Kansas City Barbecue Sauce

So last week, Sara announced that in a few weeks, we’ll be jet-setting off to the Better Homes and Gardens headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa and competing in a cook-off against 4 other bloggers. Um, yeah, we’re just a little bit excited! Part of the fun is that we get to be part of launching their new cookware line. We’ve got lots of time to get into the Ps, Qs, and (shhhh) giveaways, but we got the chance to preview one of the cookware lines of our choice. And I chose this:

Isn’t my kitchen awesome? Just kidding–I’m pretty sure that’s the Better Homes and Gardens test kitchen; my kitchen has noticeably less natural light and noticeably more half-full sippy cups of milk.

Like I said, we’ll talk more about the cookware itself in the weeks to come, but suffice it to say that I am completely in love with this non-stick hard-anodized cookware line, both in appearance and in performance. Love. Like…I can’t put them away because I don’t feel like my cupboards are good enough for them.

Next Friday, we’re going to finish revealing (wow, that sounds so dramatic) the recipe were going to be competing with, but last week, Sara gave you a hint with her Shoestring Onion tutorial and this week, I’m sharing a slightly tweaked recipe from the New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Next week, we’ll put it all together and I’m not kidding when I tell you that my husband was over-the-moon happy for a good week after I tested these out on my family.

I’ve been on the search for the perfect barbecue sauce for…well, forever. We’ve got the sauce that goes on the Old-Fashioned Barbecue Chicken Legs and it is totally swoonworthy, but it’s really at its best on food cooked over a flame; it’s just not as awesome for dipping, last-minute basting, slow cooking, etc. Part of the cook-off challenge is to integrate at least one of the BHG recipes into our menu, so when I tried out and loved this barbecue sauce recipe, everything else came together like a dream. A good dream, not like that dream I had once where an alligator and I had to wave at each other to avoid me being eaten by said alligator.

This sauce is super versatile–it has a great base and there are a few variations you can try to mix things up a little. My favorite is the spiced variation–it tastes a lot like the sauce from my all-time favorite hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint and THAT is never a bad thing.

It’s kind of a mish-mash of barbecue awesomeness–tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar, molasses, horseradish, apple juice, onions, garlic, yada, yada, yada…

Then you saute the onion and garlic, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer until you reach the desired consistency and your house smells amazing.

Remove from heat and brush it on grilled chicken, dip your chicken fingers in it, use it for barbecue beef or BBQ Pork Sandwiches

BBQ Pineapple-Bacon Burgers

or brushed on Fauxtisserie Chicken: