Now it is time for wampus sauce!
#8 Wampus Sauce (
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1525853&postcount=36)
MY all time favorite sauce is a South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce.
I can't claim it....it's from Steve Raichlen's BBQ USA. I LOVE mustard/vinegar based sauces.
1 tbs butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup Dijon mustard
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tbs hot sauce (I use Tobasco usually, or other "Louisiana style" sauce
1/2 cup water
Course salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
Melt butter in saucepan.
Add onion and garlic and cook intil soft, but NOT brown (about 3 min).
Stir in mustard, brown sugar, vinegar and hot sauce and water.
Let simmer, uncovered, until thick and richly flavored, 6 to 10 min.
Taste for seasoning, add S&P or more hot sauce to taste.
Let sauce cool to room temp before serving (I don't usually do this).
Yields about cups.
Recipe Review:
Ingredients: The ingredient list looks a lot like what one would expect in a SC mustard sauce, except that dijon mustard and plain white vinegar are used. The usual suspects include brown sugar, garlic, onion and hot sauce.
Ease of preparation: Besides the extra step of sweating off the onion and garlic, it is very basic and includes only a short simmer time.
Modifications and variations tested: I tested this on smoked brisket, ribs, grilled chicken thighs and pulled pork (I always have a supply of pulled pork and brisket on hand!). I also tried with another brand of Dijon mustard.
Taste/Texture: Whilst this sauce had a lovely flavour, I felt it was let down by 2 factors. One was a slight imbalance of sweet/pungent/sour, and the other was a conflict in flavours in the sauce. I feel that something does not work quite as well as the "usual" yellow mustard and cider vinegar combination. I absolutely love dijon mustard (and honey dijon), but something was just not quite right with this, even after trying another brand of dijon. I believe it is because of the wine and vinegar types used in the mustard as well as the fact that brown mustard seeds are used. The texture however was spot on, coating ribs well and mixing into shredded meat nicely. The sauce is not overly spicy, but does have a definite pungency to it with a nice sweet background note.
Recommendations: If using with pulled pork or beef, reduce the amount of sugar, and for pulled pork, increase the vinegar slightly.
Ratings:
Appearance:
7.5/10 As you can see from the photos below, it is a very attractive looking sauce with a nice creamy colour to it.
Consistency:
8/10 Reasonably thick and rich, not too runny, and not a solid mass - great in my opinion for an all rounder!
Taste:
6/10 Even though the dijon mustard lends complexity, I just felt it did not work brilliantly overall, especially if one considers potentially clashing flavours in a rub used below it.
Versatility:
7/10 We all know dijon mustard is made for beef. Given this, it was quite nice with some brisket once sweetness was slightly reduced. It glazes nicely and whilst it went well with the pulled pork, I felt it did not hold up too well with the chicken (which surprised me as I usually love honey-mustard-chicken dishes).
Overall Rating:
6/10 Keep in mind that this is purely my opinion - you may love this sauce, you may hate it. The only way to know for sure is to try it. I am quite a fan of Mr. Raichlen and believe he has done an outstanding job of spreading the interest, recipes and techniques of various styles of grilling and barbecuing. However I must say that to my taste buds, this sauce slightly missed the mark and I feel as though perhaps one of his recipe developers produced this as a slight twist on a classic SC mustard sauce without extensive testing.
Photos of sauce construction:
Ingredients (Clockwise from top left):
Butter, Dijon Mustard, Salt + Pepper, Garlic + Onion, Brown Sugar, White Vinegar + Hot Sauce + Water.
Ingredients Mixed:
Finished Sauce
Thank you
Wampus, as always, your submission is greatly appreciated :thumb:
Next up,
#9 - phyphors sauce!