This is my go to sauce for wings and ribs, and you can adjust the amount of heat or sweetness you prefer, goes extremely well over my cuban and smokey chicken & smokey hot rubs
What you need
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (plain vinegar will suffice)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika (used smoked for more flavour)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons smoked honey (optional)
What to do
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and cook over low - med heat for 20 seconds. Take care not to burn the garlic.
Add the remaining ingredients—tomato sauce, water, vinegar, brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, and cayenne & honey, and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes until thickened. Stir occasionally. Watch for burning and reduce the heat or take it off of the burner, if needed.
Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes before using on ribs. – store in the fridge for up to 10 days