My mum used to make BBQ sauce from scratch when we were kids- my brother and I loved ribs and rice nights. She got the recipe from her Supercooks book (a massive collection of recipes she has had since the 70’s which I inherited recently). My brother and I lived together for a few years and we kind of made it our own based on her recipe.

Here is our variation of it!

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

1/2 inch piece of ginger

Jar of Tomato Passata (or fresh tomatoes de-seeded and skins removed)

1 cup stock

tsp of Soy (or alternative)

1tbs Maple syrup

Juice of one orange

Juice of one lime

Salt and pepper

1-3 tbs Coconut sugar (optional and to taste)

The key to making a killer BBQ sauce is getting the right mix of salty sweet tomato-ey tang. The way to do this is to reduce the liquid right down slowly and continuing to taste and adjust as needed. I puree the onion, garlic and ginger in the food processor as I like my BBQ sauce smooth. I fry off the mix in either butter/olive oil (you could also use coconut oil if you don’t mind the taste coming through) when translucent I add all the other ingredients. I simmer over a low heat for up to an hour until it is thick and saucy. Then you can either use it as is on burgers (see my lentil ones), with chicken or on slow cooked Ribs (add the sauce to raw seasoned ribs and cook on low for 4-6 hours).