Competition: Who has the best BBQ Sauce.

Groundhog66 said:

Nicely done, infernooo :clap2:

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Thanks!

landarc said:

This does point up the one problem with making sauces and not using the rubs designed for use with them. A lot of folks develop sauces to work with their rubs. Still, this looks good. A sweet sauce always has a use.

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The first 2 tested did not use rubs, so they are safe as for the rest, I plan on using the exact specified rubs (I have a huge collection of rubs and sauces), and if not, then one as close as possible as specified by the contestant

Lake Dogs said:

Well done. I think it's cool that you guys get Hunts and Heinz and Lee & Perrins and
etc. down unda. Curious, looking at a globe, are you guys upside down? <-- guess
this is probably inviting a 5/10 or worse...

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Thank you Sir! We actually don't get Hunts, and our Heinz ketchup and Lee & Perrins is slightly different (they use cane sugar, not HFCS - not that I have an issue with HFCS, just letting everyone know the difference in the AU vs US product), but I order a LOT of groceries from the US, which is how I get all of the same brands that the folks on here use.

Everything is upside down and reversed... we ride Kangaroos around the city and venomous snakes frequent our trains and buses. (p.s. just kidding, the chances of seeing a kangaroo anywhere but bush territory is as likely as you guys seeing Beavers running around Times Square)

Lake Dogs said:

This is definitely the case with mine. I mean, the sauce is still ok, but
we developed the sauce using a few sauce tasting parties at the house
with one particular rub.

Infernooo, our rub is basically peppers, black, white (not much), chili
peppers (a good chili powder will do), paprika, a little cajun seasoning
as they tend to be salty, some ground chipotle if you have any. Also,
we use a little (because it can get salty too) Caribbean BBQ seasoning,
which if you cant find any try a small amount of a Jerk seasoning; they're
similar.... No sugars; the sauce is PLENTY sweet. It's thin on purpose
so as not to over-power, which is EASILY done.

We use either of two injections on pork. The easiest to duplicate will be
apple juice and worchestershire sauce with the rub (above) in it. Beef
we inject Butchers. Chicken and ribs are marinated (after inspection)
in apple juice, worchestershire, thinned with ice water.

Oh, on the sauce, I pretty much just heat it up to be able to get the
grape jelly to mix in and thin out (using a wisk to mix). Then, off heat.
Dont keep on long enough to reduce and thicken...

... now I'm all worried ...

:eusa_clap:shock:

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Thank you for the pointers, will keep them in mind

Lake Dogs said:

Infernooooo, I'm looking back at my recipe. It's all correct, EXCEPT I put
worchestershire in by hand (not measuring). Thinking, 6oz is actually 3/4ths of
a cup, right? NO WAY I put that much in. It's a decent amount, but probably 1/3rd
of a cup, say 2 ounces, perhaps 3 ounces. NOT 6.

Dain Bramage....

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No problem Sir!

1FUNVET said:

Maybe he will give the winner an all expense paid trip to Austrailia :becky:

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Haha, if only I could afford that!

Mister Bob said:

Infernoo, your review was very thorough and you made some excellent observations. You also started this exercise by admitting it would be a subjective judgment, and that it also was.

Not everyone likes sweet sauce (and not everyone likes tangy sauce or hot sauce or spicy sauce or vinegar sauce or mustard sauce or white sauce...) You thought it was too sweet, and sweet it is, but it's not nearly as sweet as Blues Hog Original for instance (which is winning a lot of comps these days). I did primarily use that sauce for ribs, so you got that part right on!

I also agree that it's too thick to use with pulled pork, and if and when when I used it for that, I thinned it with apple juice and apple cider vinegar mix.

I would NEVER use that sauce on brisket so you made a very good call there too. I rarely use sauce on brisket at all, and when I do it's definitely not a sweet one.

It is good on chicken, especially if you let it burn just a little!

I think your reviews would be better if you rated each sauce on ribs, pork, brisket and chicken separately. IMHO there is no such thing as a universal sauce for all four. It would be like a Swiss Army knife that can do several things, but none as well as the tool that's really designed to do it!

I still think you're doing a good thing and I will continue to follow this thread! :thumb:

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Sorry, admittedly I could have been more clear, but I AM testing each of the sauces on different meats (brisket, ribs, pulled pork and chicken).

Whilst I was hoping for a universal sauce, if the sauce rocks my world on ANY of those 4 test meats, it will get a very high score.

For example, someone may post a recipe that only workscwell with ribs. I may not like it on beef, chicken or pulled pork, but if I take a bite of ribs using that sauce and it blows my mind, that sauce will get a top mark. In other words, the sauce has to be VERY good on one of the big 4.

Thanks for the feedback!

Well I'm impressed mate, comprehensive reviews and you're making good headway already. I tips me lid, and look forward to reading more.

Thanks for this excellent and informative thread.

