Barbecue Sauce, Pioneer Woman-Style

In honor of Labor Day Weekend here's something new to try on the grill!

By now I think you know I grew up in a barbecue-loving family and that love carried right into adulthood.  E and I fire up the grill year-round.  Sometimes we put barbecue sauce on our meats, sometimes we don't.  Depends on the mood, really.  We have a family recipe for sauce and it's a tomatoey, vinegary sauce, not a sweet smoky sauce.  I saw this post on The Pioneer Woman Cooks and I decided to give it a try.  She always makes everything look so good (and so easy!).

I'll leave the details to my BFF (in my head), Ree, a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman.  This sauce came together in minutes and we opted to grill our chicken rather than cook it in the oven.  After one bite of this chicken we were all licking our fingers.  It's sweet, spicy, and smoky all at the same time.  The recipe made more than enough sauce, so we stored the leftovers in the fridge and used them a few days later for Barbecue Chicken Pizza.

If you like barbecue sauce, you'll love this.  I made a few alterations to the original recipe to suit our tastes.  As long as you have a well-stocked pantry, you should be able to make this anytime.  It elevates on-sale chicken to a whole new level.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!  What are your plans?  I can tell you one thing... I'll be grilling!

Barbecue Sauce
adapted (slightly) from The Pioneer Woman
makes about 2 cups

1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1/4 whole Onion, Diced
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Tablespoons Apple CiderVinegar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup Molasses
4 Tablespoons Chopped Chipotles in Adobo Sauce

Heat canola oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for five minutes, stirring.

Reduce heat to low. Add all remaining ingredients and stir. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Taste after simmering and adjust seasonings to suit your tastes.