Homemade Sauce

[Tatoosh]

I really want to make my own, but I look forward to trying many of the different sauces available by artisan makers, not bean counters and food chemists (big commercial outfits).

[jonboy]

Is it the ique sauce on pg 15??

Yes that is the one.
I am making a batch this morning.
It is cooling in the refrig now.
jon

[Dat'L Grill]

Steven Raichlen’s ---Adjusted

2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon of your favorite barbecue rub
2 oz. liquid smoke—Added more
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon White Pepper-- Added
Combine all the ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan and bring slowly to a boil over medium-high heat until dark and thick 55 minutes. (15 min originally) (I use an electric stir motor to cook this long. Make a Foil tent to reduce the flying sauce)
Transfer the sauce to clean (or even sterile) jars and store in the refrigerator. It will keep for several months.

[Allegry]

Originally Posted by Cloudsmoker

FWIW - At JOS school, Myron recommends people should buy rubs but make their own sauces. Mixon claims that the Average Joe simply cannot buy the quality ingredients for rubs that food service companies use (and even his own rubs were not as good as the ones with his recipe now being sold under his label). Great sauces, however, can be made from store available ingredients, are more easily adjusted to your own personal tastes, and are gemerally better when made fresh. Just sayin.

Personally, I make a KC style BBQ sauce, just adapted for the tastes and ingredients my wife likes best. Happy wife, happy life.

If you're just using the discount brand spices and herbs from Albertsons then maybe - otherwise I call BS on the rubs. Even fairly small cities have specialty stores like Pendery's in easy driving distance. A decently stocked herb garden - even an indoor - is easy to do and doesn't require much space or equipment. It's just not hard to get spices that are superior to the cheap crap at the grocery. Hell, most people would be better of just using fresh cracked pepper instead of the pre-cracked and packaged stuff.

[MS2SB]

Originally Posted by Allegry

If you're just using the discount brand spices and herbs from Albertsons then maybe - otherwise I call BS on the rubs. Even fairly small cities have specialty stores like Pendery's in easy driving distance. A decently stocked herb garden - even an indoor - is easy to do and doesn't require much space or equipment. It's just not hard to get spices that are superior to the cheap crap at the grocery. Hell, most people would be better of just using fresh cracked pepper instead of the pre-cracked and packaged stuff.

You don't even need a specialty store anymore. You can go down the hispanic/mexican food aisle of most grocery stores now and buy whole spices on the cheap in those little cellophane bags. They are far superior to the pre-ground stuff which is ridiculously pricey for what you get.

[Allegry]

Originally Posted by MS2SB

You don't even need a specialty store anymore. You can go down the hispanic/mexican food aisle of most grocery stores now and buy whole spices on the cheap in those little cellophane bags. They are far superior to the pre-ground stuff which is ridiculously pricey for what you get.

I haven't seen that at my stores, but admittedly - I haven't been looking. I'll be sure to check that out next time I go. Thanks for the tip!

[Panthers65]

I've tried to make sauce a few times, but I always go back to the Williamson Brothers sauce I get at sams. It's a local business and at $10 for a gallon, it's hard to beat.

[RoyJeeBiv]

it's frustratingly fun making your own sauce. it was a crazy journey for me -- started out with a basic recipe and tweaked it to my liking, bombed a few times, started over-thinking it and it turned into a 'kitchen sink' sauce, re-tooled it to make it simpler, was kinda 'meh', tried an old family recipe, was very 'blah', wife was getting irritated as there was no consistency with the recipes... and THEN, out of nowhere, i said 'screw it', slapped some very simple ingredients together and -- voila. had to tame my heat ingredients just a tad for my wife, but trying out my 'perfected' sauce this weekend on some BB's.

long story short -- don't over-think it, simple is better. you're bound to hit some bumps in the road, but it may just 'come out of nowhere'. (and happy wife = happy life )

[bacchus99]

Sauce is tough. I have tried making some homemade KC style sauce that was supposed to the best thing ever and i really didn't care for it. We are in Louisiana and it seems most bbq places serve a very sweet sauce. Usually here there are roughly 4 options on the table. I don't really like the ones with to much heat. I'm looking for something along the lines of sweet baby ray's but actually off the charts good. Anyone have any suggestions?

[Bludawg]

I never had SBR so I don't know the flavor profile, the sauce I posted is very good a little spicy not heat and a little sweet.

[shazam]

vinegar based sauce
1 qt. white vin.
1/2 qt. apple cider vin.
1/2 qt. water
2tbs. mccormick seasonall (now morton's i think)
2tbs. restaurant grind black pepper
2tbs. garlic powder
2tbs. onion powder
2tbs. chipolte powder or to taste
2tbs. cayenne powder or to taste
1tbs. chili powder (hot)
1tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup teriaki sauce
1tbs. ground white pepper
40-50 oz. heinz ketchup
1/3 cup lime or lemon juice
1tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 pound brown sugar +/- to taste
mix parts cold, simmer 15-25 min, do not boil
add water if needed to thin
add 1" maderia wine to bottom of 1qt. mason jar when bottling. 1-2 tablespoons of butter if using immediately, or omit and add when used in future.
makes 3-4 qts.

this is my standard go to sauce. i have one other spice ingredient that i shall not disclose. use your imagination.

[GreenDrake]

Is that red sauce like BH Tennessee Red? I have been wanting to figure that one out.

I initially used a base recipe from Raichlen's Sauces Rubs and Marinades book, I tweaked it from there to fit my personal tastes and it is amazing. I added whiskey, powdered honey, powdered peach, powdered smoke and a bunch of other things until I nailed the flavor I love most.

[snyper77]

Originally Posted by jonboy

Check out the smoke signals issue for the wicked good bbq sauce.
http://www.smokesignalsmagazine.com/SSM/Issue9/index
This is a really good sauce.
jon

That looks like some killer recipes! I saved it as a PDF on my flash drive and printed a hard copy! For some reason, the PDF and the hardcopy came out a little "grainy" and bad quality - but legible! Thanks!!!!!!

[shazam]

couldn't tell you. i've never tried bh. don't even know where to find it around here. been making my own sauce for about 20 yrs. always trying new sauces wherever i go. still like my homemade the best.

[Rosco]

Originally Posted by Dat'L Grill

Steven Raichlen’s ---Adjusted

2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon of your favorite barbecue rub
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan and bring slowly to a boil over medium-high heat until dark and thick 55 minutes. (15 min originally) (I use an electric stir motor to cook this long. Make a Foil tent to reduce the flying sauce)
Transfer the sauce to clean (or even sterile) jars and store in the refrigerator. It will keep for several months.

Steven Raichlen's sauce is an excellent starting point. I follow the recipe above but add the following ingredients to crank up the sweetness:

1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup honey

Best part of making your own sauce is experimenting with different flavours. Have fun with it!