This is definitely on my short list to try! Thanks for posting this, Bo!
I tried making this, while I have the taste, it is very acidic - so I am assuming this is down to my vinegar.
Being in the UK I am assuming this may be one of the differences in having the same name for 2 different products.
Can someone hook me up with a link to Cider Vinegar so I can get something similar in the UK?
I can find bragg - buts it very expensive. Do I need it with 'Mother'?
I tried making this, while I have the taste, it is very acidic - so I am assuming this is down to my vinegar.
Being in the UK I am assuming this may be one of the differences in having the same name for 2 different products.
Can someone hook me up with a link to Cider Vinegar so I can get something similar in the UK?
I can find bragg - buts it very expensive. Do I need it with 'Mother'?
Acid levels in vinegar differ between brands from 4-7%
Shack sauce is a pretty high bar. Let us know how it goes.
Which of these two sauces is best in your opinion? Being from Virginia, I want to represent. Which one is more authentic VA BBQ?
Both are good. Shack is spicy and tangy. Griffin is sweet and tangy. Both are authentic. Shack being an old school 19th century style, Griffin being a 29th century style sauce.
It's time America was re-introduced to its first regional barbecue tradition: Virginia barbecue. It's the style of barbecue that George Washington ate. I hope that all of you who enjoy the Shack sauce and Griffin sauce will give credit where credit is due: Old time Virginia barbecue cooks that no one bothered to ever write about. Some of them were mentioned in history like Shack and Griffin, but so many others have been forgotten.
My work is meant to bring attention to the fine barbecue cooked by Virginia's barbecue cooks throughout the centuries. It's time for a Virginia barbecue revival! Here are some clips of some old newspaper ads I have dug up.
I'd love to see the 1840 Ga add. The town that's mentioned is where I was raised in and I still live here in Madison Ga. Very cool.
Often referred to by writers of his era as a "free man of color," Griffin became a very famous barbecue cook and restaurateur in Richmond, Virginia in the early to mid 1800s.
Sometime before 1853 Griffin had opened his own restaurant and by 1860, he had revitalized an entire area of the city. In fact, an Island in the James River was called "Griffin Island" for several decades. By the 1880's, people in Richmond longed for Griffin's barbecued shotes (~50 pound hogs), barbecued squirrels, and Brunswick stew.
Here is a Virginia red barbecue sauce inspired by Griffin. It's made old school style much like the sauces I used to see served at roadside barbecue stands when I was a kid but updated slightly for our modern palates. It also contains only ingredients that are known to have been used by Virginians up to the 1800's.
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup water
2 TBS yellow mustard
1.5 TBS Kosher salt
1 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS paprika (don't use a spicy hot variety; I prefer a bright red Spanish paprika)
1 ½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp fine ground black pepper
½ tsp ground sage
½ tsp granulated garlic
½ tsp cumin
Dash ground cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Add ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a simmer stirring often. Let sauce simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, remove from heat, cool, and serve. Store in the refrigerator. It gets better after a couple of days too.