PDA

View Full Version : Getting rid of ketchup taste in homemade sauce


Thefiveo
07-25-2014, 10:33 AM
Happy Friday fellow BBQ pals.

I am currently using a whiskey BBQ sauce recipe I found on one of the food websites. Everyone I give it to loves it, however, my palate must be a bit pickier than theirs. Whenever I make the sauce I can never seem to drown out that cloying sweet ketchup taste. Does anyone have experience with this in their recipes and how do you get rid of the flavor so it's more of a symphony of flavors as opposed to a sweet ketchup-ie punch?

deguerre
07-25-2014, 10:37 AM
See if you can find a ketchup that doesn't have HFCS? We don't use ketchup in recipes though. A bottle lasts a long time in our house.

On edit, here's a traditional recipe I posted elsewhere for making your own that I'll be trying:

The original recipe from Mary Randolph, Thomas Jefferson's cousin:

Gather a peck of tomatas, pick out the stems , and wash them; put them on the fire without water, sprinkle on a few spoonsful of salt, let them boil steadily an hour, stirring them frequently, strain them through a colander, and then through a sieve; put the liquid on the fire with half a pint of chopped onions, a quarter of an ounce of mace broke into small pieces, and if not sufficiently salt, add a little more, one tablespoonful of whole black pepper, boil all together until just enough to fill two bottles; cork it tight. –make it in August.

It ain't today's ketchup, that's for sure...

http://www.monticello.org/site/blog-...-tomata-catsup (http://www.monticello.org/site/blog-and-community/posts/jefferson-era-recipe-tomata-catsup)

Thefiveo
07-25-2014, 10:41 AM
Thanks deguerre. Maybe that might be the ticket too. Research recipes that don't have ketchup as a main ingredient. I do try to avoid the HFCS as well.

Bludawg
07-25-2014, 10:41 AM
Tomato or V8 juice

deguerre
07-25-2014, 10:43 AM
Thanks deguerre. Maybe that might be the ticket too. Research recipes that don't have ketchup as a main ingredient. I do try to avoid the HFCS as well.

I edited in a traditional recipe in case you missed it.

legendaryhog
07-25-2014, 11:00 AM
Tomato or V8 juice

I use ketchup in some of my sauces and some I don't. I like this idea, I use tomato sauce (puree) too.

aawa
07-25-2014, 11:03 AM
If you use ketchup in your sauces use some acid to get rid of gthe sweetness. Different vinegars, fresh squeezed citrus juices and wines are a couple of items that will help remove the sweetness.

Beerbreath
07-25-2014, 11:12 AM
Happy Friday fellow BBQ pals.

I am currently using a whiskey BBQ sauce recipe I found on one of the food websites. Everyone I give it to loves it, however, my palate must be a bit pickier than theirs. Whenever I make the sauce I can never seem to drown out that cloying sweet ketchup taste. Does anyone have experience with this in their recipes and how do you get rid of the flavor so it's more of a symphony of flavors as opposed to a sweet ketchup-ie punch?

If you cut down on the other heat of your BBQ sauce, you can substitute Chinese Sarachi sauce (available at most grocery stores here in Canada ) and get rid of that ketchup hotdog condiment taste. It has a tomato base with a load of garlic and chili peppers so just cut back on these from your original recipe and you might find it a nice variation. I still use Ketchup usually but have tried this and although not my 'go to' Kansas Sauce, its quite good when you want to move out of your comfort zone and walk on the wild side. Try a small batch and see.

M Team BBQ
07-25-2014, 11:15 AM
It's a waste but try a can of beer, it's hard to do, pouring it in but it does the trick.

Tricky
07-25-2014, 11:45 AM
Depends on how much you want to spend on your sauce, but there are a bunch of artisan ketchups or gourmet ketchups out there to try, many of which are not as sweet as your typical grocery store hot dog sauce (I bet HFCS isn't high on the list of many who fancy themselves "artisans" or "gourmets"). This kind of product might lead to a better overall taste.

Blanton
07-25-2014, 11:57 AM
What brand of ketchup are you using. Heinz always made my sauces taste like ketchup. Switched to Hunt's with no HFCS and the problem is gone

Displaced Texan
07-25-2014, 12:05 PM
I like some sweet to my sauce, but I don't like the ketchup flavor. I use tomato sauce and sweeten it myself with either brown sugar or local honey depending on the sauce.

oldbill
07-25-2014, 12:06 PM
I use ketchup in some of my sauces and some I don't. I like this idea, I use tomato sauce (puree) too.Yep, puree makes a great base!:-D
Just add your vinegar, sugar and spices to taste.

Thefiveo
07-25-2014, 12:08 PM
It very well might have been Heinz. I look forward to trying all these different tricks and learning. Thats the fun of all this stuff!!

Looking forward to learning recipes from you folks as well

RolandJT
07-25-2014, 02:10 PM
Tomato paste thinned down with cider vinegar, chicken or beef stock and brown sugar works for many BBQ sauces. This has all the flarvours ketchup brings without the taste you are worried about.

This is also a good glaze for chicken which has already been aggressively dry rubbed and thus has enough spice.

Thefiveo
07-25-2014, 03:43 PM
Those are some GREAT ideas everyone. Thank you for sharing with me. I cannot wait to try them out!

Gnarlbecue
07-25-2014, 05:49 PM
Try Heinz Organic if you can find it. It's still sweet, but the tomato flavor is way bigger in the mix, and no HFCs.

Stay away from "Simply Heinz", which also has no HFC, but they make up for it by doubling up the white sugar. Blech.

Kyle Serlington
07-25-2014, 07:16 PM
the last 2 sauce recipes i came up with use half ketchup and half canned crushed tomatoes as a base, i really like how they came out, seems more fresh

Boshizzle
07-25-2014, 07:23 PM
Two other options, don't use as much and have you tried simmering the sauce? Either or both of those options may help. Just the simple act of simmering tomato sauce of any kind changes it's character quite a bit. In fact, some people who make really good tomato sauce are adamant that the tomatoes should never come to a simmer and definitely not a boil.

The moral, simmering tomatoes changes their flavor. It might help get rid of the "ketchupy" flavor too that you don't like.

RandyBier
07-25-2014, 07:53 PM
Great tips. Thanks all