Homemade Barbecue Sauce Recipe for Kids | America's Test Kitchen Kids

recipe

“Mmm good. I was eating the sauce with a spoon.” —Kayla, recipe tester, age 9

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Prepare Ingredients

2 tablespoons

vegetable oil

1

onion, peeled and chopped

2

garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon

chili powder

1½ cups

ketchup (store-bought or homemade)

¼ cup

molasses

3 tablespoons

Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons

cider vinegar

2 tablespoons

Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon

hot sauce (optional)

Gather Cooking Equipment

Large saucepan

Rubber spatula

Fine-mesh strainer

Medium bowl

Jar with tight-fitting lid

Start Cooking!

1

2 tablespoons

vegetable oil

1

onion, peeled and chopped

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat for 1 minute (oil should be hot but not smoking). Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally with rubber spatula, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

2

garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon

chili powder

1½ cups

ketchup

¼ cup

molasses

3 tablespoons

Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons

cider vinegar

2 tablespoons

Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon

hot sauce (optional)

Stir in garlic and chili powder and cook for 1 minute. Add ketchup, molasses, Worcestershire, vinegar, mustard, and hot sauce (if using) and bring to simmer.

3

Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors blend, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Let sauce cool slightly, 15 to 20 minutes.

4

2up pouring and straining sauce

Set fine-mesh strainer over medium bowl. Pour or scrape sauce into strainer, asking an adult for help if working with a heavy saucepan.

Stir and press on mixture in strainer to push liquid through strainer into bowl. Discard solids in strainer.

5

Let sauce cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Serve or transfer to jar with tight-fitting lid. (Barbecue sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)

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Food for Thought

Get Saucy!

Where does barbecue sauce come from? One theory is that the earliest versions were first made in the Caribbean . . . but no one REALLY knows. Wherever it comes from, this centuries-old condiment is now an American staple. Today there are many different styles of barbecue sauce. One of the most popular styles is from Kansas City, Missouri, and is a thick, sweet, and tangy tomato-based sauce—which is exactly what inspired this recipe. How do YOU use barbecue sauce? On meat? Chicken? For dipping french fries? In our opinion, anything goes!