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You'll notice quite a few changes to The Sauce recipe I'm trying out today. First, I'm cutting back on the paprika and chili to reduce the heat (for now), and I'm adding cumin for a sorta, kinda smoky flavor. For what I think will add some depth, I'm switching from tomato sauce to crushed tomatoes but will still reduce them significantly first.

I liked the addition of honey to the last batch, and so that stays. To it, I'm adding molasses, but cutting back on the brown sugar. Sweet is good. Too sweet is horrific. These sweeteners now belong to a category I'm calling "finishers." The Sauce cooks for a long time, and I don't want the sugars to burn. I'll add them near the end of cooking – maybe 15 minutes. Also, I'm adding some vinegar – more sour to balance the sweet.

Dry Ingredients
3/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/4 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Dry Mustard
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper

Wet Ingredients
3 cups Beef Stock
28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce

Finishers
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Molasses

Simmer tomatoes about 45 minutes to thicken. Combine the wet ingredients and bring to a boil. Combine the dry ingredients. Add to the wet and simmer 1 hour. Add the finishers approximately 15 minutes before the end of cooking.

Add 2 spoonfuls of corn starch slurry at the very end to thicken, if needed.