Jack Daniel's BBQ Sauce!

If you are like my family and I, well alcohol and BBQ's go hand in hand! So why not add it to the food as well!
This recipe is not an official or unofficial recipe of any of Jack Daniel's BBQ sauces they already sell. This is just my own homemade creation inspired by Jack Daniel's Whiskey and delicious BBQ!

Step 1: Ingredients!

You will need:
1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Yellow Onion
2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Cup Ketchup
1 Tablespoon Ground Mustard
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons Thyme
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
Cayenne*** - 1 Teaspoon for Hot Sauce, 1/2 Teaspoon for Medium Sauce, 0 Teaspoons for Mild Sauce!
2 Tablespoons Molasses
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Jack Daniel's Whiskey, Plus an optional extra 1/2 Tablespoon.

Recipe Yield: About 2 1/2 Cups of BBQ Sauce
Note: The sauce shown in this Instructables used both the full Teaspoon of Cayenne and the extra 1/2 Tablespoon of Whiskey.

Tools:
Knife
Cutting Board
Sauce Pan
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Mixing Spoon or Rubber Spatula
Stove
Container for Storage or Serving

Step 2: Dice the Onion!

Grab your knife and cutting board and finely chop a portion of your yellow onion. Only 1/4 cup needed.
Also mince your garlic cloves if you didn't buy any pre-minced garlic. Only 2 Tablespoons needed.

Step 3: Sweat the Onion/Garlic!

In a Medium sauce pan, combine the butter, garlic, and onion. Put on med-high heat and saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes until they begin to get tender and lightly golden.

Step 4: Add Ketchup!

With the onions and garlic sauteed, add the ketchup to the saucepan and reduce heat to a simmer on low heat.

Step 5: Add Spice!

Add the rest of the dry ingredients/spices and stir.

Step 6: Add Liquids!

Lastly, add all the remaining ingredients/liquids to the saucepan with the exception of that optional 1/2 Tablespoon of Jack Daniel's Whiskey, save that for later. Mix well.

Step 7: Simmer!

Simmer and reduce the BBQ sauce for 30 minutes. It should have thickened, and resembles a yummy BBQ sauce now. Take the saucepan off the heat. If you would like a more prominent Jack Daniel's flavor to show through than what is already in the sauce, here is where you would stir in the extra 1/2 Tablespoon of Jack Daniel's Whiskey if you choose to.

Step 8: Finished!

Let the sauce chill and you're finished! Store it in an airtight container for later or get to grilling with it right away. Enjoy!

EDIT: There was a good question in the comments about the shelf life of this sauce. Just to repeat it where it is easier to see:
Refrigerated, I've kept it up to a month in an airtight container. By then it is gone. So I don't know how much longer it lasts refrigerated past that. As for long term, I have made bulk batches. I've kept it frozen as long as 4 months and it hadn't gone bad. Beyond that I'm not sure either. Just make sure to give it plenty of time ahead to thaw, preferably sitting in the fridge and not at room temp.
If you do attempt it past these tested time frames you can let me know how it went!

Thanks for all the favorites and comments!

Comments

[AndreaB280]

Thank you sure wish it was lunch already , instead of 6:am!

[Ben DangerH]

I love how you included the heat levels. This way its somthing for everyone, i must try your recipe

[martiniqueenie]

How long would this keep? Thinking about making up some for friends for the holidays

[Stephanefalies]

Refrigerated, we've kept it up to a month in an airtight container. By then it is gone. So I don't know how much longer it lasts refrigerated past that. As for long term, we made bulk batches to share with friends. I've kept it frozen as long as 4 months and it hadn't gone bad. Beyond that I'm not sure either. Just make sure to give it plenty of time ahead to thaw, preferably sitting in the fridge and not at room temp.
If you do attempt it past these tested time frames you can let me know how it went!

[clay.e.robins]

once it is stored (warm enough not to break the glass jar) i have kept homemade Kansas City BBQ. sauce for well over a month

[kcarter2]

I tried this last week, turned out great! I used "Gentleman Jack" to class it up, ha [note: I will note be "wasting" Gentleman Jack like that too often, but I wanted authentic Jack and it's all I had.]
Thanks!

[clay.e.robins]

LOL @ "wasting" Jack Daniel's

[Stephanefalies]

Nice! Experimenting with different Jack's can be fun. I thought about using the Jack Daniel's Honey at some point. Honey goes pretty well with BBQ so I might do that next batch.

[GarthBock]

Excellent recipe ! I have had similar Bourbon based BBQ sauce and always wanted a recipe.

I started on this but it gave me a terrible headache....when I got to the 1/4 cup plus 1/2 tb of Jack...first I had too much so I removed some..then there was 4 tb too little so I had to add more...then I over measured and had to remove some....then there was too little.....I am typing this with one hand holding the ice pack on my head....lol...

[Stephanefalies]

Sounds like you had fun. Maybe I should just adjust the recipe to make a bulk batch where you use the whole bottle! No hassle of measuring it out. Lol.

[clay.e.robins]

I thought of that but then you need to find a bottle big enough to hold the bacth and yet still fit into your firdge to seal it

[clay.e.robins]

sounds like you had too much fun ill just stick to the batch amount of whiskey :-)

[robersona]

Yum! I will be making jars for gifts this Christmas. Thanks for the great instructable!

[cutlass8384]

Can you tell me what you put the sauce in for storage if you make a single batch?

I would also like to make gifts in jars do you have pressure cooker the seal?

[clay.e.robins]

used spaghetti sauce jar make sure it is heated seal the lid tight store in the fridge it will vacu-seal itself

[cutlass8384]

Can someone give me advice on how to store the BBQ sauce if I wanted to make a large batch as store for gifts at a later time. I have seen glass canning jars but what about sealing it just tighten the seal or does it need to be pressure cooked closed?

[clay.e.robins]

Store it piping hot off the stove (I let it cool down for a few minutes but only ot ensure the glass doesn't break) in a large empty spaghetti sauce jar seal the lid tight and store it in the fridge.

Even the vacu-seal button will go down and it will last awhile.

After each time you use it and if there is still some left microwave it and repeat the steps

[tubes42024]

When you call for "1 cup Apple Cider" do you mean Apple Cider Vinegar? It looks like apple cider vinegar in the picture. Usually there is some sort of tart in BBQ sauce.

[Stephanefalies]

Thanks for catching me on that. It is Apple Cider Vinegar! That has been fixed.

[wynrol]

Excellent looking recipe. As I am in the UK, can you tell me about the dried mustard powder please. Is it English mustard powder or if you were to re-constitute it, would it be more like American style mustard that you put on hot dogs? Quite a difference in the heat and 2 tablespoons of English mustard would blow your mind.
Thanks