Spring has sprung! The season’s officially begun, we’ve passed the equinox and days will, for the next six months, be longer than average. That means it’s barbecue season.
Barbecue sauce is one of the more polarizing foods. Not because people don’t like it, but because we tend to stick to our guns when it comes to our favorite. That can be a shame, because the range of flavors you can incorporate (successfully) into barbecue sauce ranges from cherry to blackberry to bourbon to stout.
And even to coffee. The subtle smokiness of dark-roasted beans offsets the tanginess of the barbecue sauce’s base and draws out the best flavors in cooked meats. Try this recipe for your first backyard barbecue of the year and see if you can’t convert your barbecue connoisseur friends to coffee barbecue sauce lovers.
Coffee Barbecue Sauce
Makes 12 servings
1 cup double-strength dark-roasted coffee (I love this recipe with Milano Coffee’s Parisian dark roast blend.
½ of a Walla Walla sweet onion, finely chopped
1 ¼ cups ketchup
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
2 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon butter
Melt butter in a sturdy saucepan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook 3-4 minutes, add garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in coffee; stir in remaining ingredients. Mix well and allow mixture to come to a boil. Turn the heat down and allow the sauce to simmer on low for 45 minutes or until it becomes viscous. Cool and use in any recipe that calls for barbecue sauce (like this meatball sandwich suggestion from our Culinary Chemistry).
Optional: Make this a Coffee Chocolate Barbecue Sauce by stirring in ½ cup melted dark chocolate. Feeling extra adventurous? Make it Theo Chocolate’s Ghost Chili Chocolate.