Lake Dogs said:

To our Aussue brethren, I'm curious. Our globes (here north of the equator) always
have America, Europe, etc. "up" and down would be South America, Africa, Australia,
etc.

Globes, in your part of the world, are they reversed from ours? Meaning, are South
America, Africa, Australia "up"?

I guess I live in our "out back". We have deer come through the yard most every
day/night. We'll get an occasional fox now & again. Lots of beaver, especially
when the UGA cheerleaders used to come spend the weekends with us (LONG story).
Yes, lots of snakes too.

Infernoooo, I'm thinkin' about 'ya, mate. Cheers, best of luck. I have Fosters chillin'
in the fridge; will drink these watching the Super Bowl...

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Haha, no Sir, our globes are the same I suppose due to the position of the Earth in relation to the sun and rotation on its axis as well as Nth/Sth pole etc

Your sauce is being made today by the way!

Just a reminder on my sauce if you do decide to add some Blair's 2am or 3am use a drop at a time, I think they are rated between 600,000 to 900,000 for the 2am and between 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 for the 3am. It is some serious heat.

Next up, the THIRD entry!

Thanks to Lake Dogs for his entry.

#3 Lake Dogs (http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1524697&postcount=11)

First, I've had many GREAT sauces, sauces that stand on their own, sauces that truly make cardboard taste great. To me, this sauce doesn't compliment BBQ but masks it.
Below is our sauce recipe that compliments the meats and our rubs. It is thin enough that if used in small amounts compliments the smokey meat flavors. And with that, IMHO, sauce should never have smoke flavor; that's what the meat is for, right?

Starters:

55oz+- Contadina Tomato Sauce
28oz Steens Pure Cane Syrup
18oz Bama Grape Jelly
3oz Lee & Perins Worchestershire Sauce
1/2 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder

Mix all of the above and warm.

We use this (above) on chicken.

For pork and beef:

1 part Blues Hog Original
1 part Blues Hog Tennessee Red
3 parts our sauce (above)

For ribs we'll mix:

2 parts Blues Hog Original
1 part Blues Hog Tennessee Red
2 parts our sauce

Recipe Review:

Notes: As specified by Lake Dogs, I ensured the brands used were the same as the recipe stated in order to get a proper approximation of his sauce. The Tomato sauce, cane syrup and grape jelly were all purchased from online grocery stores and forwarded to me via my mail forwarder. For the spices, I used Penzeys, and all other brands were as specified.


Ingredients: The ingredients hint at a very unique sauce, with the fruity combination of grape jelly, the lack of ketchup, the cane syrup with its ever-so-slight bitterness and a few spices to give the sauce a kick. Furthermore, the mix-ins at the end to customise it to various meats is a great idea.

Ease of preparation: Extremely easy to assemble - and the base can be kept and portioned out to be mixed with the appropriate sauces to customise it to various meats.

Modifications and variations tested: Tested both the ribs and pork+beef suggestions as per the recipe.

Taste/Texture: Whilst it does have a good dose of syrup and grape jelly, as the base is not ketchup but tomato sauce, it was not overly sweet. The Jelly and cane syrup gave it a really intriguing flavour that you could not put your finger on if you did not know they were there, and with the cayenne, chilli powder, black pepper and wooster sauce to give it a bit of a kick, the flavours blended beautifully. You can see from the recipe that there is no sour element (the wooster sauce is not included in a substantial enough amount to impart its slight sourness from the tamarind in it), but this comes in with the blues hog tennessee red. The beauty of this recipe is that it is not noticably sweet, not noticably sour, not overly salty or spicy - it is a great balance of flavours.

Recommendations: To be honest, I cannot think of how I would improve it. Some may like it with a bit more "kick" to it, by adding some chipotle hot sauce (to provide an extra dimension to the flavour - a smokey note) or smoked paprika instead of the regular paprika. You do have to be careful though, as it is a very well balanced sauce in terms of both flavours and ingredients (due to the grape jelly and cane syrup, some added flavours may not work well with it - e.g. I cannot see herbs working too well)


Ratings:

Appearance: 8/10 A very nice looking sauce - due to the grape jelly, cane syrup and wooster sauce, it has a beautiful dark, rich colour and a nice sticky consistency thanks to the jelly and syrup, but not cloyingly so.

Consistency: 8/10 Reasonably thick, but when mixed with the other sauces, the consistency is perfect for that meat (e.g. thicker for ribs, thinner for pulled pork)

Taste: 8/10 My comments above speak for themselves... this is an absolutely outstanding sauce, and I would definitely make it again and recommend it to others.

Versatility: 8/10 Whilst I am a purist when it comes to brisket, I couldn't help myself and actually ended up dipping some slices crazy in the sauce... as brisket has a pretty strong flavour, this sauce stood up beautifully to it and worked really well with the cherry, oak and pecan smoked brisket.
It was simply amazing on ribs, and for pulled pork, whilst I normally love just a simple moistening mix of sugar, salt, white + red + black pepper and cider vinegar, the fruitiness of the base and the tang from the added blueshog worked brilliantly.

