Chunky red-eye BBQ sauce

This chunky barbecue sauce will liven up any dish. It’s inspired by a southern US favourite, red-eye gravy, which has black coffee as an ingredient. Here, coffee brings extra flavour to a tomato sauce you can serve on burgers, in wraps or as a dipping sauce.

Chunky red-eye BBQ sauce. Credit: Freshly Picked with Simon Toohey

• makes

  8

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 700 g red cherry tomatoes
• 20 ml plant-based butter (or use oil)
• ½ red onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 cup strong black coffee
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Add tomatoes to a large cast-iron pan or heavy-based pan on high heat and cook without touching them for 5 minutes, seasoning with a little salt. After 5 minutes, move the pan around to shift the tomatoes, stirring a little, then continue cooking for another 5 minutes until the tomatoes are breaking down. When you have reached this stage, take the tomato out of the pan and place it in a bowl. 
2. Add the plant-based butter or oil to the pan and bring it up to heat, then add the onion. As the onions start to colour, add in the garlic. Cook down until browned. 
3. Add the mustard powder, paprika and sugar, stir briefly, then add coffee and stir well to release anything that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes.  Mashing everything with a potato masher or wooden spoon will help to  get everything melding together nicely.
4. Add the apple cider vinegar and soy sauce, turn the heat down medium and cook until reduced by a third. Use a potato masher to break down any tomatoes that have not fully fallen apart, if desired – I like this as a chunky sauce.  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
5. Pour into clean jars and let cool. Store in the fridge (it will keep for several weeks). Serve with everything.
   

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.