Bourbon Whiskey Barbecue Sauce

Lawsy Mercy!  This is good!  I'm not keen on barbecue sauce or barbecue flavor as a rule, but this will have you'll be wanting to eat this sauce out of a jar with a spoon.  Ole Sweetie-Pi really liked this, and his sister Susan has asked me for the recipe.  Now that's an endorsement!

The original recipe was found on Allrecipes.com.  This is my personal adaptation. 

Bourbon Whiskey Barbecue Sauce

1/2 onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 sweet red pepper, minced

3/4 cup bourbon whiskey (I used 1/2 cup whiskey, 1/4 cup cognac as I didn't have the full amount of whiskey)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon salt

2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/8 to 1/4 cup molasses

1/3 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste

Put all the ingredients together in a slow cooker.  Cook on low heat for about 4 hours. Taste for seasoning part way through.   Strain if you prefer a smoother sauce (I didn't).  The sauce is good the first day, better if used the second. 

For our tastes I reduced the vinegar and liquid smoke flavoring in the original recipe, and added the molasses and sweet red pepper.

I used this sauce to make pulled pork, but Susan says she uses the jar I gave her for grilled steaks, and she loves it!