There are a lot of tasty things you can do with BBQ. One of the great things about BBQ is that even with very little experience, you can make it your own. There are burgers, dogs, big sausages, fish, chicken, vegetables, and on and on. Basically, anything that suits you is possible.
One of the staples of barbecue is the hamburger and hot dog combo. If you’re not super skilled around the grill, these are some foods that just about everyone can work with. And one of the staples of the burger and dog is French’s ketchup. It’s a must have. But what happens when the weather turns and burgers and dogs fly away for winter? When the barbecue gets rolled away, or maybe you’re on the road and there is no barbecue?
Where does that leave poor ketchup?
I recently posted about a secret sauce I make with French’s classic yellow mustard. That was great and all, but this go around we’re giving French’s ketchup the special treatment. You see, Chelsea and I travel a lot and more often than not we find ourselves eating simple stuff to cut down on costs of dining out. One thing that is always asked for by the boys is ketchup.
Last week, we found ourselves staying in a hotel with a fully stocked kitchen. The concierge was even kind enough to leave us a bottle of red wine! All we needed to add to this situation were a few basics. We stopped at a local supermarket to stock up on the essentials as we were there for the better part of a week, and local dining was…well, very local. One item we picked up was a package of boneless skinless chicken tenders. Chelsea got the bright idea of using our French’s ketchup and the wine (since I don't drink and she's such a lightweight she could never finish a whole bottle before it goes bad, try as she might) to make a special barbecue sauce.
This is how we did it.
Red Wine and Ketchup BBQ Sauce
This smoky, grown-up BBQ sauce takes the typical backyard get-together up a notch. Best of all, it comes together fast with ingredients you probably already have around.
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup sweet yellow onion (diced)
- 1 Tbsp garlic (diced)
- 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 cup yellow mustard
- 1 cup Pinot Noir
- 1 cup French's Tomato Ketchup
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Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat 7min, until lightly browned.
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Add garlic, chili powder, cayenne and mustard and saute over medium for an additional minute.
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Add Pinot Noir, bring to boil over high and then reduce to simmer for 10 min.
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Add ketchup, bring up to simmer and let simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Chelsea baked some chicken tenders and brought the whole thing down poolside so she could enjoy a minute to herself while the rest of the family splashed around.
The boys don’t have a fine pallet yet, so they opted to stick with standard French’s ketchup for their chicken tenders. They took a bite of the BBQ sauce and as Sidekick put it, “There’s something in the ketchup.” He's not a fan of pepper or chipotle, and I'm guessing red wine probably isn't his jam either. For the adults and fine diners that Chelsea and I are, however, this was a zesty new take on that ol' staple. It was sweet and tangy with just a bit of a kick. All thanks to a little French’s ketchup and red wine as the backbone of the recipe.
So next time you find yourself burger-less, remember: just because those dogs went runnin’ south for the winter doesn’t mean ketchup can’t still come out and play!
Do you have any fun recipes that involve ketchup?