looking for a SWEEEET ketchup based sauce

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johnnyreb

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
OTBS Member
Jul 4, 2005
371
15
SC
can anyone share a ketchup based sauce recipe or two with me? it dosent have to be real sweet i just need a base to go by

thanks 8)
 
C.H. This is one recipe that's always in the back of my mind (made so often that I can't forget it) Try this-

3 strips bacon, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
4 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
hot sauce to taste

Saute bacon in fry pan, when bacon is almost crispy, add onion and bell pepper. Saute until tender and the onion begins to caramelize. Drain bacon grease from pan and add remaining ingredients. Cook of medium heat until sauce reduces slightly.
 
Here is the recipe for the sauce that I make for meat loaf.

I have to warn you - I don't measure, because I often cook the 'old fashioned way'. I also don't taste as I go - I use my sense of smell - if it smells good, it should taste good!

So - you just have to sort of wing this on the proportions. (I'll put my estimates on amounts in parentheses.)

Catsup (1 cup)
Brown sugar (1/4 cup)
Mustard (1/8 cup) can be 'French's' or Spicy Brown Mustard (I use various flavors of mustard.)
Molasses (1/8 - 1/4 cup)
Horseradish, ground (1 tsp - 1 Tbsp.)
Garlic powder (1/2 tsp.)
Onion powder (1/2 tsp.)

* Sometimes, I add some bottled, minced garlic - include a little of the juice!

Heat this in a small saucepan until it simmers. Then pour over meat loaf, or use to mop on meat.

Dawn
 
Crazyhorse..
Here is another one for ya...

1 med onion...fine chop
2 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS cider vinegar
3 TBS lemon juice
3 TBS brown sugar
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp celery seed
3 TBS worcestershier sauce
1 cup ketchup
1 3/4 cup water

Saute onions in the butter and olive oil...add all the rest and bring to a boil..reduce to a simmer and cook till sauce thickens and reduces by about half...stir often..

I usually double the recipe so that there is plenty to go around...

Hope you can use it.. and enjoy..

Later
Richard
 
Nice recipe there, Richard. I think I'm going to like this one better than the recipe that I posted. It has more stuff in it, maybe I'll add my bacon to it too!!
 
Thanks Dutch...This is the one sauce that everyone keeps asking for around here.. I'm sure the bacon will compliment it nicely as well...
BTW...LOVE your baked beans...the recipe is in the favorite folder..and has been made often..

Later
Richard
 
There is a nice little book called "The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce Cookbook" by Jim Auchmutely and Susan Puckett, published in 95. I like it better than Steve Raichlin's book, which is also good. It has a recipe that is both sweet and includes bacon. It is based on a Paul Prudhomme recipe. Speaking from experience, this is a sauce that is very tempting to just fill a bowl and sit down and eat it. It makes about 1 quart.

Bacon Pecan Barbecue Sauce

8 ounces of sliced bacon
1 1/2 cups sliced onions
4 cloves garlic sliced
12 ounce bottle chili sauce
1 can beef broth (14 ounces)
1 cup honey
3/4 cup chopped roased pecans
juice from 1 orange
rind from 1/2 orange quartered
juice from 1 lemon
rind from 1/2 lemon quartered
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
hot sauce to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Fry the bacon in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Reduce heat to medium and stir in onions and garlic. Saute till golden and tender. Add chili sauce, broth, honey, pecans, bacon, juice, rinds and peppers. Bring to a full boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into a blender or food processor and process until bacon and pecans are finally chopped. Return mix to saucepan and stir in butter. Heat until butter is just melted. Season with hot sauce.

Having extensive experience in putting hot liquids in a blender and redecorating the ceiling, I use a slightly modified procedure when I make it and only put a small portion of the sauce in the blender when processing the bacon and pecans. I mix it thoroughly when putting the blended mix back in the remaining sauce.
 
Nothing makes the Mrs. mad like using the blender to decorate the kitchen. :oops: Be there, done that one too!
 
Sometimes you just have to turn a negative into a positive. Last year my wife redecorated our kitchen for the third or fourth time; faux painting the walls in Tuscan hues, putting new tile on the floor, getting new countertops, and changing the appliances from black to stainless. Unfortunately, the kitchen ceiling still retained its original finish and that got her upset. What began as standard ceiling white has changed over time due to the effects of ultraviolent light and grease splotches or other unexplained reasons for which I have been blamed. She pointed out that I needed to paint the ceiling. I went out in the garage and found a partially used can of white paint. I proceeded to paint a small test patch to check for coverage and told her that it needed time to cure.

I let it cure for a couple of months. After this entirely suitable period of time, both the paint and my wifeâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s patience appeared to be wearing thin. I was accused of never finishing anything. That really pained me because it is a well known rule that you have a least a year to finish a project around the house. I was threatened with disruption of marital bliss if the ceiling wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t painted the next weekend. She even threatened to hire someone to do it. This created a lot of pressure and I knew if she was around I would receive detailed instructions while the work was in progress. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve learned from repainting a bathroom three times in two weeks to get the “right†color. Sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s even had me watch decorating shows so she could point out things I needed to do.

