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Our family quickly fell in love with Cowboy Candy but when I make it I always have leftover syrup that feels like a crime to throw away. This is a great way to use everything and make liquid gold BBQ sauce.
This recipe made about 7 1/2 pint jars for us to keep and give away as gifts. even though my friends and family loved the sauce I wash I had kept more for myself because we went through our jars so fast.
We have used it on everything including burgers, pork chops, and chicken. just about everything we throw on the BBQ we consider adding this sauce and the answer is just about yes every time.
Ingredients you will need
- liquid gold (leftover syrup from Cowboy Candy) – click the link for recipe
- tomato sauce – adds a nice classic base to sauce
- tomato paste – helps to thicken sauce
- brown sugar – adds sweetness to counter the tart and spice beautifully
- Worcestershire sauce
- apple cider vinegar – white vinegar is also ok
- molasses – thickens and adds color to the sauce.
- honey – brings some sweetness and flavor.
- liquid smoke
- onion powder
- minced garlic – garlic powder will work as well.
- salt
- smoked paprika
How to make Liquid Gold BBQ Sauce
- in a large pot add all the ingredients and bring to a full boil.
- reduce heat and allow to simmer for 25-40 minutes. stirring consistently until the sauce has come to its desired consistency. do not walk away.
Canning
- Prepare 8 half-pint jars, hot and sterile
- using a funnel and ladle fill jars leaving a ½ inch head space.
- Wipe the rim of the jar clean with a damp cloth. place lids on top and tighten only finger tight.
- place jars in a canning pot with a rack at the bottom with enough water to cover the jars by at least 2 inches. water should be simmering but not at a full boil.
- put the lid on the pot and let the water reach a full boil. for 20 minutes.
- turn off the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- remove jars carefully and place them on the counter on a towel. allow chilling overnight. lids should pop to ensure a good seal.
Liquid Gold BBQ Sauce
Using the delicious syrup from the cowboy candy you made earlier, this will be your next go-to BBQ sauce.
Equipment
- canning equipment
- 1 large pot
Ingredients
- 2 cup liquid gold (leftover syrup from cowboy candy)
- 3 cup tomato sauce
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp minced garlic garlic powder will work also
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- in a large pot add all the ingredients and bring to a full boil.
- reduce heat and allow to simmer for 25-40 minutes. stirring consistently until the sauce has come to its desired consistency. do not walk away.
Canning
- Prepare 8 half-pint jars, hot and sterile
- using a funnel and ladle fill jars leaving a ½ inch head space.
- Wipe the rim of the jar clean with a damp cloth. place lids on top and tighten only finger tight.
- place jars in a canning pot with a rack at the bottom with enough water to cover the jars by at least 2 inches. water should be simmering but not at a full boil.
- put the lid on the pot and let the water reach a full boil. for 20 minutes.
- turn off the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- remove jars carefully and place them on the counter on a towel. allow chilling overnight. lids should pop to ensure a good seal.
Notes
Please be sure to research proper canning techniques. my instructions are what works for me but may differ depending on your location and equipment.
Made this last weekend. My husband says it’s his favorite and told me “do not give this away” . Lol
That’s amazing! I’m excited to stock up on some jalapenos soon to make more cowboy candy and this BBQ sauce
If you have some left over that you don’t have enough jars for, can you keep it in the fridge without canning?
IM sure you can, as long as you use it within the next week or so. I always kept the jars in the fridge after opening them and they lasted a few weeks.
Love this! Wasn’t sure what to do with all of the leftover “gold” but this is perfect! Just the right amount of sweet and heat! Thanks for sharing !!
I’m so glad you loved it! thank you for your comment
I love this BBQ sauce. I put in crockpot all day on low to get thick and it was perfect.
Can I omit the molasses? Im
You could if you wanted, it may not thicken up as much but it could also work, please let me know if you do and how it works out.
Very, very happy I found your recipe! Wonderful way to make use of the “liquid gold” leftover from the jalapenos. I actually used a candied jalapeno recipe…a little different from the cowboy candy. So I altered your BBQ sauce recipe a little (used less brown sugar and did not add the vinegar) because the candied jalapenos had more of those ingredients. Tasty delicious, nice account of heat and tang… and my husband LOVES it! Thank you so much!
I just made this and the only thing I left out, after reading one other comment, was the apple cider vinegar. This barbq sauce is AMAZING!! Thank you so much for posting it! This will always be my go to recipe from now on!!
Loved the recipe but wondering if you change the flavor of the liquid smoke from hickory to applewood or mesquite if it would be just as good.
That could be a good swap, if you do try please let me know how it turns out.
My syrup has pepper seeds. Do you strain the syrup?
I leave the seeds, but it is a personal preference for sure.
I leave my seeds in
I have been canning the extra sauce so I”ll have it next time I want to make bbq sauce. So good
Is there a way to make the syrup without making more cowboy candy? I want more bbq sauce but have enough Cowboy candy made. Or will I have to make it and throw away the jalapeños if I don’t want to can them?
You can always make more bbq sauce when you are done eating the cowboy candy you have, we just leave the liquid gold in the fridge until I’m ready to make another batch. On the other hand making the base without actually making the cowboy candy could also be an option. it will obviously change the flavour but it could be worth trying.
I made more base to have more bbq sauce to can. Worked great! Extra syrup is is super spicy…..jalapeños this round were fire!
So proud I made this! It’s delicious and packed with flavor! Haha I want to name it The Whistle Stop Cafe BBQ sauce, from Fried Green Tomatoes, “secrets in the sauce!”
Haha hope you catch the reference
unfortunately, I do not get the reference lol but I have that movie on my TBW list especially now 🙂 glad you enjoyed the sauce
How long would you water bath pint jars? We love your recipe
Because I don’t have enough experience with canning to give advice that would guarantee a shelf-safe product. I have left the details on canning out of the article. The last thing I want to do is give potentially harmful advice. I would suggest looking up some advice maybe on canning sauce with someone who has posted the info they have tested and have had success with. I hope you find what you need. Glad you liked the sauce
I know this is MONTHS later, but with the amount of acid and sugar in the recipe, it wouldn’t take long in a WB. I’ll be making this recipe this weekend and doing a 20 minute WB. I’m not saying this is right (I’m more rebel), just stating what I will be doing.
Made cowboy candy today and had a lot of syrup left over! I’m simmering bbq sauce now to get ready to can! Sauce is out of this world! Can’t wait to utilize it! Thanks so much for the recipe!!!
I made some of this and served at my grandsons wedding. Now I get requests from people to make it for them. BIG hit!
Amazing bbq sauce recipe, thank you! My husband is still raving about how good it is….an hour after tasting! I omitted the liquid smoke because I couldn’t find any, but it didn’t need it anyway! I always have lots of leftover syrup when making cowboy candy and this will be how I use it ❤️