Not Ketchup

As I referred to it so cryptically in my last recipe, Not Ketchup is next up. So called because I store it in empty ketchup containers with "NOT KETCHUP" written across the top to save my poor husband a burned tongue. It is, in layman's terms, barbecue sauce.

Ingredients:
3 c ketchup (I use the cheap store brand. A flavor you like is good, but it doesn't have to be the fanciest ketchup on the block)
2 c vinegar (apple cider works best)
2 c water
2 1/2 tbsp brown sugar (dark, if you have it)
4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tsp cayenne pepper

NOTE: In this and all my spicy recipes, be aware that I like hot food! If you don't, start easy and add more.

Directions:

Add everything in a pot that will leave at least two inches of space at the top for boil room. Stir it all together and simmer for about 20 minutes or until it coats the back of a wooden spoon.

For truly authentic Not Ketchup, then pour the cooled solution back into a ketchup bottle and mark "Not Ketchup."

This stuff lasts as long as ketchup in terms of "going bad", so feel free to double or even triple the recipe and stash some in your fridge.