Orange Barbecue Sauce

Last week of February. I am ready for spring, which is not to say I have not loved the winter cooking because I have, but I am ready for the air to change and the farmer's market to start filling up with color and the kind of evenings where you can sit on the steps with your shoes off and just be outside for a few minutes without being cold.

I have been on a citrus kick this week, which is the correct late-February response to needing brightness in the kitchen. Made a lemon curd on Tuesday: egg yolks, sugar, butter, fresh lemon juice and zest, cooked over a double boiler until it thickened into something glossy and intensely yellow. I put it on everything this week: toast, stirred into yogurt, spooned into tart shells I made with the leftover pie dough I keep in the freezer. It is bright and tart and exactly the thing you need when it has been grey and cold for two months.

I also made a blood orange upside-down cake on Saturday, inspired by the blood oranges I found at the grocery store and could not walk past. They are only here for a few weeks in late winter and the deep red interior and the flavor that is somewhere between orange and raspberry made the cake look like something from a bakery. Caramelized blood orange slices on the bottom, almond cake batter poured over, inverted after baking onto a plate. It was beautiful and deeply satisfying and I ate it for breakfast on Sunday before driving to Gloria's, which is not something I would usually confess but it is February and the blood oranges are here and some opportunities close.

Once citrus has fully taken over your kitchen—once you’ve got lemon curd in the fridge and blood orange cake cooling on the counter—you start looking for every excuse to keep going with it. This Orange Barbecue Sauce felt like the natural next move: same bright, acidic energy, same insistence on waking everything up, but pointed in a completely different direction. It’s the kind of recipe that bridges the tail end of winter into something that feels almost like grilling weather, even when it isn’t quite yet.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 8 (about 2 tablespoons each)

Ingredients

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from about 2 medium oranges)
1 tablespoon orange zest
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 small yellow onion, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine ingredients. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the ketchup, orange juice, orange zest, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard until smooth.
Add aromatics. Stir in the minced garlic, grated onion, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes. Mix well to combine.
Simmer. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15—20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the flavors have melded.
Taste and adjust. Season with salt and black pepper. If you want more brightness, add another splash of orange juice or a little extra vinegar. For more sweetness, add a pinch more brown sugar.
Cool and store. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature before using. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Nutrition (per serving)

Orange Barbecue Sauce — When Citrus Takes Over the Kitchen