BBQ Sauce

The other night when Andy smoked up his pork, I thought that I needed to find a new barbecue sauce. Standard commercial barbecue sauces are just too sweet for my taste. They also don't allow the barbecue sauce to suffuciently permeate the meat. They are cloying and extra thick- possibly great for dipping or a final coat, but definitely not for a slow cooking process. My regular homemade BBQ sauce is ketchup based, and can be found in Joy of Cooking. What I really like about it is the inclusion of lemon. It adds a fantastic tang to the sauce, and everyone really likes it. I usually use the slices of half a lemon, as well as the juice from the other half. I've also changed it up by using lime, and adding a tablespoon of Pickapeppa sauce to give it a slight Caribbean flavor.

Joy of Cooking Barbecue Sauce

1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry mustard
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 minced garlic cloves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 slices lemons

Over medium heat stir all of the ingredients together.

But I needed some Carolina style sauce. A BBQ sauce that was mustard and vinegar based- not sweet with ketchup, molasses, honey, etc. So I spent a bit of time hunting one down- and I do believe I found a good one on Recipezaar. The only change I would make is that I found it to be a little thicker than what I was looking for. By the time it finished simmering, it was pretty thick. The next time after it's simmered I plan to add another 1/4-1/2 cup of cider vinegar to dilute it a bit. I also did not use a full tablespoon of liquid smoke. That is a lot, and Andy was already smoking the pork, so I cut that down to 1/4 teaspoon, and while I thought it was good, Andy thought it could use a little more liquid smoke. Oh, I also used Pecan smoke instead of Hickory.


Big Daddy's Carolina Style Barbecue Sauce #120492
recipe by Rita L

1 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon liquid smoke(hickory flavoring)

Mix all except soy, butter and smoke. Simmer 30 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 more minutes. Vinegar taste may be very strong until completely cooled. Refrigerating overnight is best and allows flavors to blend.
Add a few drops of Louisiana Hot Sauce at the end if additional heat is desired.