Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce

Years ago we used to frequent a restaurant in Cannon Beach, Oregon that had a very delicious Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce that my son loved. Sadly, they closed down and we’ve never had a similar sauce since. My son and I were recently reminiscing about how delicious that barbecue sauce was so I decided to surprise him by making it at home from a recipe I found at Epicurus. This Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce was super easy to make, made my house smell delicious, and tasted just like that sauce from long ago – sweet, tangy, and a bit spicy. Surprisingly, my daughter who isn’t a huge barbecue sauce fan, absolutely loved it! Yay!

How to Make Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic, and ancho chile powder; cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add Dr. Pepper, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and white pepper; whisk until well combined. Simmer the sauce for 40-45 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Remove from the heat and allow the sauce to cool for about 10 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender which will make the sauce a bit thicker. Let cool.

Brush it on food 5-15 minutes before cooking time is finished. Serve additional on the side. Enjoy.

Side Note: The sauce will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 

Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 cups

Author: Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Original by Epicurious

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• ½ large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ancho chile powder
• 1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
• ¾ cup Dr. Pepper
• ½ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp fine ground white pepper
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Add the minced garlic, and ancho chile powder; cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
• Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Add Dr. Pepper, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and white pepper; whisk until well combined. Simmer the sauce for 40-45 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. 
• Remove from the heat and allow the sauce to cool for about 10 minutes.
• Puree with an immersion blender which will make the sauce a bit thicker. Let cool.
• Brush the sauce on food 5-15 minutes before cooking time is finished. Serve additional on the side. Enjoy.
• The sauce will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 

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