Make Your Own Barbecue Sauce
January 23, 2012, By Jeffrey Weeks 0 comments
The best barbecue sauces are homemade. Most are tomato-based and are not very difficult to make. The most important part of a good sauce is thickness, because a thin sauce won't cling to the meat as well.
Making your own barbecue sauce is fun and easy. The rules for applying the sauce to your meat are also simple. Don't put your barbecue sauce on raw meat. A sweet barbecue sauce should only be applied in the last 15 minutes of cooking, which keeps the meat from burning on the grill. Sauce that isn't sweet, however, can be brushed on at any point during the grilling process. It is usually best to wait until the meat is almost ready.
Two coats are usually enough if your sauce is thick enough. Don't slather your sauce on the meat over and over again. You want the taste of the meat and smoke to come through. You should also warm your sauce a little before adding it to the meat. The heat helps the flavors blend when the sauce is applied.
Also remember that utensils that have touched raw meat should be put away for washing. If you are dipping directly from your sauce holder, all extra sauce should be discarded.
Here are two terrific barbecue sauce recipes.
Easy Southern Barbecue Sauce
- 1½ cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¾ cup chili sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
- 1½ teaspoons celery seeds
- 3 dashes hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Crush the garlic and saute it for five minutes in a saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Makes four cups of barbecue sauce.
Easy Spicy Barbecue Sauce
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup white cider vinegar
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
- 1½ tablespoon cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir well. Cook uncovered over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Lower heat and use to baste beef, chicken or pork. Makes four cups.
Remember that you want your barbecue sauce to bubble but not burn on the grill, so don't add it too early. Both of these barbecue sauces are sweet and should go on 15 minutes before you take the meat off the grill.
