Bourbon BBQ Glaze Recipe: Make Delicious Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Our updated classic Santa Maria style Bourbon BBQ Glaze homemade recipe, made with authentic ingredients. It's the perfect finish for chicken, ribs, tri-tip, steaks, lamb, turkey, and fish, and it's ready in about 35 minutes. The glaze uses Jake's Famous Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce, made with non-alcoholic natural bourbon and maple flavors, so the finished glaze contains no alcohol.

Bourbon Glaze Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Jake's Famous Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons high smoke point oil, such as canola or sunflower oil
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 2/3 cup Jake's Famous Ball Park Ketchup
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup dark un-sulphured molasses
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Bourbon option: In place of the Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce, you can use 3/4 cup bourbon. Inexpensive bourbon is fine, or substitute something else with similar flavoring if you prefer.

Steps to Make the Glaze

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the oil over medium heat. The oil keeps the butter from burning.
2. Add the minced onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onions turn golden.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the mixture thickens, about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

When the glaze reaches your desired thickness, let it cool for 5 minutes, then spoon it directly onto your meat. For a thicker glaze, keep reducing for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

Watch: Jake's Maple Bourbon BBQ Glaze Recipe Video

Tips

• Alcohol-free: Using our Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce instead of bourbon gives you a warm, smooth bourbon flavor with no alcohol at all.
• Gluten-free and low in sodium: Our Ball Park Ketchup and Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce are both gluten free.
• Molasses: Un-sulphured molasses is a recommendation, not a rule. Standard dark molasses works fine once it's blended and reduced.
• Storing: Once cooled, the glaze keeps for at least two weeks in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
• Reheating: Spoon it into a microwave-safe container and heat for about 45 seconds, until it's runny again, then use it right away.

How This Glaze Came About

I made this recipe at least a dozen years ago when I was creating some of our barbecue sauces. I've always enjoyed making ribs and chicken, and even though I had this great barbecue sauce, it seemed I needed more to finish off the meal. After much searching and talking with some customers, the central theme became clear: we needed a fancier sauce that could top the chicken or ribs. We knew we wanted something that was not too sweet but could be mixed and concentrated to deliver maximum flavor.

We tried all kinds of mixes and toppings, but for some reason we couldn't make it blend in a way that worked not only for chicken but for ribs, turkey, fish, and all kinds of game. After a few weeks of attempts, it came to me in a sort of revelation: if I blended molasses with maple syrup and orange juice, similar to how carne asada is marinated, we could hit the target. More mixing and blending took place, and one day it all came together. We created an amazing sauce that anyone can make, using items you probably already have in your kitchen. All you have to do is mix the ingredients together, then let them reduce and concentrate.

Once I've reduced the glaze down until it's almost syrupy, I let it cool, then use a ladle and spoon it across ribs, turkey, or chicken.

Serving Ideas

Serve with BBQ meats, tacos, or wraps, or as a Santa Maria tri-tip bourbon sauce. It's also our go-to sauce for barbecue brisket.

Watch: Jake's Smoked Tri-Tip Video