Pulled Pork Sauce Question

[Blackshirt]

I'm so thankful for a place where i can go to get my questions answered...

I am catering a high school graduation open house for some friends... I let them try a couple of sauces to choose one for the open house. They said both were too vinegar-y

The first was Raichlen's NC Vinegar Sauce (AC Vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, etc).

The second was Fat Johnny's Bastardized Piedmont Sauce (AC Vinegar, Sweet Baby Ray's, brown sugar, etc.) google it for more details if needed...

Anyways - any suggestions for a less vinegar-y sauce?

If i must, i will experiment with the Piedmont sauce changing the ratios of Ray's and vinegar until i find something they like.

Any help is appreciated.

[Kevin]

Not a sauce lover here, so take this for what it's worth. I do cook for large groups once in awhile.

Doctored Cattleman's serves well for most crowds. Sweet and thick, I don't care for it myself, but you're playing for a crowd.

Take some Cattleman's, add worsy, a little cayenne, take it from there.

[OSD]

Seems most people ( not people into BBQ but average people ) tend to like a sweeter sauce. If you take the Fat Johnny's Bastardized Piedmont Sauce recipe and leave out the AC Vinegar, increase the brown sugar to 1/2 cup, and put in 1 can of Sprite and 1 bottle of beer to replace the vinegar. Keep everything else the same. I bet they may like it. I have done a similar recipe before and people thought it was good.

[CharlieBeasley]

If you are making the sauce try using rice vinegar lighter less bite in the sauce?

[michiana mark]

When i do grad parties and what not, I use Gordon's food service sweet bbq sauce. No need to doctor up. 1 Gallon is good for about 4-5 butts if you mix it in , or put in squeeze bottles on the table. Buy 4 at a time and get the discount. Vinegar sauces are more of an acquired taste, or you would have had to have grown up in the Carolinas.

[backyardchef]

Add a little water.....

[N8man]

When your friends tried the different sauces you presented did they try them with pulled pork or did they just stick their fingers in and taste?
Reason I ask is that the finishing sauce will complement meat when mixed with it whereas sauce by itself can be overwhelming to the palate.

[Blackshirt]

They had pork mixed in with it...

Thanks for all of your help...keep it coming!

[Cabntmkr1]

Probably just another case of the 'que-ignorant public wanting what the chains have been shoving down their throats for years.
Really, though, I think most of the public is so used to the chain joints hiding there 'que behind sauce that they don't know how to act when given something less than sticky sweet.
The vinegary taste is acquired, to be sure, but is still good stuff.
I would offer them a KC style and see if they like it.

[MoKanMeathead]

Try Blueshog Tennessee Red on your pulled pork...good stuff!!

[Sledneck]

sweet baby rays

[jestridge]

Originally Posted by Sledneck

sweet baby rays

I use cattleman until I discover Sweetbaby ray. It also cheap.

[Fastball]

I never sauce my PP, but if I doing a large group, I set out usually Cattleman's and Bullseye, and I can get them both cheap and don't get any complaints with them around here.

If it is a small group (friends and family), I set out my own sauce. If they don't like it...tough, but I've never gotten any complaints there either.

[K I N G P I N]

I used to sauce my PP but wanted to give options....thanks cbantmkr1,your southern bbq sauce rocks!!So I tried to offer options...they want the sauced PP..

[Hook_Line_and_Sinker]

change vinegar to 1 part to 2 parts maple syrup ( 1/3 as much vinegar as called for with the other 2/3 replaced by MS) - b grade even better - consider opting out the brown sugar and adjust sweetness to taste with the MS

thin it down with AJ to reach serving consistency ( I think a wee bit thin works better than the commercial BBQ sauce consistency)