Listen: "Stephanie Says" (Velvet Underground)
Drink: Fat Squirrel Ale
I believe I may have perfected this sauce. It is NOT a regional sauce, which is probably good because it can rest on its own laurels without the burden of ancient pedigrees and disputes. Is beef barbecue? Should you sauce or not? Should the sauce have a base of vinegar or tomato? Chances are you like best whatever barbecue you were raised on, but I say taste 'em all.
As I've said before, I cook by hand, so this is my best guess at proportions. Make it how you like it.
I Vidalia or other sweet onion, minced
stick of unsalted butter
2 tbsp. kosher salt
white pepper
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup bourbon
2 tbsp. molasses
chipotle powder to taste (you might find yourself adding more because the base is sweet)
2 tsp. mustard powder
dash or two worcestershire sauce
most of a bottle of ketchup
ketchup water, possibly
I tossed the minced onion in the butter, adding a hefty pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of white pepper. After I scalded the onions in the butter, I lowered the heat and added the honey and the bourbon and just let it bubble around -- almost like making bourbon candy. If you do it right, the onions won't melt into the sauce after all is said and done.
I then added what I had left of a ketchup bottle to the pot, plus the last glug of some strained tomatoes I had previously used to make a quick pasta sauce. I then added the molasses. The mixture seemed rather thick, so I put about a third of a cup of water in the used-up ketchup bottle, shook vigorously, and added the ketchup water. I then added the rest of the ingredients and brought to a gentle boil. Adjust for seasoning, and let cool before serving alongside pork.
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Hey Wendy, thanks for posting the sauce recipe - just in time for the Boston butt we smoked Saturday. I put too much salt in it, but otherwise the taste was very nice. The meat was so good we decided it didn't even need sauce!
ReplyDeleteWe are expecting some folks for Labor Day, so we're planning to do this again. Any smoker suggestions for vegetarian friends? A couple of them eat seafood but one doesn't eat any kind of meat at all.
Cooking for vegetarians is not as challenging as you might think if you are grilling. The best vegetables for grilling and smoking are chiles and onions and their ilk. I would make a pot of pinto beans and add smoked jalapeno or other mild chiles, and perhaps smoked onion as well. Grill some corn tortillas with queso, add beans, and perhaps rice. Alternatively, you could grill rajas -- strips of poblano or anaheim peppers with onions -- and nestle them on grilled tortillas with queso. You also can do a knock-out grilled salsa with skewers of grilled tomatillos, grilled tomatoes, grilled white onions, and grilled garlic. Get all the vegetables nice and brown and then toss in a blender with lime juice and sea salt. The grilled salsa is a killer addition to any meat or vegetarian dish. Hope that helps.
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