Developing Your Signature Barbecue Sauce

First it was ketchup and mustard, then came steak sauce and we mixed all three at the table as we ate, then used the bottled BBQ sauces tactic, and finally started experimenting on our own. When it comes to grilling basics, you must have barbecue sauce. It is not a novelty, of course, but it is essential to awaken the flavor of your meat and complement your menu.

Making your own barbecue sauces also gives you the opportunity to be creative and improvise with what you have. If you search the internet for recipes, you’ll find some amazing ingredients for barbecue sauces: cranberries, peaches, rhubarb, cherry cola, browns, liqueurs, liqueurs, even peanut butter and jams. People are using all kinds of heat, from chili powder to habaneras, whatever brings the flavor you’re looking for.

Of course, there are several considerations when choosing the type of barbecue sauce you want:

1. Your choice of meat;
2. The other items on their menu: grilled vegetables, skewers, grilled fruit;
3. The flavor you are looking for: how spicy, how sweet;
4. How you will use it: as a marinade, or for dipping or scrubbing;
5. The time and effort you want to put into your barbecue sauce, especially if the game is early or late.

Ultimately, you want to develop your own special sauce that will become your signature sauce among your friends and family. You want one that is easy to make, has ingredients that are easy to find in the area where you live, and is easy to store so you can make it ahead of time.

Your choice of barbecue sauce may depend on which part of the country you reside in, as each region has its own favorites, ever since pioneers began developing the sauces as they made their way across the plains. You can find barbecue sauces named after Nebraska, Canada, and almost every country in the world. But historically, the “Fabulous Four” have survived as the most popular:

• Carolina Barbecue Sauceis known for its distinctive mustard and vinegar base, made especially for grilled and smoked pork and chicken. In the North Carolina and Eastern areas, barbecue sauces vary slightly with a bit of tomato flavor added.
• Memphis Style Barbecue Saucea lighter sauce, often served as a side or special request, and is a mixture of sweet and vinegar with a hint of heat.
• Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauceit has a rich, thick, dark tomato base that is sweetened with sugar or molasses, with a hint of spiciness as well.
• Texas-style barbecue sauceit is thinner than the KC style with some tomato and not as sweet. It is often used as a mop applied while grilling beef brisket, or poured over pulled pork. It is often used for moistening and flavoring and is often passed around the table for dipping and pouring.

Regardless of the choice, you can usually find similar ingredients and preparation methods for Carolina sauces and the others. Carolina sauces typically have vinegar, cayenne, black pepper, salt, and sugar, most often brown sugar. By the way, you can use a brown sugar substitute and still get the same result. Mustard is added to ingredients in Central and South Carolina. Some of these are not cooked, but are mixed with mixers and can keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge.

For Memphis, Texas, and Kansas City sauces, you will find oil, usually olive oil, onion, garlic, a tomato base, and a bit of heat. These start by caramelizing the onions and often the garlic in oil, before adding the other ingredients, and then simmering until it’s the thickness you want. Then you bring it to room temperature before refrigerating it and bring it back to room temperature before serving. These can be stored for a couple of weeks in the fridge and can be frozen for up to four months.

To keep it simple, here’s what you need to do to make the barbecue sauce of your choice:

• Carolina BBQ Sauce: Shake or cook ingredients together and store.
• Tomato-Based Sauces: Sauté, simmer, bring to room temperature, and store.

It’s fun to just experiment and develop your signature sauce, regardless of type and kick. Some of the information I knew from my own efforts, and I’ve come to prefer a Nebraska version of the Kansas City style, and I also found helpful information from About.com in the “Grilling and Barbecuing” category. Mostly, I sifted through my stack of cookbooks and cooking magazines to find my preferences. I was surprised to discover that some of the same grilling recipes and methods were listed in my 1965 Farm Journal cookbook of pies. Things don’t change; they just get better!

Don’t get caught without the sauce!