Preparation:
I take a little different approach to making barbecue sauce. I lived in Memphis for many years where people take barbecue VERY seriously, and I developed a refined pallet for it there.
When I make the sauce, it takes about 3 days of slow cooking (such as in a crock pot). I don't measure things, I just taste and add continuously throughout the days. The longer it can cook the better.
I do have a set of standard ingredients I use and I'll list them here. There are no amounts listed because I haven't got the vaguest idea how much I might add to make it taste just right. I like my sauce just-right spicy and NOT sweet. Sweet catsup (like many restaurant chains seem to offer) holds no appeal to me, and neither does a sauce that has no flavor apart from its burning potential.
SAUCE BASE: Low sodium V8 juice Whiskey or whiskey flavoring Tomato puree Low sodium Worcestershire sauce Molasses Horseradish Tobacco sauce Minced garlic Minced Jalapenos Onion juice Liquid smoke
ADD TO THE SAUCE (as needed): Garlic powder Cracked black pepper (lots of it) Salt Cumin (not much of it) Mustard powder Powdered cocoa Cinnamon Any more of the base ingredie |
