Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce

This is a regional BBQ sauce hailing from far northern Georgia and the Carolinas of the USA.  I had never even considered a mustard-based sauce until I tasted it after moving to Georgia but it quickly became my favorite!

Finely mince 2 Tbl yellow onion and 3 Tbl apple and saute in 2 Tbl butter or olive oil until tender but not browned. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup honey, 12 drops hot sauce (Tapatio or Tobasco, for example), a skimpy 1/3 cup white vinegar, 2/3 cup prepared yellow mustard, 3 Tbl spicy whole grain mustard, 1 tsp of a ground pepper steak seasoning (mine has a mix of black, red and white peppercorns, dry minced onions and salt in it - I think Montreal Seasoning would be pretty similar). Bring to slow boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Check and adjust flavors then blend until perfectly smooth with either a standing blender or an immersion blender.  Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.  Using 1 tsp water at a time, you can thin it if the consistency becomes too thick.

Use as a marinade or glaze when baking or grilling pork or chicken OR drizzle over pulled pork, or beef, sandwiches OR use as a dip for chicken nuggets.