16 April 2011

Experimenting with Barbecue Sauces


     Living in the land of cheese steaks and soft pretzels easily keeps your taste buds happy. Still, mine get a little homesick and in need of something traditional. Pulled pork is something you can do indoors if it's not quite grilling season - for me, that means a consistent 70-degree or more day. Plus, the slow cooker can do the work while you have errands to run.
     While the pork turned out great by itself, an equally great sauce is a must for me. So many barbecue restaurants sell their sauces in stores that you don't have to buy the generic stuff. Still, it's fun to make your own. Besides, I had plenty of leftover tomato juice that it just made sense.
     
     The first recipe is really close to one found in The Early American Cookbook by Dr. Kristie Lynn and Robert W. Pelton. It gives a quick overview of the history of American cooking along with recipes enjoyed by historical figures. I tweaked this recipe a bit, but it was supposedly a marinade and basting sauce used by Sam Houston. He was a prominent figure in the war for an independent Texas and supported its annexation by the United States.

The Barbecue Sauce that Won Texas
3 tbsp. cooking oil
1/4 c. sweet onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 c. ketchup (I substituted tomato juice)
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. water

     In a small to medium saucepan or skillet, heat cooking oil (or butter) over medium and saute the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in all but the last two ingredients. Increase heat to medium-high and stir regularly. Mix the dry mustard and water until smooth and add to the mixture.


     When the sauce begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Continue regular stirring. When it's ready, transfer to a mason jar or other suitable container. Keep in the refrigerator until use.


     The second sauce is a traditional "piedmont sauce" found from Georgia to eastern Tennessee and the western Carolinas. It is extremely thin and usually found in a squirt bottle on the table for you to add as much or as little as you want. It is very heavy on the vinegar, so if you like thick, sweet, Kansas City-style sauces, try a bit on the side before you drown your pork in this one. It has a very strong taste and is not for the faint-of-heart.

Traditional Piedmont Sauce
1 c. canned tomatoes
1 c. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes


     Most recipes call for a half cup of ketchup and a half cup of water. I had canned tomatoes instead of ketchup around, so I made a substitution. I pulsed the tomatoes in a food processor until smooth. I liked that I achieved the perfect consistency without needing to add water.
     The tomatoes go into a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and stir occasionally. Feel free to tweak the proportions to your liking. This worked for me. I think I could even double the red pepper flakes for a little more heat.


     When you get the taste the way you want it, transfer the sauce to a container and refrigerate. I would let this sit overnight before use. Don't forget to give it a shake before serving to evenly distribute the pepper.


     The third and last sauce I made was a take-off on my usual concoction. At its base is a 2:1 to 1:1 ratio of ketchup to mustard with Worcestershire sauce to taste. These are the three ingredients that my father and grandfather use to make a dipping sauce for ham. I decided to use these three as a start to a home made barbecue sauce. The rest is up to that day's imagination and the availability of ingredients.
     I like this particular blend because it incorporates the tomato flavors found in almost all barbecue sauces with the mustard flavors found in eastern South Carolina. While I love the mustard sauces, I'll leave them to the professionals at Maurice's BBQ in Columbia.
     Anyway, here's how it turned out this time.

The Ongoing Experiment
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. cooking oil
1 c. tomato juice
1/4 c. mustard
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne


     I was forced to change up my usual pattern to making this sauce based on the availability of ingredients. I was out of ketchup, and a quarter cup of mustard was all I could coax out of the container. Still, it turned out pretty good in the end.
     Over medium heat in a small saucepan, saute the garlic in the cooking oil. Stir in the next four ingredients while stirring until well-blended. Add in the cayenne in parts, tasting regularly until you reach the desired level of heat. I may have added more than a single teaspoon too - I can't really remember off hand.
     Again, while it wasn't my desired consistency or level of mustard flavor, it still did well on the pulled pork. I doubt I'll ever nail down an exact recipe for this one anyway.


     In the end, while I like the mustard flavor of my own blend, and I'm always a sucker for the thin sauces that pack a vinegary punch, I'd have to say the Sam Houston sauce was my personal favorite this round. If you have the ingredients laying around and you're feeling curious, try a home-made barbecue sauce. If nothing else, it's a break from the stuff sitting on the grocery store shelf.

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