Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

About 1 cup of sauce

On our annual trip to the Outer Banks we pitch-in one night by making dinner: local fish and shrimp (usually grilled) are front and center on the menu. I was planning to do a bbq-ish theme this year, and since I can count on finding excellent salmon at the local seafood markets I planned for a bourbon barbecue glazed salmon. Which just meant I needed a bourbon barbecue sauce; this one is adapted from several recipes I found online. Redemption is a higher-quality bourbon with a very smooth taste, so I used a bit more of it than recipes that advocated for cheaper brands. And I always like to add the liquid smoke late in the cooking process. Adding the black pepper at the end keeps a bit more of the sharp bite from that ingredient, too.

• 1/2 c ketchup
• 1/2 c bourbon (I used Redemption straight bourbon whiskey)
• 1/3 c light brown sugar, packed
• 1/8 c cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp liquid hickory smoke
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground