How Should I Thicken My Homemade Barbecue Glaze?

Using a homemade barbecue glaze is an easy way to turn plain meats into extraordinary meals. A glaze is a lighter version of a sauce. In fact, many sauces can be used in light amounts to glaze meat. They key to a great glaze is the perfect consistency. If it’s too thick, it becomes a heavy sauce. If it’s too thin, it will simply drip off the meat and boil away. To prevent the latter, draw on a few methods to thicken the glaze.

Boil

Boil away the excess liquid to thicken a barbecue glaze and concentrate the flavor. For the best results, place the glaze in a pan over low heat to simmer the moisture away. Simmering the glaze at a high heat can cause any sugar in the recipe to burn. Stir the contents often throughout the simmering process to protect against burning.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch is a handy ingredient to have on hand if you need to thicken a sauce or glaze. It doesn’t dissolve well in hot liquids, though, so you need to prepare it before use. Mix the cornstarch with cool water, adding enough water to create a creamy consistency. Add a little of the cornstarch mixture at a time, simmer to thicken and check the results before adding more. Use about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch for every one cup of glaze for dramatic results. The cornstarch has little flavor, so it won’t affect the taste of your glaze much.

Flour

Flour works almost as well as cornstarch when it comes to thickening barbecue glazes. However, flour isn’t as powerful a thickening agent, so you have to use about 2 tablespoons of flour for every one cup of glaze. For the best results, cook the flour with a little butter before you add it to the glaze. This helps to dissolve the flour. Add a little of the butter mixture to the glaze at a time, simmer the glaze and check the thickness. The butter and flour do provide distinct flavors that will alter the taste of your glaze. Stir the flour mixture well and simmer it thoroughly to help lessen the flour flavor.

Vegetable Puree

Vegetable puree, such as tomato paste or pureed potatoes, works as a thickening agent in glazes. However, the puree will affect the taste of your glaze. Like cornstarch and flour, mix a little of the puree in at a time, simmer to thicken and check the results.

Tips

Be patient when thickening a homemade barbecue sauce to avoid burning or turning the glaze into a lumpy sauce. If you do overthicken the glaze, add a little water or broth to bring it back to the right consistency. However, once you burn a glaze, there’s usually no going back.

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