Tag Archives: barbeque sauce

Perfect Sweet & Tangy Barbeque Sauce

 

Barbeque sauce, how America loves you, let me count the ways.

Put simply, barbecue sauce (or BBQ) is a flavoring used as a marinade, basting, or topping/dipping for meats and other grilled foods. While the ingredients vary as widely as the cooks creating it, most begin with a tomato and vinegar base. Other common additions include chilies, garlic, ginger, molasses or brown sugar, liquid smoke, coffee, and other spices.

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For a nice history lesson and some ancient sauce recipes, check out TIME and/or amazingribs.com. Every cook has their favorite ‘secret’ recipe, perhaps passed down from grandmothers or grandfathers, or containing an unusual ingredient they will never disclose, even on pain of death.

I’ve written before about BBQ sauces, and this recipe expands upon my simpler one. Most ingredients are staples I always have around the kitchen, while things like sriracha and liquid smoke you may have to make a special purchase. You can even choose to omit those ingredients you do not have, and likely it will still be delicious. Experiment with recipes until you find one you love, then it can become your “signature” BBQ sauce.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups ketchup
  • 2 tbsp mustard
  • 2 tbsp sriracha
  • 2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
  • Dash liquid smoke (1-2 tsp)
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup plain cola
  • 2-4 tbsp maple syrup, depending on how sweet you like it
  • Sprinkle paprika, salt & black pepper to taste

Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a giant bowl, and whisk away!

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This makes a substantial amount of sauce, so be prepared to throw a huge backyard bash with tons of sauce on meats, or store what you don’t use in the refrigerator for about 2 months. The more salt or acid you add, the longer it can last in the fridge.

 

 

Sweetly Simple Barbeque Sauce

 

One of my favorite things about football season is the food. Delicious, greasy bar food with the occasional bit of healthy thrown in to pretend (I’m looking at you, those two celery sticks that come with five sides of ranch and bleu cheese and two dozen hot wings).

But not all of it is unhealthy, and one really great option to make healthier without much extra work is BBQ pulled pork. I’ve already written about how much I love crock pots and how to make pulled pork in one.

But you can take it one step further by making your own BBQ sauce. This lets you control how much sugar goes into it, along with everything else. This sauce can of course be used for anything which could use some sweet/spicy/smoky flavor. Feel free to mix it up to your own tastes, adding extra chiles or less sugar, whatever.

Ingredients:
1 cup ketchup
1 small can tomato sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup apple juice
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp sriracha/hot sauce
1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp Worchestershire

Step 1: Simply combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.
Step 2: Pour over/brush onto your grilled meat of choice.
You can use it as a dipping sauce, condiment, marinade…
If it’s too thin, add some flour or cornstarch to thicken it up. If it’s too thick, add some extra tomato sauce or vinegar to thin it out. The longer you let it mix, the more the flavors will meld. Store in the refrigerator up to a week.