More Tomatoes = More Sauce

I had yet another very bountiful tomato harvest again, and there are still a ton of tomatoes left, just waiting to ripen. I even got a couple of green bell peppers too this time. I still have tomatoes from my last tomato harvest as well. Needless to say, I still have a lot of tomatoes, and this is AFTER giving a lot away and making different sauces and using them in a lot of creative ways.

The best way to use a lot of tomatoes is by turning them into a sauce, or two, or three. I’ve already used them for marinara sauce A Simple Marinara and for a red mole sauce Puerco con Mole Coloradito. This time, I made a spicy BBQ sauce.

Once again, we had Peter over for dinner, and this time he brought his girlfriend Lilly. So Larry had the smoker out and smoked a bunch of meats. Smoked meats need a good BBQ sauce to go with them, right? And since I have a lot of tomatoes to use, I hit the books to find a perfect sauce to compliment Larry’s smoking abilities. I came up with a recipe for a spicy BBQ sauce, and then of course I changed it and made it my own. 🙂

Fresh Tomato Spicy BBQ Sauce

3 lbs tomatoes, diced – I like to mix and match mine

1 onion, diced

1 1/2 TBSP garlic

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or boiled apple cider vinegar

2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1-2 chipotle peppers and their sauce

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

1 tsp paprika

salt & pepper to taste

1-2 TBSP honey

1-2 tsp liquid smoke

1/4 cup olive oil

Get a large pot very hot and add the olive oil, onions and garlic. Let cook for about 4 minutes, or until the onions and garlic are translucent and fragrant.

Add the tomatoes and all the rest of the ingredients and cook at a low heat for about 30-40 minutes, or until most of the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce thickens. Allow to cool for just a bit, then puree everything in the food processor.

You are looking for a nice, thick sauce.

Enjoy it with anything you would serve with BBQ sauce. This is much better than any store bought sauce though. 🙂 We added it to the brisket, ribs and the chicken that Larry smoked. Delicious!

Larry also smoked some corn on the cob and I made a simple tomato cucumber salad and a potato salad with a dill vinaigrette.

We all enjoyed the simple dinner and played a bunch of games after. Everyone had a good time, with a lot of good food and lot of laughs.

Life is better when shared with friends and good food. We do our best to celebrate this way as much as we can. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.