BBQ Sauce

[KeithA]

So today I had some spare time, extra beef and extra ketchup so I figured I'd try my hand at making barbeque sauce from scratch. For my first time, I grabbed an internet recipe and it turned out ok, but not great. It had this either too vinegary or too much Worchestershire sauce after-taste. But it was still fun to make and easy. So I thought I'd try some more concoctions. Any suggested recipes for BBQ sauce?

The sauce can be any kind, and I know there are a zillion variations - just share your favorites. Also please say what type of meat the sauce should go with. My personal eating preference is for sauces for beef or chicken or for something different a mustard, not tomato based sauce.

[tfbrennan]

My go-to sauce for pork ribs:

THE PERFECT MAN'S APRICOT- HORSERADISH BARBECUE SAUCE

1 cup apricot preserves

1/4 cup dark rum

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon molasses

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons fresh shallot, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 to 1 Scotch-bonnet pepper, seeded and minced (I usually substitute habanero, using min. 1, often more, depending on guests and their tolerance for heat)

1/2 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes (again, I use more)

Salt and black pepper, freshly ground

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons horseradish, to taste

[Pat]

I originally found this in Jane Brody's Good Food Book as part of an oven baked chicken recipe, but it makes a nice thick all-around bbq sauce.

Barbeque Sauce

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt, (optional)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup lemon juice, about 1 lemon

1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise, about 2/3

cup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

Combine everything but ketchup in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add ketchup, stir, and remove from heat.

[johnb]

I guess I'm too lazy to write anything down, or if I do I can't find it when I want it, so I dreamt up the following sauce which I can remember in my head. It's really not a bad sauce at all, and in fact is quite complex in flavor. You can vary the ingredient proportions to get a sweeter, or more vinegary, or more spicy version as you please and depending on what you're using it with. It is tomato based tho, and can come out too sweet if you're not careful (kinda like Larry Craig ).

6 "C" BBQ Sauce

Take about a 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce or ketchup, add about a half cup each of vinegar (plain not fancy) and sugar (white or brown or molasses). Simmer for a while and taste to be sure you have the sweet/sour balance you want, then correct accordingly.

Then add the 6 "C's"; the first five must all be finely ground

Cumin

Clove

Cinnamon

Celery seed

Coriander seed

Chile (Tabasco or whatever hot pepper substance you like)

The proportions and quantities depend on you. My recommendations are to go very easy on the clove and celery seed (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 tsp each), hit it hard with the cumin (1/4 cup or more), be moderate with the cinnamon (2 tsp.), and generous with the coriander (2-3 tbsp). The coriander is the secret ingredient, by the way. The amount of chile is entirely up to you. You can of course add salt if you feel it's needed.

Stir and simmer for a while, then taste and adjust the seasonings to get it where you want it. It keeps forever in the fridge.

[Saycheese]

This barbecue sauce is based on a recipe from Charlie Palmer that was published in the Wall Street Journal:

1 large onion, diced

1 Tbl. ground cumin

2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

½ cup honey

2 cups orange juice

2 cups strong coffee

1½ cups ketchup

1 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 cup red-wine vinegar

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 Tbl. dry mustard

Coarse salt

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until just wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the cumin and pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the honey and cook, stirring occasionally, until the honey starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add the orange juice, coffee, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, tomato paste and mustard, whisking to blend. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-30 minutes, allowing the flavors to come together and the sauce to thicken.

[plunk]

All these suggested sauces look great. My bbq sauce comes out different every time, since I just eyeball everything and use what i've got on hand. I like to try to create a sauce that is a little sweet, a little spicy, and a little tangy. One ingredient that I think works great that I haven't seen mentioned above is chipotle peppers. Their smokiness works great with bbq.

[bioesq]

One ingredient that I think works great that I haven't seen mentioned above is chipotle peppers. Their smokiness works great with bbq.

They add a wonderful dimension. I eyeball the sauce as well, but have tried to reduce it to measurements here.

•1 tablespoon brown sugar

•1/2 cup ketchup

•3 tablespoons bourbon

•1 tablespoon garlic salt

•2 tablespoons pureed chipotle in adobo

•1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

•1 teaspoon mustard powder

•1 teaspoon black pepper

[cjsadler]

I keep meaning to try adding anchovies to BBQ sauce, as this is one of the secret ingredients in one of the best BBQ sauces I've ever had: Fat Matt's in Atlanta.

