Caramelized Onion and Sausage Chili Sauce

I trust you all had a safe and wonderful 4th of July! I know we certainly did, especially since Indiana is extremely liberal when it comes to firework laws. You could literally spin around in circles in my backyard and see one of the most spectacular fireworks displays ever. All of my neighbors are crazy pyros and I absolutely love it! The only problem is now next year I am going to have to go out and buy a crap ton of fireworks to keep up with the neighborhood. 

We also had an awesome Friday night (3rd of July). My wife ended up looking at the Ft. Wayne events calendar to discover that the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic was performing their annual Patriotic Pops concert at Parkview Field (Our Minor league baseball stadium). The weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor concert and watch some fireworks. We are definitely planning on making that a tradition that we will go to every year!

Ft. Wayne Phil - Patriotic Pops Concert

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I just realized my pup photo bombed this pic!

I finally got to break in my new Weber Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill. I didn't do anything off the wall crazy since I am still trying to learn my way around my first charcoal grill, so we just ended up making some good ole burgers and dogs! But, of course the chef inside of me had do something a little fun. So I ended up making this absolutely delicious Caramelized Onion and Sausage Chili sauce to put on  the hot dogs. Man-O-man was it a tasty chili sauce...had a little bit of sweetness from the honey and the perfect amount of heat from the hot sausage and jalapenos. Not only did it taste really good on hot dogs, but it also tasted really good on the burgers! So far my grill is performing fantastic, not really surprised since Weber is probably the leader in the grill market. What I love about this charcoal grill though is that it has an propane ignition system to get the charcoal burning. So, you don't have to use any toxic lighter fluid that can leave a funky taste on food and you don't have to buy a separate chimney to get your coals started. The chimneys are nice, but it's also a little intimidating handling a tin canister full of ripping hot coals and dumping them into a grill. Be sure to give this chili sauce a try, I know for sure this will be a staple for now on for my barbecues!

Caramelized Onion and Sausage Chili Sauce

Prep time: 30 min | Cook time: 30 min | Total time: 1 hr | Yield: Serves 10

Ingredients

1 lb. hot sausage, out of casing
3 large onions, sliced
2 12 oz. bottles of Chili sauce
1 large red pepper, thinly sliced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Heat a dutch oven over direct heat on a charcoal grill. Once heated, add about a tablespoon of neutral cooking oil. When the oil is shimmering, add in the sliced onion. Stir onions to evenly coat in oil. Cook onions, stirring regularly, until golden brown. About 5 min
2. Deglaze the pan with some sort of liquid (I used the beer I was drinking). Then add in the sausage and cook, stirring occasional until browned. About 5 more min
3. After the sausage has browned, add in the red pepper and jalapeno. Cook, stirring occasionally, until both peppers are slightly softened.
4. Add in the chili sauce, honey, hot sauce, and black pepper. Stir to incorporate and let cook for another 15 min or until sauce has reduced and thickened. Spoon sauce over your favorite hot dog or anything else you feel it would be good on.

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