Community Kitchen: Barbecue Sauce

I am from the Northeast, where barbecue is something that happens to other people. Sure, I?d had the odd experience visiting my grandparents in North Carolina, but as a general rule I always regarded barbecue as the sort of exotic fare that is better to read about than to actually eat, like Turkish delight or head cheese.

When I moved to Missouri, I was pleased, if somewhat surprised, at the ubiquity of proper barbecue ? which is to say meat that has been cooked long, slow, and smoky. I would not say that I?ve become a connoisseur, but I?ve certainly become a fan. I also find myself married to a man who is on the verge of banning me from the kitchen altogether, since he seems to regard all non-smoked foods as a waste of time and entropy. Any occasion on which people gather for a meal seems to him a fine opportunity to fire up the smoker; I will not be surprised if we end up having pulled pork this Thanksgiving. I may have to learn how to make cocktails or something just so that I can feel as if I am contributing; in the meantime I just enjoy the ride.

This evening we had some friends over for dinner, which was, for Josh, merely an excuse to try out his smoking technique and a variety of sauces. His earlier experiments have paid off: the meat was tender, flavorful, and more or less falling apart, with crispy burnt ends that guests couldn?t help sneaking from the platter and eating with their hands. The sauces, which represented several different regions, sparked some lively debate among our guests as to which was the best. I favored the Lexington Dip, which was extremely vinegary and hot, but the South Carolina mustard-based sauce also had its proponents. All three were delicious ? and all I had to do was wash the dishes.

Note: All of these sauces should be prepared well ahead of time so that the flavors can meld. Three or four days ought to do it. You can use these sauces as a marinade, mop them onto the meat as it cooks, or just serve it along with the meat as a sauce.

LEXINGTON DIP

1 1/2 cup white vinegar (do not use cider vinegar)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple juice
? cup hot sauce, such as Sriracha
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Whisk together all the ingredients and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

SOUTH CAROLINA MUSTARD SAUCE

2 cups prepared yellow mustard
2/3 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Sriracha
? cup brown sugar
? cup white sugar
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon celery seed
3 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Mix the wet ingredients together in a bowl. Crush the bouillon cube with a spoon in a bowl add it to the bowl. Crush the rosemary leaves and celery seed in a mortar & pestle or in a blender or coffee grinder and add to the bowl. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

EAST CAROLINA KISS

1 1/2 cups of distilled vinegar (white or cider)

1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Sriracha

2 tablespoons sugar (white, light brown, or dark brown ? we used brown, which I recommend)

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons finely ground black pepper

Pour all the ingredients into a jar and shake.

--All three sauces were adapted from http://www.amazingribs.com/

Source: http://www.columbiatribune.com/weblogs/community-kitchen/2012/jul/23/barbecue-sauce/

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