Kansas City Sauce

Ingredients

• 240 ml ketchup, or tomato paste thinned to a pourable consistency
• 80 ml molasses, unsulphured
• 60 g brown sugar, packed
• 60 ml cider vinegar
• 30 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 1 medium onion, finely grated or minced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp paprika, smoked or sweet
• ½ tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp liquid smoke, optional; used in some commercial versions

Method

1. 1
   Combine ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve. The mixture will smell sharp and raw at this stage — this is expected.
2. 2
   Add the onion, garlic, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, and celery salt. Stir to incorporate. If using liquid smoke, add it now.
3. 3
   Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 to 20 minutes. This is where the dish lives or dies: the brief simmer must melt the sugars fully, integrate the spices, and drive off the raw edge of the vinegar — but must not reduce the sauce to a paste or scorch the molasses on the pan floor. The sauce is done when it coats the back of a spoon thickly and holds a clean line when a finger is drawn across it, and when the sweetness, tang, and pepper are all individually detectable on the palate beneath the molasses.
4. 4
   Remove from heat. The sauce may be used immediately or cooled and stored. Apply only during the last 15 to 30 minutes of smoking or grilling; the sauce is done on the meat when the sugar has caramelised into a glossy, lacquered glaze and the surface holds a visible sheen under direct heat.