Week 14 -- Barbecue Sauces

Barbecue sauces are made in many varieties, largely depending on what is popular in various regions of the United States and the whole world. Whether the base is ketchup or mustard or mayonnaise or fruit, the basic method of preparing them is essentially the same, only the ingredients vary.

  • No thickening agent used in barbecue sauces, rely on reduction of liquid to condense the sauce
  • Potential ingredients for barbecue sauce: mustard or ketchup or mayonnaise or fruits for base
    • Vinegars, white or apple cider for tangy flavor, red wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar
    • Worcestershire sauce, deep tang and spice, hot sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, pineapple juice
    • Paprika, jerk seasoning, cayenne pepper, chili powder, ancho chili powder, crushed red pepper, chipotle pepper, black pepper, cumin
    • Sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey
    • Use some bourbon or cognac or brandy or beer if you wish
    • Onions, shallots, garlic, ginger, ground coriander

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  • Basic Red Barbecue Sauce
    • Start with ketchup, add some chopped onions or shallots, garlic apply low heat
    • Add some red wine vinegar (about 1/4 as much as the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce (about 1/2 as much as the vinegar) and molasses (about the same as the Worcestershire), and dark brown sugar (about the same as the molasses), finish with cold butter (1/2 stick or more) to add creaminess and gloss
    • Very soft simmer to thicken it up for an hour or so
    • Add any herbs or spices or s&p as desired
    • Puree with stick blender
    • You want it thick to stick to your protein items on the grill
  • Basic Yellow Barbecue Sauce
    • Start with yellow mustard, add a dollop of Dijon or spicy mustard if you wish
    • Add some red wine or apple cider vinegar (small amount), bring to soft simmer
    • Add a little butter, small amount of Worcestershire, a pinch of black pepper, add a couple ounces of beer, add a little hot sauce for kick
    • Add some honey or sugar for sweetness as desired
    • Very soft simmer to thicken it up for an hour or so
  • Consider simmering smoky cocktail franks in either the red or yellow or red/yellow sauce
  • Both red and yellow sauces, of course, are good with pulled pork, also grilled chicken, hamburgers, pork chops, etc

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  • Fruit Puree Barbecue Sauce (Asian Style), works well on protein products but also vegetables
    • Start with a large can of peaches pureed in processor, or pineapples but nothing with a sweetened syrup
    • Add 1/2 cup ketchup for a bit of acid, 2 tbs soy sauce, 3 tbs rice wine vinegar
    • 1 tbs chopped ginger, 1 tbs chopped garlic
    • Reduce the sauce by soft simmering, and when you have to shake it off the spoon, that's how we know it's ready, about an hour
    • You can sweeten it with brown sugar, molasses, or honey, but with the fruit base taste it before sweetening further
    • Other fruits to try: apples peeled and grated, mango, tomato, apricots, plums, black cherries, pineapple, or fruit combinations

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  • Dark Red Cognac/Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
    • Ingredients
      • 1 tbs oil
      • 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
      • 2 to 3 large shallots or 1/2 onion (or more), finely chopped
      • 1 cup ketchup, divided in half
      • 1/2 cup cognac or bourbon or brandy
      • 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
      • 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
      • 1 tbs soy sauce
      • 1 tbs molasses
      • 1 tbs brown sugar
      • 1 tbs chili powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, pinch allspice, optional--1/2 tsp cayenne
      • 1 stick of butter
    • Procedure
      • Heat medium sauce pan and oil to gently saute the garlic and shallots until soft, some browning
      • Add 1/2 cup ketchup and reduce to about 1/2 original volume to thicken, stirring frequently
      • Add 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup cognac, 2 tbs vinegar, 2 tbs Worcestershire, 1 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs molasses, 1 tbs brown sugar
      • Add 1 tbs chili powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, pinch of allspice
      • Puree with stick blender
      • Soft simmer for at least 1/2 hour, or longer, uncovered, thicken for sticking to protein
      • Add butter for creamy emulsion and to add gloss
    • Good for pork butt, chicken, hamburgers, beef brisket, pork chops, pork or beef ribs, etc

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  • Strawberry Barbecue Sauce (consider blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries)
    • Ingredients
      • 2 tbs butter
      • 2 cups fresh strawberries hulled and halved
      • 1/2 cup ketchup
      • 2 tbs balsamic vinegar, 2 tbs honey, 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbs soy sauce
      • 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder
    • Procedure
      • In small sauce pot, melt butter over med heat. Add strawberries and ketchup, stirring frequently until strawberries start to break down (10-12 minutes)
      • Put strawberries in processor and blend till smooth
      • Return strawberries to pot and add ketchup, balsamic vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder
      • Slow simmer to reduce to about 2/3, and flavor profile is sweet, tangy and not vinegary (15-20 minutes)
      • Add S&P as desired, and reduce to desired consistency, thick enough to adhere to protein product, eg., chicken breast or skinless boneless chicken thighs, pork chops, etc
      • Tarragon works great with this
      • Consider using with pulled pork, pork chops, burgers, sauce for chicken nuggets, wings

