Shelly’s Friday Favourites creates artisan ketchup

I spend a lot of time wondering how I could improve some of the basic dishes my family eats all the time. Take hot dogs and hamburgers for example—because it’s BBQ season and people are camping all around me, I’ve smelt these campfire favourites cooking pretty much every day, and I’ve also made more than my fair share of them too.

To spice things up a bit, I’ve created my own burger patties and veggie burgers. You can use everything from rubs to a layer of cheese baked right in to add a bit of kick to your burgers, but as for hot dogs? Other than buying brats, smokies, or polish sausages to change it up a bit, hot dogs seem pretty same, same old to me.

That’s where condiments come in. If you’ve ever walked down the condiment aisle in the grocery store you’ll know how many different types there are, but I swear I had the blinders on for everything other than mustard, mayo, and good old ketchup.

But look beyond eye level on a grocery store shelf and you’ll see little gems like sriracha mayo, gourmet mustard, and organic flavoured ketchups. These condiments taste pretty great when you get them from the store, so can you imagine what they’d taste like if you started with fresh ingredients and made them yourself?

Let’s start with the king of condiments: ketchup. Until I tried homemade flavoured ketchup I had no idea how it practically bursts with flavour, how it makes any type of burger or hot dog taste completely unique, and how there are so many different kinds of flavoured ketchups you could have a fridge full of bottles before you know it.

Flavoured ketchups are big with foodies this year too. If you go into restaurants, you can ask for a side of artesian ketchup and you never know what you may end up with.

Don’t wait for your next restaurant or grocery store visit to try out a flavoured ketchup. It’s the weekend and time to BBQ, so whip up one of these homemade flavoured ketchup recipes and really kick off your next summer dinner. I’ll start with a basic recipe for homemade ketchup, and add one flavoured for you to try.

Homemade ketchup

Ketchup really is king around my house, and although it’s a long process to make it, the results are worth it. If you make one big batch of ketchup in your slow cooker, you can use it for any flavoured ketchup recipe you’d like to try.

Recipe and photo from allrecipes.

Directions

Pour ground tomatoes into slow cooker. Swirl 1/4 cup water in each emptied can and pour into slow cooker. Add sugar, vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, celery salt, mustard powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and whole clove; whisk to combine.

Cook on high, uncovered, until mixture is reduced by half and very thick, 10 to 12 hours. Stir every hour or so.

Smooth the texture of the ketchup using an immersion blender, about 20 seconds.

Ladle the ketchup into a fine strainer and press mixture with the back of a ladle to strain out any skins and seeds.

Transfer the strained ketchup to a bowl. Cool completely before tasting to adjust salt, black pepper, or cayenne pepper.

BBQ Ketchup

Why add BBQ sauce and ketchup seperately when you can blend them together and really up the the wow factor at your next BBQ? Recipe and photo from seriouseats.com.

Directions

Whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, molasses, hot sauce, Worcestershire, barbecue rub, mustard, onion powder, and garlic powder in a small bowl.

Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to a month.

If you’re having a BBQ this weekend, give these ketchups a try. I guarantee that burger or hot dog you serve will be a huge hit.

Here are a few of my essentials for a fun summer weekend.

Kick off your next BBQ with a better grill

BBQing? Try this BBQ rubs

Once you try it, you’ll always make your own slow cooker ketchup

Main image from tumblr