a : bbq sauce that’s hot, sweet and black as sin

Melt up to three tablespoon pastured lard, bacon fat or coconut oil over a medium flame, then toss in the minced onion and garlic.Fry the minced onion and garlic in the hot fat until fragrant and translucent. Allow its edges to caramelize a bit.Reduce the heat to low, then spoon about 1/4 cup tomato paste into the saucepan. Take care because the tomato paste could splatter in the hot fat.Stir one cup molasses, one cup whole unrefined evaporated cane juice and two tablespoons fish sauce into the tomato paste. Continue to stir the sauce together until the molasses completely dissolves into the tomato paste and the sauce becomes uniform in color.Stir unrefined sea salt, onion powder and garlic powder into the sauce and continue to stir until the flavorings are fully dissolved in the sauce.Gently and incrementally spoon the chipotle chili powder into the sauce, tasting it periodically and adding only as much heat as you can handle. Remember, the heat of the chili powder will increase as the sauce cooks and ages, so it may be wise to under-season it.Continue to cook over a low flame for another twenty minutes, taking care not to let the sauce bubble.

Pour the sauce into a quart-sized mason jar and place it in the refrigerator.Allow the flavors to marry for at least a day before you plan to serve the homemade barbecue sauce.