Well, I learned from those shows that the way to do it was to send her away for a weekend of pleasure while I did the work. On the shows that means a swanky hotel and expensive spa activities. Since sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not used to that level of comfort, I figured it might be traumatic so I called my daughter and got her to ask her mom to babysit at their house for the weekend while they went camping.

I was deeply hurt by her accusation that I never finished anything and took it to heart. I had about a third of a bottle of Southern Comfort handy and decided to finish that first. Once I had proven I could finish something, I achieved an inner peace. I began to think about technique. I knew from my test patch that it would take at least two coats of paint to cover the stains. However, if I used faux painting techniques similar to what my wife had done on the walls, I might be able to camouflage the stains and get by with one coat.

I got out one of her decorating books and found a faux process for using layers of paint and a dash of bronzing powder to give the look of aged copper. I thought that might just be the thing she wanted.

I wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t really in condition to drive to the paint store and get paints, glazes, powders, sponges, gloves and other faux painting accessories, nor did I see the need to spend money on things like that. I could use what I had around the house to achieve the same effect. I looked at the stains on the ceiling and they already resembled faux painting. I had been the cause of some of those stains because I had put hot liquids in the blender and forgot to put the lid on before turning it one. That was the answer. Maybe I could bring my culinary skills to the problem and finish the job quickly. I could use various foods/liquids in the blender. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve got a professional grade VitaMix blender that will spin the blades at 240 mph and apply the liquids with the necessary force. I could move it around the room to get an even pattern.

I thought maybe that I should wet down the ceiling with a base color so that the food would adhere to the ceiling better as it dried. Being a devotee of beer, I had some nut brown ales on hand that might provide an aged looking, yellowish base layer. I could shake the bottles and spray the ceiling. This certainly would have achieved the desired effect, but you have to use common sense. Beer is far too valuable a commodity to waste on decorating. So I drank a couple. This led to a brilliant idea. I could mix yellow cornmeal, chicken broth, and a little tumeric. I could use my Eureka Hot Shot steamer with the wallpaper attachment to apply the mixture. The cornmeal would provide a fine grit that gave a rustic appearance.

At this point, I realized that this would make a mess and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d better do something to limit the cleanup work. I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have any suitable drop cloths, but my wife had just been to a white sale and bought new sheets for our bed. She had just the right amount I needed to cover everything because she figures that if you can save money at a sale on one item, it is much better to buy multiple items and save even more money. I opened the packages of sheets and spread them over the counters and the floor.

After applying the preparation layer, I had to come up with something green to achieve the desired patina. I had extra zucchini in the garden that I could use, but the color might be too fiftyish avocado. I searched through the fridge. I opened the vegetable drawer and saw that some rotting cilantro had stuck to the bottom of the drawer. It had just the right tint of rich greens and specks of black. I mixed the cilantro with a little lime jello. I heated it on the stove, poured it in the blender, and started on the ceiling. I have to say the final result was outstanding – a hint of copper with a rich variegated green patina and a slightly rough texture. While Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d never been to Tuscany, I easily pictured a Tuscan mansion sitting on a hillside with a ceiling like that.

I picked up the sheets and threw them in the laundry room. Nevertheless, I had a nagging concern that my wife wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t appreciate my efforts. I had to make a good first impression. The decorating shows came through again. I would make sure she returned after dark. I would turn off all the lights and light a few candles to provide a subdued, but sensual effect. It all worked perfectly. When she came in the front door I had her close her eyes just like on Trading Places. When I told her to open them she went “Wow!â€. I quickly suggested that I ought to be rewarded for spending my whole weekend finishing “her†kitchen ceiling with a little marital bliss. To my surprise, she agreed. She started toward the bedroom and then said, “letâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s put the new sheets on the bed first.â€
 
Dang, Aardy now my sides ache. That was just too funny!! So is she still happy with the ceiling??
 
No way! But she's had me on a higher priority project replacing the carpet in our upstairs hallway with a wood floor. I've managed to stretch it out for almost the whole year period. Besides, the year timeline to repaint the ceiling in the kitchen restarts.
 
Just what I needed to read before my day starts. My cheeks are sore from laughing. My wife asked me what am I laughing at because she knew I was reading the "Smoking Forum" I told her that I was getting tips on painting ceilings.



Joe
 
Damn, Aardy, you gotta take that stuff on the road...you'd make a killing in stand-up. You even got this old car salesman all twisted up with that one...

Cheers,
Brian
 
My wife and daughter bought me a book titled the Best Little BBQ Sauces Book by Karen Adler. It's got some good stuff in it, to include a KC sauce that sounds sweet: (I'm going to try it tomorrow.)

2T butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C ketchup
1 C tomato juice
1 C brown suger
1/2 C molasses
1/4 C cider vinegar
2 T worcestershire sauce
4 dashes hot sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

In a large saucepan, melt butter and saut'e onion and garlic over medium heat until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour.
 
I made the sauce that's listed in my previous post. It's actually on the stove simmering now. That's some pretty good stuff.

so for today I've got this sauce, the Starnes type sauce from another post and crazy horse's mustard sauce. I also picked up some Sweet Baby Ray's for those who aren't willing to take a risk. Should be a good day!
 
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