This week’s 5 Ingredient Friday is so easy, it’s crazy! I had BBQ Chicken on the menu and I would normally use a bottled BBQ Sauce because, well, it’s easy. I’ve made BBQ Sauce before, and it’s taken some time and quite a few ingredients. But then I remembered that I saw a BBQ Sauce recipe of Claire Robinson’s that had only 5 Ingredients! So I decided I was going to make that.
Ingredients 
- 1 (7-ounce) jar or can organic tomato paste
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons spicy Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons BBQ seasoning mix (I used 1 tablespoon of BBQ 3000 and 1 tablespoon of Barbecue of the Americas from Penzeys)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt*
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper*
- 4 cups water*
* FREEBIE ingredient
Preparation
Whisk all the ingredients together in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half or to desired thickness, about 1 hour.
Cool completely before transferring to an airtight container and storing in the refrigerator.
Cook’s Note: Use the BBQ sauce within 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months.
My thoughts…
I read the reviews before making it and saw that a few people had issues with theirs thickening in the cooking time noted in the recipe. A few people also mentioned that it was a bit watery and that the full 4 cups of water weren’t really necessary. So when I started making the BBQ Sauce I only added in 2 cups of water. It thickened up very nicely and I tasted it and it was strong! It had some kick to it. So I added in 1 more cup of water and let it thicken up again. I was very satisfied with how it turned out.
As I said above, I used 1 tablespoon of BBQ 3000 and 1 tablespoon of Barbecue of the Americas from Penzeys. And let me tell you – that gave it some flavor!
The BBQ 3000 is hand-mixed from the following: salt, paprika, black pepper, nutmeg, mustard, allspice, citric acid, garlic powder, ginger, sage, thyme, white pepper, cinnamon, and natural smoke flavor. I wanted some natural smoke flavor in the BBQ Sauce so I added in 1 tablespoon of this stuff.
The Barbecue of the Americas is hand-mixed from the following: coarse kosher fake salt, paprika, jamaican allspice, cayenne red pepper, nutmeg, black pepper, thyme, ginger, white pepper, korintje cinnamon. I wanted to add a little heat into the BBQ Sauce so I added in 1 tablespoon of this stuff.
I really think the combination of spices really worked well in this sauce. I think that is what gave it that extra bang when it hits your tongue. It wouldn’t have been so strong if I added in that last cup of water, but I really liked the flavor it had so I didn’t add that in. Since both the BBQ 3000 and the Barbecue of the Americas have salt in them, I only added 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt into the BBQ Sauce. I figured I could always add more if I needed to, but I couldn’t take it away.
This is a great recipe and I think I’m going to try some different BBQ Sauces using this one as a base. I think adding a little bit of maple syrup would add a wonderful flavor. The bottom line is this – don’t buy any more of that bottled BBQ Sauce – try this and build from it so you know exactly what you are consuming!
Recipe courtesy Claire Robinson Show: 5 Ingredient Fix Episode: No-Grill BBQ
Bottled BBQ is now forever banned in my household after reading this post. The Barefoot Contessa makes it seem overly complex and I would buy her sauce whenever I saw it. Not anymore!
I didn’t think of it until now, but I should’ve brought you some to try the other night!! This really was soooo easy.