A homemade BBQ sauce built on a full 2-liter of Dr. Pepper reduced to syrup, smoky chipotles in adobo, caramelized sweet onion, honey, and molasses. The heat is adjustable — from mild to genuinely hot — and it pairs with everything off the smoker.
The Dr. Pepper Reduction. Add the entire 2-liter of Dr. Pepper to a large pot on high heat. Bring it to a rolling boil, then drop to medium. Let it reduce until it reaches a thick syrup consistency — about 20 minutes. You’re going from a full 2 liters down to roughly half a cup of concentrated, caramelized syrup. It will darken, thicken, and smell incredible. Don’t walk away from this — the sugars can go from syrup to burned fast once it gets close.
The Heat Decision. This is where you control how hot the sauce ends up. You have three options:
You can always add more heat later. You can’t take it away.
Caramelize the Aromatics. While the Dr. Pepper reduces, heat avocado oil in a separate pan on medium-high. Add the diced sweet onion and cook until golden brown on the edges — about 4 minutes. Turn the heat to medium, add the rough-chopped garlic, and sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Do not burn the garlic — burned garlic turns bitter and there’s no fixing it.
Combine and Blend. Add the caramelized onions and garlic to the reduced Dr. Pepper. Add the ketchup, cider vinegar, honey, molasses, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Hit it with an immersion blender (or transfer to a standard blender in batches) until the sauce is mostly smooth — no big chunks. If you want more heat, this is where you blend in the chipotle puree from step 2.
Strain, Jar, and Chill. Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a clean glass jar or squeeze bottle. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. The sauce thickens as it chills and the flavors meld overnight. It’s good the first day. It’s better the next.
This sauce was designed for smoked meats. The Dr. Pepper sweetness and chipotle smoke make it a natural match for anything off the Traeger. Here’s where it works best:
No. The sugar in regular Dr. Pepper is what caramelizes during the reduction and creates the syrup base. Diet versions use artificial sweeteners that don’t caramelize and can turn bitter when heated. Use regular Dr. Pepper — the full 2-liter reduces down to roughly half a cup of syrup.
The heat level is entirely adjustable. For mild heat, drain the chipotles and add only the adobo sauce from the can. For medium heat, simmer whole chipotles in the reducing Dr. Pepper for 5–10 minutes, then strain them out. For serious heat, blend the entire can of chipotles in adobo and add as much of the puree as you want. You can always add more heat — you can’t take it away.
Stored in a clean glass jar or squeeze bottle, this sauce keeps for 2–3 weeks refrigerated. The vinegar, sugar content, and acidity from the Dr. Pepper reduction all act as natural preservatives. For longer storage, freeze in ice cube trays and transfer to a freezer bag — it’ll keep for 3 months.
This sauce was built for smoked meats. It’s excellent on pulled pork, ribs (especially St. Louis ribs), smoked chicken, and brisket. The sweetness from the Dr. Pepper and honey balances the smoky chipotle heat, making it a natural match for anything off the Traeger. It also works as a dipping sauce or a glaze applied in the last 20 minutes of a cook.