Why pay for store-bought when you can make your own? This recipe, adapted from Lonnie Gandara's 365 Great Barbeque & Grilling Recipes (HarperPerennial, 1990), has been a "go-to" for me for years because it is simple, good and easy, with just four ingredients: ketchup, maple syrup or honey, garlic and cayenne pepper. And it is adjustable for heat: you start with 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for the basic recipe, and ratchet it up by up to three more 1/4 teaspoons to a full teaspoon for a blazing three alarm fire, as you like it. The garlic and the sweetness can also be adjusted to taste.
You can use the sauce to baste in the traditional manner in the last fifteen minutes of grilling. The more the "sweet" in the sauce, the more the caramelization which will occur. Or serve it alongside your grilled pork, beef or chicken to add that extra special zing, for example, on a hamburger. It works great too mixed in with the grilled and slow cooked pulled pork for sandwiches, which is on this year's 4th of July menu.
3-Alarm BBQ Sauce
1 cup ketchup (Heinz organic is our ketchup of choice)
3 T pure maple syrup (or honey)
1 T minced garlic (three large cloves is our preference)
1/4 to 1 t cayenne pepper (we like 3/4 t total--red pepper flakes can easily be substituted by grinding a quantity in the coffee grinder and spooning out the desired amount)
Add the garlic, cayenne and maple syrup to the food processor or blender, and puree. Add the ketchup and combine. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator covered for up to a week.
