Root Beer Barbecue Sauce

I made one of my famous Shredded Beef roasts for dinner in the crock pot tonight.  This dish is always a hit served on buns with sweet peppers for dinner and is so easy to prepare in the morning to make dinner time effortless!

I was thinking that I wanted to kick up the flavour of the beef a bit tonight, so thought I'd try my hand at making my own barbecue sauce.  I searched through my recipe books and found a recipe for Root Beer Barbecue Sauce that I had clipped out of Bon Appetit magazine years ago.

The sauce turned out so well, it had a lovely smoky, sweet flavour and was thick and tasty!  I tossed the beef in it and then drizzled more on top of the meat once the sandwiches were assembled.  It really added an amazing element to the beef, it was just what I was looking for! 

I had forgotten how much I loved Root Beer as well, it's been years since I've had it and I so enjoyed finishing off what was left in the bottle after making this recipe.  It totally reminded me of my Grandma who used to make us root beer floats as a special treat in the summer time.  What a lovely memory it evoked!

This recipe makes about two cups of barbecue sauce and can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks.  Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try:

Root Beer Barbecue Sauce

1 cup root beer
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1.5 TBSP packed dark brown sugar
1 TBSP molasses
1 tsp liquid smoke (can be found in the bottled sauce section of most supermarkets)
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 1.5 cups, about 20 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cool slightly.  Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate.  Can be made up to 2 weeks ahead.