UNCLE JOHN'S SWEET / HOT DIPPING SAUCE FOR MEAT

Steps:

• Place water, chili powder, cumin, garlic, sugar, molasses, salt and red pepper flakes into saucepan or in microwave. Heat until the mixture comes to a boil and completely dissolves into like a syrup-like consistency.
• Then, lower heat to medium-low or even simmer.
• Add tomato sauce and catsup, cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture turns a bit darker color. Don't heat on too high of heat or you may burn the tomato component of this sauce. Let simmer very low for long enough to make the sauce thicker (in other words on LOW heat reduce the sauce).
• When done, remove sauce from heat and let cool to almost room temperature.
• Add vinegar and smoke flavor. (Do not add while sauce is too hot as this destroys the vinegar's potency).
• Stir well and test for final balance of
• sweet/hot (sweet component should not be much in evidence, just add a tang to the sauce, the sour should not be pronounced. To adjust sweet, add sugar a tablespoon at a time if needed when you taste test it. To add tang, do the same with vinegar, spices, sweetness and heat. You can add a dash of Tabasco sauce.
• If sauce still isn't hot (spicy) enough, rather than add more red flaked pepper, add a dash or two of Tabasco sauce or Sri Racha Asian hot chili sauce.
• Place sauce in covered container to refrigerate.
• **Note: The amount of heat you like (red pepper heat) varies from person to person. So before using the full amount of the pepper listed in the recipe, you might experiment first on a half batch or quarter batch of this sauce and start out small on hot pepper and increase to where you like it. You should be able to taste the 'bite' of the hot pepper through the sweetness of the sauce.