Barbecue Sauce
A good barbecue sauce should be a little tangy, sweet, and spicy with hints of savory overtones. With that being said, most barbecue sauces lean heavily towards one of the four. If you are cooking for a large crowd, it is usually a good idea to make at least two sauces each favoring one of the four flavors.
Sauces can be made;
· Tangy by adding or increasing mustard, vinegar, or lemon juice.
· Sweet by increasing a sweetener. I suggest honey, maple syrup, brown sugar or molasses.
· Spicy with any number of hot peppers or sauces, but I prefer cayenne.
· Savory by adding garlic, onion, cumin and cardamom. I particularly like cardamom, but go lite.
My basic recipe for barbecue sauce:
· 2 cup Ketchup
· ½ cup balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar (I usually use balsamic)
· 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
· 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
· 1 tablespoon of honey
· 1 tablespoon garlic power
· 1 tablespoon onion power
· ½ tablespoon ground cumin
· ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
· Cayenne pepper to taste (I use a lot J)
· 1 bay leave
· Pinch of Basil
· Pinch of Parsley
· Salt and pepper to taste
· Wine, beer, broth, juice (optional)
I basically start with this recipe and vary it depending on the taste I am trying to capture.
