined BBQ sauce was one of those things that I just liked commercially made.  So we went BBQ sauce-less for a couple of years.

About a year ago I found a brand, Cookies, that had nothing I couldn't pronounce, no HFCS that was going to make me obese, and no caramel color that was going to give me cancer.  Eureka... we're back in business!  Last summer, we went through quite a bit.  I even found it in an enormous half gallon jug.  In case you're not aware, St. Louisan's like their BBQ sauce.  I heard somewhere recently that we eat 3-4 times the national average.  I'm not exactly sure how a study is done to determine how much BBQ sauce people eat, but I'd venture to say it's probably correct.

And then, Cookies disappeared. I can't find it at any of my usual stores.  Now granted, I live in a tiny town with only a tiny Wal-Mart available.  But when I do make the 50-minute trip to a Schnucks, they don't have it either.  So I was back to square one.

With summer here, I was thinking about BBQ sauce again.  And then, last weekend I was watching a cooking show and the host whipped up a BBQ sauce in a matter of minutes.  I went to the website and found the recipe.  I made it almost as the recipe was written and it was good, but really sweet.  After a couple of tweaks, I have what I think is one of the best BBQ sauces I've ever had.  Change it to suite your tastes.  If you like sweet BBQ sauce, add a little sugar and/or about a tbsp of molasses.  This recipe will make about 2 1/2 cups.

Whisk the following together in a non-reactive sauce pan:

2 cups ketchup (organic, of course!)
6 tbsp. lemon juice (also organic)
1 tbsp. worcestershire
2 tsp. liquid smoke
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. pepper

Simmer the mixture over low heat for about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  It will thicken as it cools.  Enjoy!