My Mama’s Very Special BBQ Sauce

Image Credit: Cafe del Manolo

When did you realize that you were turning into your mother?

Don’t front, I know it’s happened to you. That moment when you find yourself doing the very thing that you used to tease your mother about? I’ve had more of those moments than I can count and I’ve come to embrace them.  One of those habits is taking pride in using every ounce of leftovers or bits and pieces of whatever is left in the fridge and combining them to make a fantastic meal.  When the end of the week nears, I even play a little game with myself to see what dish I can come up with for dinner without having to make a grocery store run.

I’m such a nerd, I know. And that’s exactly what I used to call my mom when I’d see her pulling randomness out of the fridge .  In hindsight, she’s brilliant!  Not only is it an intellectual challenge, but it’s a challenge in creativity. And one of her Culinary Odds and Ends Masterpieces is her Very Special BBQ Sauce.  When Hubby tasted it for the first time years ago, he was blown away and requested the recipe.  My mom was more than happy to divulge her secret: a little bit of this; a little bit of that; and basically every last almost-finished bottle of random condiments living in the refrigerator door.

I’m not even kidding – she throws in everything from Chinese takeout soy sauce and duck sauce packets to molasses to ends of garlic cloves to marinades to preserves and mustards.  Throw it all in and adjust seasoning until you have a rockin’ BBQ sauce.  With summer cookout season officially in full effect, I can’t wait to get my homemade BBQ sauce on.  Even though I have found an all-time favorite ready-made sauce, there’s nothing like making your own.

Even if my daughter might make fun of me while I’m doing it.

This sponsored post was inspired by Chef George Duran’s On the Grill series on The Dish, a ConAgra Foods recipe resource site. In a recent post, Chef Duran shares some of his fave trends for grilling this summer, including DIY Toppings and Sauces.  I’m also loving the hot trend of adding a gourmet twist to traditional BBQ – that’s all me!