Add Another Layer Of Flavor To Barbecue Sauce With A Burnt Ingredient

For home-based grillmasters, if you love to sauce your 'cue, then you likely already know there are many ways to elevate your homemade barbecue sauce. But you might be surprised to find there's one ingredient that makes the strongest impact when it's been burnt first. Now, the words "burnt" and "barbecue" typically go together when talking about a regional delicacy like Kansas City burnt ends, but not often when mentioning barbecue sauce. For an extra layer of robust sweetness, you can actually burn honey before mixing it into your barbecue sauce. Similar to smoking honey in a smoker, making burnt honey is a fairly simple process, which involves simmering it on the stovetop to give the sugars time to caramelize, creating a thicker consistency and a deeper flavor.

The process of making burnt honey doesn't take much longer than about five minutes and it really makes a difference with the rich, molasses-like results yielded. For example, you can take the 3 tablespoons of honey in a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce recipe and burn it first before combining it into the mix. The extra time and effort will definitely be worth it when you taste the elevated flavor.

To make the best burnt honey for your barbecue sauce, it's imperative that you start with quality ingredients. Grab a bottle of Nate's Organic Honey from Amazon or a jar of local honey from your nearest purveyor. Make sure that you keep a close eye on your honey while it cooks down and remove it from the heat once it starts to smoke. Consider the dish or dishes to which you'll be pairing your barbecue sauce as this will inform the balance of spiciness and sweetness needed.

Burnt honey would make a great addition to the barbecue sauce for a rack of sweet, spicy, smoky raspberry chipotle ribs by bringing a unique depth of flavor and caramel-esque sweetness. When making an easy pulled pork recipe, the addition of burnt honey will make an already delightful dish that much more indulgent. Always remember to be careful when heating up honey and adding it to your barbecue sauce slowly and thoughtfully, tasting as you go to get an overall cohesive and enjoyable flavor.