Name: Home Kitchen Coca-Cola Habanero BBQ Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 14 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 medium yellow onion (diced); 1 medium red bell pepper (diced); 1 habanero pepper (diced (seeded for less heat)); 5 cloves garlic (minced); 1½ cups dark brown sugar; 1 cup coca-cola; 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar; 1/2 cup molasses; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground); 8 ounces tomato paste

Coca-Cola Habanero BBQ Sauce is thick, sweet with a spicy kick! Reliable bbq sauce for grilled chicken and pulled pork, but also great or for dipping and using in recipes calling for bbq sauce.

Another day, another savory bbq sauce.

When one smokes a pork shoulder there needs to be plenty of sauce options amiright? Some sweet, some spicy… because everyone likes something different. This sauce is ultra thick and caramelizes on the grill beautifully. It’s also pretty darn sweet, however it pairs genuinely well with the heat of the habanero. It almost needs the heat to balance it all out.

While I tend to lean towards the more vinegary sauces or sauces like this Carolina mustard bbq sauce, I did use the leftover coca-cola habanero bbq sauce in another recipe (that I’ll be sharing soon), and it was SO satisfying.

For this Coca Cola Habanero BBQ Sauce Gather:

unsalted butter
yellow onion
red bell pepper
habanero pepper
garlic
dark brown sugar
Coca-Cola
molasses
vinegar
kosher salt
black pepper
tomato paste

Start by melting 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large sauce pan.

Once melted, add in 1 diced medium yellow onion, 1 medium diced red bell pepper, 1 habanero (seeded and diced, or with a few seeds for heat) and 5 cloves garlic finely minced.

Stir and cook over medium to medium-low heat until soft and slightly caramelized.

Next, add in 1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar, 1 cup Coca-Cola, 1/2 cup un-sulphured molasses, 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.

Stir and bring all of this to a boil.

Once boiling, cook at a rolling boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid any sticking.

Smells memorable!

Lastly, whisk in 8 ounces of tomato paste.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

The sauce should have thickened.

Allow the sauce to cool slightly before transferring to a blender. Secure the lid and remove the center plug – this will allow any steam to escape. With kitchen towel, cover the hole lightly and puree until smooth.

Cool the coca-cola habanero sauce completely before storing in an air-tight container or bottles for up to 1 month.

Thick sweet and spicy!