Spice up your cookout with our Fireball BBQ Sauce. This quick and easy recipe adds a sweet and spicy kick to your favorite grilled meats using Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. Perfect for barbecued brisket, chicken, ribs, and more.
Fireball Whisky Barbecue Sauce
Our Fireball Whisky Barbecue Sauce recipe is so easy to make; it takes only 10 minutes on the stovetop to create a homemade alcohol-infused condiment.
This homemade Fireball recipe starts with a ketchup base to give the sauce a head start, then it’s as simple as stirring in a handful of ingredients and spices, bringing it all to a boil, and simmering it on the stove to thicken.
Cinnamon whisky sauce has the best balance of sweet and spicy flavors with its boozy beverage cooked right into the ketchup – it’s perfect for slathering on steak, brushing on brisket, marinating meats, coating chicken, or any using as a replacement for a store-bought bottle of barbeque sauce for grilling.
Whisky barbeque sauce lets you have your cocktail and spread all in one condiment, but it’s mainly for adults only because it takes a few hours before the alcohol is cooked off (please use discretion if serving it to minors).
Why We Love Cooking With Fireball BBQ Sauce
- Quick and easy to make in 10 minutes.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- Delicious condiment with a kick for your next cookout or barbecue.
- Spicy bbq sauce recipe that goes down without a burn.
- It’s always fun to spike your sauce and a great way to add flavor to the grill!
Fireball BBQ Sauce Ingredients
- Ketchup: I used the original Heinz brand tomato ketchup for this recipe.
- Fireball whisky
- Brown sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Pepper jelly
- Worcestershire sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
Substitutions and Additions
- Choose The Kind Of Ketchup: Feel free to use your favorite organic, low sugar, simple ingredients, etc., brand of ketchup. If you use a lower-sugar option, you may want to add a couple of extra tablespoons of brown sugar to your sauce.
- Prepare Without Pepper Jelly: If you do not want to use the pepper jelly, you can increase the amount of sugar in the recipe by 2-3 tablespoons and add a pinch (⅛-¼ teaspoon, or more, depending on your preference) of red pepper flakes for heat.
Recommended Tools
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk
How to Make Fireball BBQ Sauce
- Stir The Sauce: Stir together all of the ingredients in your saucepan.
- Simmer On The Stove: Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes until thickening.
Pro Tip: Be sure to whisk often to prevent the sauce from burning. - Cool: Allow the sauce to cool completely before transferring to a lidded container. Enjoy!
Tips For Making The Best Fireball BBQ Sauce
- According to my research, it takes approximately 2-3 hours to cook out the alcohol from a sauce fully. Since Fireball whiskey is an important ingredient in this sauce, I suggest discretion when serving it to minors.
- I use Fireball whiskey, but any brand of whiskey will work fine. Jim Beam or Jack Daniels would be great substitutes.
- Use can whatever kind of ketchup you have on hand, but be sure to use a brand you would normally enjoy as a condiment.
- This sauce will continue to thicken a little more as it cools. Make sure to allow time for it to cool before transferring it to a container.
- A freezer-safe canning jar is a great option for storing this sauce. These canning jars can be found online or at your local grocery store. Be sure that the packaging states “Freezer Safe” on it.
How to Store Fireball BBQ Sauce
- To Store: In the refrigerator, you can store this scratch-made sauce in a lidded container, such as a pint-sized mason jar, for up to two weeks.
- To Freeze: You can freeze this homemade Fireball BBQ sauce for up to two months.
- To Reheat: You can warm your sauce slightly in a saucepan on low heat.
More Easy Fireball Recipes
Other Easy Homemade Sauce Recipes
- Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe
- Salted Caramel Sauce
- Homemade Bolognese Sauce
- Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
- Alabama White Sauce
- Big Mac Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup Fireball whisky
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoons pepper jelly
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, stir together the ketchup, Fireball whiskey, brown sugar, unsalted butter, pepper jelly, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
- On medium heat, bring the Fireball BBQ sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for an additional 6-8 minutes to thicken the sauce. Be sure to whisk often to prevent the sauce from burning.
- Remove from the heat and allow the sauce to cool completely before transferring to a lidded container. This sauce will continue to thicken a little more as it cools.
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: You can store this scratch-made sauce in a lidded container, such as a pint-sized mason jar, in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- To Freeze: You can freeze this homemade Fireball BBQ sauce for up to two months.
- To Reheat: You can warm your sauce slightly in a saucepan on low heat.
- According to my research, it takes approximately 2-3 hours to fully cook out the alcohol from a sauce. Since Fireball whiskey is such an important ingredient in this sauce, I suggest using discretion when serving it to minors.
- I use Fireball whiskey, but any brand of whiskey will work fine. Jim Beam or Jack Daniels would be great substitutes.
- Use can whatever kind of ketchup you have on hand but be sure that you use a brand that you would normally enjoy as a condiment.
- This sauce will continue to thicken a little more as it cools. Make sure to allow time for it to cool before transferring it to a container.
- A freezer-safe canning jar is a great option for storing this sauce. These canning jars can be found online or at your local grocery store. Be sure that the packaging states “Freezer Safe” on it.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 1760mg | Potassium: 483mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 1639IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg