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  • Chinese Red Barbecue Marinade and Sauce for Pork, Chicken, Beef
    • Ingredients
      • 2/3 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup honey, 1/3 cup hoisin sauce, 1/3 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup rice wine (or dry sherry), 2 tbs sesame oil, (optional 2 tsp worcestershire sauce)
      • 4 cloves garlic, minced, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or paprika), 1 tsp red food coloring
    • Procedure
      • Add all wet ingredients and spices to a medium sauce pan over medium heat, whisk to combine, and allow to come up to a simmer
      • Cook for just a couple of minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, when cool, add 1 tsp red food coloring to get a nice mahogany color
      • Ready to use
    • Country Style Pork Ribs with Chinese Red Barbecue Marinade and Sauce
      • 2 lbs country style pork ribs
      • Marinate for 12-24 hours
      • Remove most of the marinade (reserving it), and brown the ribs in skillet
      • Add the marinade to the skillet with the ribs, and add 1.5 to 2 cups chicken broth, come 1/2 of the way up the side of the ribs
      • Braise in 350F oven 30 minutes, covered
      • Reduce oven to 325F, braise another 30 minutes uncovered, flip the ribs and braise for another 30 minutes uncovered
      • Check the ribs for tenderness, looking for fork tender
      • If needed braise another 30 minutes uncovered, adding more liquid as needed, check for tenderness, then flip the ribs and braise for another 30 minutes uncovered if needed
      • For more caramelization on the outer sides of ribs, place on parchment lined baking sheet and broil for a couple minutes on each side, watch carefully here

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  • South Carolina Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce
    • Ingredients
      • 1/2 cup yellow mustard
      • 3 tbs honey
      • 3 tbs apple cider vinegar
      • 2 tbs brown sugar
      • 1 tbs ketchup
      • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
      • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
      • 1/2 tsp onion powder
    • Procedure
      • Combine all ingredients, allowing flavors to blend overnight
      • Warm over low heat before serving
      • Especially good for pulled pork, but good on chicken

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  • Alabama White BBQ Sauce
    • Ingredients
      • 1 cup mayonnaise
      • 1/4 cup white vinegar
      • 1 tsp dijon or spicy mustard
      • 2 tsp cream style horseradish
      • 1/2 tsp salt
      • 1/2 tsp black pepper
      • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
      • 1/4 tsp paprika
    • Procedure
      • Combine all ingredients
      • Refrigerate until ready to use
      • Brush on grilled chicken when almost finished cooking, drizzle more just before serving as desired, dip for crispy wings, good for pork chops, fish, shrimp dip, sauteed scallops, hamburgers, french fries, fried cauliflower, other vegetables, usually used best as a condiment after cooking

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  • North Carolina Vinegar BBQ Sauce
    • Ingredients
      • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
      • 1 tbs brown sugar
      • 1 tbs ketchup
      • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
      • 1/2 tsp salt
      • 1/2 tsp black pepper
    • Procedure
      • Combine all ingredients in a pan
      • Bring to simmer, dissolve salt and sugar
      • Remove from heat and cool to room temperature
      • Pour into jar or bottle, refrigerate, shake well before serving, maybe serve warmed up
      • Good for pulled pork, chicken, beef

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  • Buxton Hall BBQ Hash
    • Ingredients
      • 1 lb ground beef
      • 1/2 lb chicken livers
      • 1 Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced
      • 1 onion, finely diced
      • 3 garlic cloves, minced
      • 2 tsp salt
      • 2 tsp black pepper
      • 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
      • 2 tsp garlic powder
      • 2 tsp onion powder
      • 1 cup red barbecue sauce
      • 1/4 cup yellow mustard
      • 2 tbs brown sugar
      • Hot sauce, optional to taste
    • Procedure
      • Add meats, onion, garlic to Dutch oven, season with salt and pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, heat until meat is browned
      • Add potato, barbecue sauce, mustard, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, and 2 cups water, cover and simmer 90 minutes, stirring frequently
      • Uncover the pot, add 2 more cups water, simmer another 90 minutes, stirring frequently (meats and potato should be breaking down into gravy
      • Add 2 more cups water, simmer another 45 minutes, stirring frequently, check consistency, look for slightly loose meaty gravy, simmer longer if needed
      • Serve over rice

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  • Arby's Sauce
    • Ingredients
      • 1 cup water
      • 1/2 cup ketchup
      • 2 tbs brown sugar
      • 1/4 cup white vinegar
      • 3/4 tsp garlic powder
      • 3/4 tsp onion powder
      • 1/2 tsp paprika
      • 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
      • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
      • 1 tbs cornstarch
      • 2 tbs water
    • Procedure
      • Combine all ingredients in processor
      • Transfer to saucepan, heat low 20 minutes
      • Make cornstarch slurry with 1 tbs cornstarch and 2 tbs water, add to mix and stir well, heat until sauce thickens
      • Remove from heat and cool
      • Store in covered container in refrigerator, up to 1 week

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  • Barbecue Grape Jelly Meatballs
    • Ingredients for 3 servings
      • 1 cup barbecue sauce
        • 1/2 cup water
        • 1/4 cup ketchup
        • 1 tbs brown sugar
        • 2 tbs white vinegar
        • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
        • 1/2 tsp onion powder
        • 1/2 tsp paprika
        • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
        • 2 tsp cornstarch
        • 1.5 tbs water
      • 3/4 cup grape jelly
      • 1 lb meatballs
    • Procedure
      • Make barbecue sauce
        • Combine all barbecue sauce ingredients in processor
        • Transfer to Dutch oven, heat low 20 minutes
        • Make cornstarch slurry with 2 tsp cornstarch and 1.5 tbs water, add to mix and stir well, heat until sauce thickens
      • Add grape jelly and warm to combine
      • Add meatballs, stir to coat
      • Bake 250F covered for 4 hours, stirring every hour

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