Molasses Is The Ingredient That'll Take Your BBQ Sauce From Good To Great

BBQ sauce is one of the most versatile sauces out there because it can be used in so many different types of meals. You can use this smokey sauce as a dip for french fries, basting baby back ribs, on a grilled chicken sandwich, or even drizzled over the chicken and cheese in a quesadilla. There's also a variety of different flavors and bases this condiment uses to suit everyone's palate like tomato, mustard, vinegar, and mayonnaise. 

However, while this sauce is flavorful on its own, there's another easy way to take it to the next level by just adding some molasses to the mix. If you incorporate molasses when you make easy homemade BBQ sauce, it will get a serious upgrade in taste, texture, and even nutritional value. These enhancements are why molasses can take your BBQ sauce from simply satisfying to exceptional, adding a deliciously complex taste to any snack or meal. 

To make molasses, sugar cane gets mashed down so that the liquid inside of it can be withdrawn. Once the liquid is removed, it gets boiled so that the sugar in the juice crystallizes. Those sugar crystals are subsequently removed and the liquid that remains is molasses. That liquid has a viscous, syrupy texture and when it's used as an ingredient to make BBQ sauce, it gives the sauce a much silkier consistency and makes it much easier to glaze meats. It also makes ribs fall off the bone tender because molasses has enzymes that help to soften muscle fibers. 

Since molasses is made from cooked sugar cane, it also develops a distinctive flavor. Raw molasses will likely taste like a combination of charred caramel, a bit of woodiness, and a sweet and slightly tangy flavor that will remain on your tastebuds well after you've swallowed it. When you make this condiment with molasses, it will add layers of flavor to your sauce, making its flavor profile much more sophisticated. However, the enhancements don't just stop there, homemade BBQ sauce gets a boost in nutrition from a certain kind of molasses.

There are three types of molasses produced from sugar cane when its liquid is boiled. The first is light molasses, which comes from the initial boiling of crushed sugar cane and it has the most sugary taste. The second is dark molasses, which doesn't taste as sugary and has a more viscous consistency. The third is blackstrap molasses, a syrup that develops after the sugar cane liquid is boiled for the third time. This type is the darkest, tastes bitter and has the most vitamins and minerals.

If you use blackstrap molasses in your homemade BBQ sauce recipe, you'll have a condiment that's as nutritious as it is creamy and delicious. According to Healthline, blackstrap molasses contains antioxidants, iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Iron can help stimulate hair growth, calcium can strengthen bones, and the abundance of antioxidants can help stave off illness. So not only does it improve taste and texture, but it also adds nutritional value. Sounds like a win-win to us.