Apple City BBQ Sauce (Illinois)

There will always be room in our lives for another sauce, and anything at all that comes out of the best-named cook book of all time, 'Praise the Lard', by the father-daughter barbecue team, Mike and Amy Mills, is going to be amazing. Apple cider, pork and barbecue sauce are the trifecta of fall and winter barbecuing. Now you can join the taste of cider and the sauce with this recipe. This award-winning sauce will enhance just about any barbecued dish. Some barbecue sauce can be very thick and just sit on top of the meat. This sauce is smooth and on the thin side. This help it to seep down into the meat.

1 cup ketchup, such as; Hunt's (240 mL)
2/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar (160 mL)
½ cup apple juice or cider (120 mL )
¼ cup apple cider vinegar (60 mL)
½ cup brown sugar, packed (120 mL)
¼ cup soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce (60 mL)
2 tsp. prepared yellow mustard (10 mL)
¾ tsp. garlic powder (3.75 mL)
¼ tsp. ground white pepper (1.25 mL)
¼ tsp. cayenne (1.25 mL)
1/3 cup bacon bits, ground in a spice grinder (80 mL)
1/3 cup apple, peeled and grated (80 mL)
1/3 cup onion, grated (80 mL)
2 tsp. green bell pepper, grated (10 mL)

Combine the ketchup, rice vinegar, apple juice or cider, cider vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, white pepper, cayenne, and bacon bits in a large saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the apple, onion, and bell pepper.

Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes or until it thickens slightly. Stir it often.

Allow to cool, then pour into sterilized glass bottles. A glass jar that used to contain mayonnaise or juice works really well.

Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.