Homemade Condiments for Fantastic Summer Barbecues (with 4 Recipes!)
By Kresha, Contributing Writer
The summer holidays are just about to be upon us in North America and with them come summer barbecues. Oh, goodness, I love summer…. ::sigh::
With Memorial Day in the U.S. and Victoria Day in Canada just around the corner, summer picnics, pool parties, and backyard barbecues will soon be in full swing.
But as conscientious mothers and homemakers, there is a niggling question:
In striving to feed our families healthy, nourishing whole foods, we often focus on the big food items: the meat, the dairy, the properly prepared grains. However, what about the little things?
You may have the most delicious grass-fed steak burger on a sprouted or sourdough bun, but what about the ketchup and mustard? And what about the barbecue sauce for your grilled chicken or the relish on your child’s hot dog?
Often, the store-bought versions of these condiments are laden with high fructose corn syrup, genetically modified ingredients, and preservatives. Even the organic ones sometimes have hidden ingredients, not to mention being expensive.
Thus, today, I offer a whole-food take on four of the classics: ketchup, mustard, sweet pickle relish, and barbecue sauce. (If you’d like a mayonnaise as well, Stacy posted a lovely one a few days ago.)
I created these versions to be as similar to the store-bought versions as possible, specifically keeping in mind kids who may be picky about foods they don’t recognize. Serve them in restaurant-style squeeze bottles or in empty condiment containers (like the mustard you just finished), and the kids won’t even know they’re healthy.
These recipes were originally published in Restocking the Pantry: Easy-to-Make Condiments to Help You Save Money and Nourish Your Family.
Bold and Smoky Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 onion coarsely chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons water
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
- 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure liquid smoke
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil melted
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place the onion in a blender with the water and blend until slushy. An immersible blender makes this especially easy. Strain mixture through a cheesecloth, squeezing it until you obtain 1/2 cup juice.
- Whisk ketchup, onion juice, and other wet ingredients in a medium bowl, omitting oil. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in garlic and spices and cook until fragrant. Whisk in wet ingredient mixture and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the mixture thickens, about 20-30 minutes. Cool to room temperature before serving.
My son just discovered ketchup recently, and then requested it the next morning on his pancakes…so I am glad to have found a good clean recipe for me to make my own! I will be canning ketchup this summer for certain!
I was just suspiciously eying my store-bought relish the other day. Thanks for these!
This is so cool. I can’t wait to try it out and experiment with all these ingredients . My son and I will have fun making these as part of our homeschooling.
Kresha this is great! LOVE all the simple recipes. My husband loves dill relish so will have to look into this, almost all the store bought ones have dyes in them 🙁
Oh all the things I need to write down. I’m glad there are others out there exploring how to make things again.