Black Jack BBQ Sauce

The secret ingredient in this sauce? A full cup of strong black coffee. It doesn’t make the sauce taste like coffee. It adds a dark, roasted bitterness that deepens every other flavor in the pot.

Ketchup and brown sugar bring the sweet. Apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire bring the tang. Chili powder, hot chili peppers, and six cloves of garlic bring the heat. And two cups of chopped onions melt into the base and give it body.

Simmer it all together, puree it smooth, and you’ve got a BBQ sauce that’ll make people beg for the recipe and refuse to believe the answer.

Chef Tips

• Use the strongest black coffee you can brew. Weak coffee won’t cut through the sweetness of the ketchup and brown sugar.
• Puree in a blender rather than a food processor for the smoothest consistency. A food processor leaves it slightly chunky.
• Adjust the heat by scaling the hot chili peppers up or down. The chili powder adds flavor more than fire, so the fresh peppers are where you control the burn.
• This sauce keeps well in the fridge for weeks and actually improves after a day or two as the flavors marry.