[johnb]

Perhaps the most important ingredient for any BBQ sauce is 1 tsp. of beer.

[wahoooob]

Nice! Just picked up a nice pork shoulder for this weekend and was thinking about making some bbq sauce to accompany it. Perhaps I'll have to make more than one =p

[plunk]

Perhaps the most important ingredient for any BBQ sauce is 1 tsp. of beer.

I'm not trying to be snarky, but among other potentially very flavorful ingredients (e.g., vinegar, worcestershire, hot sauce, etc.) can you taste 1 tsp. of beer?

[Cooter]

I will share my family BBQ sauce recipe when you pry it from my cold dead fingers.

I guess that wouldn't really be sharing, then.

[wahoooob]

Does anyone have any recommendations for how to cook a BBQ style pork shoulder in an oven? I'd love to smoke/grill cook the thing, but can't in my apartment. Previously I've used the Michael Mina pulled pork recipe - decent, but not quite what I'm looking for.

Thanks!

[plunk]

Does anyone have any recommendations for how to cook a BBQ style pork shoulder in an oven? I'd love to smoke/grill cook the thing, but can't in my apartment. Previously I've used the Michael Mina pulled pork recipe - decent, but not quite what I'm looking for.

Thanks!

As you allude to above, its not the same as smoking, but I find braising the shoulder is a halfway decent alternative if you cannot smoke. Several hours in a cast iron pot at a little over 200 degrees with some aromatics (onions, garlic, etc.) and some liquid (beer, vinegar, etc.). Add some of the braising liquid to your bbq sauce.

[monavano]

My favorite sauce comes from Ina Garten. She took an asian bbq sauce and married it with a traditional American tomato based sauce and came out with a winner recipe. Recipe here.

[FunnyJohn]

While it's more of a post-cooking sauce for something like pulled pork I like a root beer based sauce for which you boil down til reduced by half 2L bottle of root beer, add 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup ketsup, 1/4 cup yellow mustard, 2 Tbl lemon juice, 1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbl Tabasco, 1 tsp each S&P, finish with 2 Tbl unsalted butter. The root beer gives it a nice sweet-herbal note.

For store bought I'm addicted to Bone Suckin' Sauce.

[mktye]

While it's more of a post-cooking sauce for something like pulled pork I like a root beer based sauce for which you boil down til reduced by half 2L bottle of root beer, add 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup ketsup, 1/4 cup yellow mustard, 2 Tbl lemon juice, 1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbl Tabasco, 1 tsp each S&P, finish with 2 Tbl unsalted butter. The root beer gives it a nice sweet-herbal note.

This showed up this morning in my email inbox from "Cook's Illustrated":

Kansas City BBQ Sauce

Makes about 4 cups

Kansas City barbecue sauce is very sticky, sweet, and smoky—far more so than most tomato-based sauces. We like our barbecue sauce extra-thick. If you like a thinner, smoother texture, the sauce can be strained after it has finished cooking.

* 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

* 1 onion, minced

* 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

* 1 cup root beer

* 1 cup cider vinegar

* 1 cup dark corn syrup

* 1/2 cup molasses

* 1/2 cup tomato paste

* 1/2 cup ketchup

* 2 tablespoons brown mustard

* 1 tablespoon hot sauce

* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

* 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining ingredients, except for liquid smoke, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture is thick and has reduced to 4 cups, about 1 hour. Stir in liquid smoke, if using. (Sauce can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 1 week.)

[Dave Pressley]

Perhaps the most important ingredient for any BBQ sauce is 1 tsp. of beer.

Does "tsp" stand for a case of beer to be on ice and at the cook's side while making the BBQ sauce? In that case, it would make a lot of sense!!

[johnb]

Does "tsp" stand for a case of beer to be on ice and at the cook's side while making the BBQ sauce? In that case, it would make a lot of sense!!

Well, one tsp (teaspoon) is 1/6 oz., so there would certainly be at least 11 5/6 oz. by one's side.

Actually, the very best BBQ sauce recipes call for the addition of 1 tsp at intervals of about 15 min. during the cooking process, but the beer must always be from an absolutely freshly opened bottle, to achieve maximum benefit.