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If you were grilling then id dry brine the meat and grill it. Coat with sauce when its off or about to come off and let it rest and setup as best it can in the oven on warm.
As for making the sauce stronger just up your ingredients except the ketchup and sugar. Its going to be trial and error until you get to where you want.
Remember bbq is like painting a picture. Everything will mix together to make your masterpiece.