BBQ Sauce and Rub

My first experience making BBQ sauce came about with the help from a customer of ours. He was in his 70s and a retired military cook. He used to bring us brisket, sauce and baked beans when we would work on his car. It was delicious, and as we would later find out, a very well kept secret of his on how it was all made.

Months before he passed away, he came over one day and and gave me his coveted BBQ sauce recipe and the meat thermometer he used to check his brisket with. I have never shared his recipe, not even with his daughter who knew he had given it to me. The recipe below uses his original one as the base with my modifications as the finishing touches. The rub recipe I have included is pretty standard but is best used on pork, just make sure to save about a 1/4 cup of the rub to add to the sauce.

Pork Rub

1 cup brown sugar

3 tbs honey chipotle spice

1 tsp ground comino

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp fresh ground coarse black peppercorns

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp celery salt

Mix all ingredients together, divide in half. Rub 1/2 of mix onto pork ribs, both sides, chill overnight. 

Gentleman Jack Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce

2 quarts tomato sauce

1 quart ketchup
3/4 cup Gentleman Jack 

1lb brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

3 tbs honey chipotle spice

1 1/2 tsp ground mustard

1 tbs chollula sauce

1 tbs coarse ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp kitchen bouquet

1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Reserved rub

Mix all ingredients together in a heavy stock pot. Heat on low and simmer 3-4 hours until sauce begins to thicken. Stir every 30 minutes, making sure not to scrape sides and bottom.

*NOTE 

As with any canned tomato based recipe, seasoning may have to be adjusted based on the sweetness and/or acidity of the tomatoes. Taste the sauce frequently and remember that the longer the sauce simmers the more the flavors will develop.