bbq sauce 2 ways

do you ever get tired of the same old grocery store bbq sauces? i knew i could do WAY better, so i gave it a whirl and tried not one, but TWO different bbq sauces. i did a sweet and tangy carolina bbq sauce and a super spicy traditional sauce. here's what i did:

carolina bbq sauce

*note: this is NOT exactly the proportions i used when i made it. mine turned out WAY more mustard-y than i wanted, so i've adjusted my recipe after the fact w/out testing it. in the original trial, i used a whole 14 oz, bottle of french's yellow mustard.

1 c yellow mustard
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 c worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder (you can also use 1 clove fresh minced garlic)
2 tablespoons dry onion (or about 1/4 to 1/2 fresh chopped onion)
2 tablespoons honey
5 drops liquid smoke (i used mesquite flavor)
1/4 c brown sugar

mix everything together w/ a whisk or fork and reduce over low heat 30-60 minutes to desired thickness.

"pants on fire" bbq sauce

1 c ketchup
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c worchestershire sauce
5 drops liquid smoke (i used hickory flavor)
2 tablespoons (yes, you read that right) cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

mix everything together w/ a whisk or fork. reduce over low heat for 30-45 minutes to desired thickness.

both of these recipes make about 1 cup of sauce each. i used them to baste a half rack of baby back ribs each and had JUST enough. next time i have ribs, i'm planning to double each recipe so there's enough for more frequent basting, as well as dipping sauce.

* these can be frozen if you want to make a bunch ahead of time to use later.