Chef Shaw's Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce and Turned Chicken

Chef Tim Shaw’s Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce and Turned Chicken

Saying you make “the perfect barbecue sauce” is as silly as saying you can make the perfect cup of coffee or chicken soup; everyone’s idea of “perfect” is totally different. Depending on where you are from or how you were introduced to American barbecue, you may prefer your sauce very mustardy, very vinegary, hot enough to peel the chrome from a tail pipe, or with no sauce at all – simply a dry rub.

So I’m not going to claim this is the perfect sauce, or even the best sauce, but it is easily re-creatable at home and versatile enough that you can customize it to suit your pallet.

It is also versatile enough to be good on chicken, wings, tofu, vegetables, beef (great on short ribs) and even as a dip for fries or a base for baked beans. Throw in some horseradish and you have a great cocktail sauce for fish as well!

Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce

 2 cups ketchup  ½ cup apple cider vinegar  ¼ cup packed brown sugar  1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (for a vegan version, use vegan Worcestershire sauce or Liquid Aminos)  ½ teaspoon garlic powder  ½ teaspoon onion powder  salt and pepper to taste  Hot Sauce – your favorite brand, to taste

Optional ingredients – a dash or two of liquid smoke, a tablespoon of strong espresso, pineapple juice, soy sauce, or any other flavoring you like, all to taste

Whisk all the ingredients together and bring to a boil, then simmer until thick – 15 minutes or so. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and add a little lemon juice if it needs acidity.

Keep in mind that most hot sauces grow in intensity as they sit on heat.

BBQ-ing the chicken

I prefer using thighs, skin on, bone in.

The best way to grill chicken thighs is to brush one side and put that side down on the grill. Meanwhile brush the other side and after two minutes, flip over. Continue doing this; brushing more sauce right before you flip the thighs – this

builds up a nice caramelized layer of sauce while the chicken cooks all the way through. This also works with skin off and boneless chicken, but the meat tends to get a little drier.

For breasts, if they are bone in, it is best to brush them with sauce, give them grill marks and then finish in the oven so they cook through rather than overcooking from the intense heat of the grill. Boneless breasts cook rather quickly but can also be done this way as well.