• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
My Sequined Life logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Dips, Sauces, Spreads, and Spices

    Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce

    Published: Sep 21, 2015 · Modified: Jan 24, 2021 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Share via Email

    Jazz up your main dishes with this easy, homemade maple bourbon BBQ sauce. Ketchup and other kitchen staples simmer on the stove top for a customizable sauce. It can be made from mild to spicy or somewhere in between!

    A large glass jar filled with maple bourbon BBQ sauce.

    It's a little bit embarrassing, but I can't remember eating BBQ until my early 20s. Say what? I certainly can't complain as we had a million delicious cuisines growing up in NJ, but BBQ just wasn't part of our repertoire. That all changed once we moved to San Diego. We lived super close to a BBQ place that quickly became one of our favorite take-out options. Hello brisket, pulled pork, ribs. SO good.

    Now though we live in Nashville and BBQ is all over the place. When things get a little crazy at work sometimes we'll bring in mass amounts of BBQ for lunch and no matter where we order from, hoooly smokes, it's amazing. Inevitably on those days I spend the afternoon in a food coma after indulging a little too much, which may or may not make hours of work that much more difficult to power through. A price worth paying, I think.

    A spoon in a large glass jar of BBQ sauce.

    In celebration of all things BBQ, I posted B's favorite BBQ sauce last year while we were trekking from CA to TN on our move. We do still make that recipe (I mean, it was billed as Brian's favorite for a reason), but this one has snuck in there as another favorite of his. Well, both of ours. 🙂 Basic kitchen spices and flavorings are added to ketchup, along with maple syrup for a bit of sweetness and bourbon for extra flavor!

    We used ½ cup of bourbon, which lent a nice bourbon flavor in the finished product, but you can certainly add less if you're looking for a milder flavor in that regard. As the BBQ sauce comes to a boil and then simmers for about 40 minutes after the bourbon is added, the majority of the alcohol is burnt off, leaving the bourbon flavor behind.

    We've been loving this maple bourbon BBQ sauce on plenty of main meals, even if they're not quintessential BBQ foods like pulled chicken/pork. Lately a drizzle on a beef/turkey/veggie burger or over baked beans has been my favorite way to enjoy!

    A spoon in a large glass jar of BBQ sauce.

    A large glass jar filled with maple bourbon BBQ sauce.

    Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce

    Jazz up your main dishes with this easy, homemade maple bourbon BBQ sauce. Ketchup and other kitchen staples simmer on the stove top for a customizable sauce. It can be made from mild to spicy or somewhere in between!
    4.75 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Sauces
    Cuisine: Southwestern
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 65kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup ketchup
    • ¼ - ½ cup bourbon, to taste
    • ¼ cup maple syrup
    • 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 ½ tablespoon honey mustard
    • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
    • 2 teaspoon onion powder
    • 2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ½ - 1 teaspoon hot sauce, to taste
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • All all ingredients to a sauce pan set over medium heat and stir so that everything is evenly combined. Let mixture cook until it reaches a boil, stirring occasionally.
    • Once boiling, reduce heat to low or low-medium and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes as the sauce reduces. Once sauce has thickened to your liking, let cool and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

    Notes

    As written, this BBQ sauce is on the milder side of spiciness. If you're looking for a spicy BBQ sauce, feel free to add as much extra hot sauce as you'd like!
    Using ½ cup of bourbon will allow a fairly bold bourbon flavor to shine through in the sauce. If you're not a huge bourbon fan, I suggest reducing the the amount of bourbon added to ⅓ or ¼ cup, to your taste.
     
    This recipe yields approximately 1 ½ cups of BBQ sauce in total.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2tablespoon | Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.7g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 261mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 9.4g | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.2mg
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer

     

    « Blueberry Muffin Bread
    Dark Chocolate Pizzelle »
    • Facebook
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lee says

      January 12, 2023 at 9:31 am

      I am not a fan of ketchup. can you use tomato sauce instead?

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        January 14, 2023 at 10:42 am

        Hi Lee, I haven't tried that substitution but it may work, with a few caveats. Tomato sauce is thinner than ketchup so it may need more time to reduce. It also is a lot less sweet than ketchup, so you'd likely have to bump up the maple syrup and/or add another sweetener to your liking. Please let me know if you give it a shot!

        Reply
    2. Gilles says

      September 14, 2022 at 4:08 pm

      Not a fan of bourbon, so I tried it with Sailor Jerry's Spiced rum instead, and I doubled the maple syrup.
      Works for me!!!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        September 24, 2022 at 3:19 pm

        So glad you liked it and could tweak it to your taste, Gilles!

        Reply
    3. Jennifer says

      December 06, 2019 at 5:20 pm

      Can you can this bbq sauce? We want to make a lot for Christmas gifts!

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        December 06, 2019 at 5:45 pm

        Hi Jennifer, I have never canned anything so I couldn't say!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    A picture of a woman smiling with a text overlay reading well, hey there.

    Hi! I’m Alyssa and welcome to my food blog. Here you can find a variety of food and drink recipes, running the gamut from better-for-you main dishes to holiday fare, and from lighter bites to some serious desserts. All with the occasional cocktail recipe thrown in for good measure, too. ♥ Learn more →

    As Featured In...

    A collage of publication logos.

    Simple, Tested Basics

    • The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning
    • Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
    • Oven Roasted Frozen Broccoli
    • How to Caramelize Onions
    • How to Make Croutons
    • Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
    • Air Fryer Baked Potato
    • How to Roast Garlic

    Popular Recipes

    • Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
    • Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
    • Italian Baked Turkey Meatballs
    • Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens
    • Italian Anise Cookies
    • Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Contact

    Policies

    • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
    • Accessibility Statement

    More

    • Recipe Index
    • Dinner Hall of Fame
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Air Fryer Favorites

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2013 - 2023 My Sequined Life