Overall Rating: 8/10. A brilliant sauce. I can see why Lake Dogs would be successful at comps with this sauce and applaud him for divulging his recipe. I know I will be making this one again for sure - a good stock of the base and then adding in the other sauces depending on the BBQ I am serving if I am feeling like a sauce.

Photos of sauce construction:

1.) The ingredients:



Clockwise from left:
Wooster Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Grape Jelly, Golden Syrup (note: I took out the wrong syrup for the photo - I actually used Steens in the recipe), Blues Hog Tennessee Red, Blues Hog Original, Black Pepper, Cayenne, Paprika, Chilli Powder

2.) Ingredients in the pot:




3.) Sauce after slight cooling:



Thank you again Lake Dogs for the recipe :clap2:

Next up, Roxy's S.C mustard sauce!

Time for number four!


#4 Roxy's S.C Mustard Sauce (http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1359)

My favorite sauce to add to pulled pork is a mustard vinager sauce. I add just a bit, maybe 1/2 a cup, to moisten the meat and add a bit of flavour after its been pulled.
When making a Sammich I add some more of the sauce with a shake or two of the rub I used to season the butt. To my taste this sauce is a perfect match with cole slaw and I dont be eatin me no pulled pork sammich without the slaw.
I dont hear any one mention using this sauce but I find it is the tastiest addition to pulled pork. From what I've read most of ya'll are stuck in north carolina, now theres nothing wrong with vinegar or piedmont sauce, I just find this sauce has more flavour and makes better pairing with pork butt.

Mustard Vinegar Sauce

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup Yellow mustard
1/4 cup onion finely minced
2 cloves garlic pureed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Combine ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For a smoother sauce, blend on high for a few minutes.

Recipe Review:

Notes: This recipe has a large following on the smoke ring boards, so expectations were admittedly quit high. As no brands were specified, I used all-USA brands (penzeys spices, vinegar, french's mustard etc).

Ingredients: The ingredients are that of a "typical" mustard sauce - mustard,vinegar, sugar and some spices to give it a kick. Minimal ingredients required and all very easy to obtain.

Ease of preparation: Very simple! Mix, heat, blend and serve.

Modifications and variations tested: Tested on pulled pork, chicken and brisket.

Taste/Texture: For a mustard sauce, this was quite fresh, no doubt due to the relatively short cooking time and absence of dried/pre-cooked ingredients (ketchup, onion/garlic/paprika powder). Relatively thin, but thicker on blending and cooling. Definitely designed for pulled pork. It was not very spicy, with the slightest lingering background heat that tickles your throat.


Recommendations: Heat lovers may like to add some chipotle hot sauce to give it a bit more kick. For brisket, I would cook until a bit thicker and add in some of the brisket drippings and juices to round out the flavours and incorporate some of the spice rub used on the meat itself.


Ratings:

Appearance: 7/10 We know mustard sauces are not the prettiest looking sauces, and their viscosity doesn't help much with aesthetics either. The main benefit is keeping a bit more of the colour of the meat itself when incorporated into items such as pulled pork or chicken as you can still see the smoke rings remnants and various shades of pink and brown bark.

Consistency: 7/10 Reasonably thin, but perfect for pulled pork or mopping/brushing. If one were to dip or want to glaze, it would need to be reduced slightly.

Taste: 7/10 obviously, this sauce is designed for pulled pork, however, I could see it being used as a mustard based glaze for ribs, brushed on frequently at the end of cooking. Whilst the flavour was nice and went well with pulled pork, I feel it could have a bit more depth and flavour. However, having said that, to be fair, that does mean that it lets the meats flavour come through.

Versatility: 5/10 As the sauce stands, I would only recoomend it as a pulled pork, chicken, or mopping/glazing sauce. With some modifications, it could go well with pulled beef or even brisket.

Overall Rating: 7/10. Obviously this sauce is designed for pulled pork. It does a good job at that but definitely could do with a boost in flavour and does need a bit of tweaking if used on anything else.

Photos of sauce construction:

1.) The ingredients:

Clockwise from left:
Onion + Garlic, Brown Sugar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne, Salt, Wooster Sauce + Tabasco, Black Pepper, Mustard


2.) Ingredients in the pot:






3.) Sauce after slight cooling:






Next up, RSoFlaQuers mustard sauce!

Well spotted, that should read 7, not 6.5.

Also keep in mind, 10 is "mind-blowing, best I could ever possibly imagine any sauce ever being, holy-grail sauce", and I am not one to give very high scores for the sake of it (similarly, I am not one to just give low scores as some critics do). I may be harsh, but I have tried a LOT of sauces (http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i36/infernooo/smoking/beef/CIMG0841_resize.jpg), so my standards are pretty high