A lot of home barbecue sauce recipes call for bottled Chili Sauce, which to me is an extravagance. I love it all by itself on hotdogs and in recipes, but I don't buy it because it is an extra. The other day I splurged and bought a bottle of Mesquite Flavor Liquid Smoke, speaking of extras. Although I cringe at the thought of something so artificial, I want to try some recipes with it. Besides, bottled barbecue sauce that we buy in the store - the ones that say they have that smoky flavor - all have some form of liquid smoke flavoring in them. I'm just guessing that it would work to make this with bourbon replacing some or all of the water.

1 tablespoon oil
3/4 cup onion, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons liquid smoke (any flavor, I used Mesquite)
3/4 cup catsup
3/4 cup water (part or all can be bourbon)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt

Saute the onion in the oil. Add the other ingredients and combine well. Simmer without a lid for at least an hour so it reduces and thickens. Refrigerate until ready to use and any leftovers. I store mine in a jar that pasta sauce came in.

My final product tastes just like Sweet Baby Ray's Award Winning Barbecue Sauce marketed by guys out of Chicago who claim they won a cookoff with the recipe. A bottle of it was left here by some summer renters in one of the cabins.