Fall is here now, and it is time for you to snuggle up next to the fire one more time as we close my BBQ-blog series and get to some other great things on Chef Intel.
Grab a cup of hot cocoa and get ready for the hay ride into the holidays.
Up until now we have been talking a lot about BBQ, and what it means to different people both here and around the globe. Just like the meat and styles, the sauce can be a whole can of worms to open. Let's just say I want to steer clear of a BBQ sauce informational lecture, and get down to telling you how to make some KICK ASS BBQ sauce at home!
( Parental Advisory - some language may be considered inappropriate for younger reader)
I was going to start this off with a mystery type recipe that you don't know what you get until it's done, but did not want to confuse people or scare them off. This also is just an example of one type of sauce and is open to creative twists and fine tuning for what you like in BBQ sauce. I also keep out the (HOT) items until the end as options to keep everyone in the pool until that time. Not everyone can eat spicy food and it isn't nice to leave people out of the fun.
I also think part of the fun of making this is to make it your very own each time and fine tune it as you go to make it just right. I have to say nothing I do here hasn't been done before and you probably aren't going to break any rules if you do it wrong even the bad batch of this is going to be killer.
First off we have a bunch of things that are going in here but it is in small amounts for the most part.
I suggest checking the items in your pantry and work around going and buying all the things at one time because it is not going to be cheap. Not everyone has the luxury of working in fully stocked kitchens so I am understanding if you leave some ingriedients out.
Recipe links and photos are provided as examples for readers only
To create this sauce I started with a traditional North Carolina style sauce http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/eastern-north-carolina-bbq-sauce/detail.aspx and found it to be very similar flavor profile to Vinegar. I did not add the red pepper flakes .
I then converted it to a Southern Carolina style
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/south_carolina_mustard_bbq_sauce/
It tasted like Honey Mustard.
I used a Dijon mustard but I was not happy with this alone so I started adding to it a little at a time.
I always say add things in easy to remember amounts, so that you can do it again and blog about it later. I use 2 TBSP. portions a lot and don't forget you are in control of the final sauce you can add a little more or less if that is what works for you.
I like a thick sauce but do not like to add any corn starch or modified starches to my sauce so this means you may have to spend awhile reducing it and constantly stirring it until it is the proper conistency for you. I love to cook and do not enjoy hurrying when I do it so if you want to go out now and buy some BBQ sauce and save time and money that is your choice. If you still choose to spend some time and have people keep asking you "What are you making?" then keep reading.
So I like a sweet sauce with a tangy bite at the front and a spicy lingering on the back of the tongue.
I like it without a lot of tomato base and tried to avoid it but it adds some additional backbone to the body of the sauce and holds it together a little tighter while bringing the color closer to what I am use to. I used one small 6 oz. can of tomato paste and started with adding 2 TBSP at time until all of it ended up eventually going in and that is when I started doing that. I also added some Ketchup for some additional body and red color.
I think honey is great, but I also add corn syrup and molasses as well for a more complex sweetness. Let's not forget a little brown sugar.
Vinegar is key here for tangy sauce. I like Apple Cider vinegar, but I have used White Vinegar at times to sharpen it up. I also add some Balsamic and darken the color yet a little more while incorporating some additonal sweet flavors from the Balsamic.
A splash of worcestershire sauce adds more depth in flavor and adds to help darken the color.
Then it was juice time, I liked all the juices I tried they each added some charm but I seem to keep revisiting pineapple. I know we aren't making teriyaki here but this juice has both a sour tang and is very sweet and boasts a few enzymes that help break down your foods like a natural meat tenderizer. I like to use it for my spray mop in long cooking processes as well but Apple juice finds it way there alot too.
I think to start off Orange, Apple, White Grape, and Pineapple juice all work very well and suggest trying all of them at some time. This time we use Pineapple juice. I have used a lot of other things to base my BBQ sauce including Apple sauce and Root beer as some of my favorites. Once you get an understanding of how the flavors work together you will want to experiment and make some of your own signature flavor creations.
Chef Ed's Family Style Barbecue Sauce - Everyone loves it even babies!
Yields about 16 Fluid oz. of BBQ sauce or 2- 8 oz. bottles
The Spices :
2 TBSP of ground Cumin
2 TBSP of Paprika (Sweet)
2 TBSP of Garlic powder
1 tsp of Dry Mustard Powder
1 tsp of Dry Onion Powder
The Sauce:
1 cup of Apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP of Balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP of Distilled white vinegar
1 & 1/2 cups of Pineapple juice
1/2 cup of Honey
1/2 cup of prepared Mustard ( yellow or dijon )
6 oz. of Tomato paste
4 TBSP of Ketchup
6 TBSP of dark corn syrup
2 TBSP of light corn syrup
4 TBSP Molasses
2 TBSP of White granulated sugar
4 TBSP of Light Brown sugar
2 TBSP of Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP of Natural Wood smoke flavoring ( optional for smokier flavor )
The Method :
Combine spices in a small bowl, whisk together and set aside.
Use a 6 - 8 qt. sauce pan to allow room for stirring and reduction of sauce to thicken.
Put your juice and vinegars in the pan together and stir to combine.
Remove a 1/2 cup of this to a large mixing bowl and add your tomato paste,ketchup,honey, and mustard and stir together until smooth and add to sauce pan.
Turn the heat on medium low until it starts getting a little heat showing.
Stir sauce a few times every three or four minutes to avoid burning or scalding.
Add corn syrup (light & dark), molasses,and sugar to the pan and stir.
Add Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke and stir again.
You can turn up the heat a little more and watch over the sauce while stirring the entire time or you can just cook it on medium and stir every few minutes but I suggest watching it and stirring the entire time to avoid burning if your uncertain.
When the sauce becomes a little thickened from reduction add in your spice combination and reduce heat while stirring.
Allow sauce to simmer for a few minutes then remove from eat and enjoy.
I like to use a few servings while it's fresh on some chicken, ribs, pulled pork, etc.
Put the rest in bottles and refrigerate for later. It makes about 2 good size bottles of BBQ sauce so you can share if you want too.
You can add chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and black pepper as well but do it in small amounts and keep track of how much you use.
Add a little in stir and test it out. If it needs a little more keep doing the same thing until you get the heat your looking for.
Do not go over board unless your just looking to make people's mouths catch on fire.
