On to the second entry!
Thanks goes to Mister Bob for his entry of "Blue Ribbon BBQ Sauce".
#2 Mister Bob (
http://thehogblog.com/?p=34)
Blue Ribbon BBQ Sauce
This is a great BBQ sauce! Hot, sweet and savory, all at the same time.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small shallot fine diced
3 garlic cloves minced
½ red bell pepper fine diced
1½ cups ketchup
¼ cup apple juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon Louisiana Hot Sauce
½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
½ tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup honey
½ cup cherry preserves
DIRECTIONS
Heat vegetable oil on low in a medium sauce pan until it just begins to shimmer. Add shallots, garlic and bell pepper and cook until tender (about 10 minutes), stirring frequently. Add all but the last three ingredients and bring to a low boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, honey and preserves. Mix with a plunge blender until sauce is silky smooth. Can be used immediately or stored for up to one month in the refrigerator.
Recipe Review:
Notes: I used a combination of Hunts and Heinz ketchup (to help negate any brand specific dominance) as well as Crisco Vegetable Oil. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce was used, as was Louisiana Brand Hotsauce (regular variety). For the spices, I used Penzeys with the liquid smoke being a mixture of Tones and Colgins.
Ingredients: Looking at the ingredients, you can tell that it is quite a fruity sauce, with apple and cherry overtones. It also is a VERY sweet recipe, evident by the copious amounts of ketchup, brown sugar, honey, cherry preserves and proportionally small amount of vinegar. There is not a large amount of chilli, vinegar or spices added, so the sweetness could perhaps be overwhelmed with the lack of salty/sour/hot elements.
Ease of preparation: Almost as easy as they come - the only extra step involving sweating of the vegetables and aromatics and adding the seperate ingredients at the end (the sugar, honey and preserves).
Modifications and variations tested: Added some more apple cider vinegar, a touch of chipotle hot sauce and some salt + pepper.
Taste/Texture: With the amount of sugar this recipe has (from the ketchup, apple juice, brown sugar, honey and preserves) - approximately 1.5 cups, and only 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of hot sauce, 1.5 tablespoons of spices, I felt that it was overwhelmingly sweet with not enough kick or sourness to back it up. The fruity flavours definitely gave it a unique and lovely taste, but I feel it is being held back by the level of sweetness. Don't get me wrong, I love a sweet sauce, but this was just a bit much for me. As for consistency and thickness, it was perfect for slathering or dipping.
Recommendations: As mentioned, I personally felt it was much too sweet, even if teaming with a cut such as pork ribs which can take quite a sweet sauce. I would suggest adding some more vinegar in the initial ingredient dump, and then another splash at the end to give it a bit of a "twang" (a bit of a fresh sourness to offset some of the sweetness) as well as some chilli powder cooked for the last 2 minutes that the vegetables are sweating at the beginning.
Ratings:
Appearance:
8/10 A great looking sauce - lovely colour due to the preserves, brown sugar and wooster sauce as well as a lovely consistency and gloss due to the honey.
Consistency:
7/10 Quite thick, but definitely clings well to the meat. Also thick enough for dipping if one were so inclined
Taste:
6/10
Versatility:
6/10 I did not find this went particularly well wtih brisket. After the modifications, I found that it went VERY nicely with both ribs and chicken thighs which I had smoked and glazed with the sauce. A bit too thick for pulled pork (though it could be thinned out with some water or vinegar), and the flavours did not seem to marry well wtih the bark of the pulled pork, but this could have been due to the rub used.
Overall Rating:
6/10. After some modifications, this recipe definitely has potential, especially as a sauce for ribs. The fruitiness of the preserves and glossiness provided by the honey make it great for glazing and slathering, I just felt it needed a bit more kick and a touch more sourness to stand up to the sweetness of the other ingredients.
Photos of sauce construction:
1.) The ingredients:
Clockwise from left:
Shallot + Garlic + Red Bell Pepper, Vegetable Oil, Brown Sugar + Honey + Cherry Preserves, Ketchup, Apple Juice + Apple Cider Vinegar, Black Pepper + Paprika + Allspice + Nutmeg, Worcestershire Sauce + Hot Sauce + Liquid Smoke
2.) Ingredients coming to a simmer:
3.) Sauce after slight cooling:
Thank you once again Mister Bob for the recipe :thumb:
Next up,
Lake Dogs!