Brown Bear BBQ Sauce

My ancestors passed down this sauce through generations of our bear clan, though I’ve added my own touches over the years. When winter blankets the northern forests, hunting grows scarce, particularly since our kind abandoned hibernation practices. While others seem content with the peculiar tang and softness of meats preserved in our traditional ice caches, I’ve always found myself craving something more vibrant to satisfy my palate.

My mother first ladled this brown sauce over my elk steak one summer evening, a recipe passed down from her own mother’s den. Every bear clan guards their own variation, some favoring honey’s sweetness, others the both of wild berries. After countless seasons of sampling jars from trading posts and scribbling notes while visiting  neighboring territories, I’ve finally balanced the perfect blend of ingredients that makes even the oldest meat sing with flavor.

The rich tang of this sauce elevates everything from a sizzling elk steak to a juicy bison patty to fall apart tender wild hog. Human palates might appreciate it slather over beef brisket or drizzled atop pulled pork, the choice is yours. I’ve carefully translated the ingredients from my forest dialect to your supermarket equivalents, though noting quite captures the earthy notes we bears detect in the original components.

Serves: 6 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Difficult level: Easy

Ingredients:

- 2 cups ketchup

- 2 cups tomato sauce

- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar

- 1 1/4 red wine vinegar

- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses

- 2 Tablespoons butter

- 4 teaspoons hickey-flavored liquid smoke (optional)

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

- 1 teaspoon paprika

- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

- 1/2 onion powder

- 1/2 celery seed

- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1) In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, wine vinegar, molasses, butter, and liquid smoke. When mixed together, add the salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, celery seed, cayenne, chili powder, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly.

2) Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. For a thicker sauce, simmer longer and for a thinner sauce, less time is needed. If sauce is too thick it can be thinned with water if necessary.