Very basic stuff: cup of apple cider vinegar, half-cup of ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, butter, smoked paprika, and some chili powder. Simmered it in a saucepan for a couple of hours and poured it over the slow-cooked chicken. Worked out pretty good; I am starting to delude myself that I maybe know how to cook things.
Yes, you may take this as an invitation to start a BBQ War in comments. But, to quote Bob Heinlein: if any ears are ripped off you will be required to give them back at the end of the fight.
Eh, I can’t get excited enough about BBQ sauce to start a fight- I’m fine with Kraft for cooking, and Stubbs if I’m going to use it as a dipping sauce. And while BBQ beef brisket is best, any kind of animal protein will work.
Now, chili, on the other hand…
Also, YAY! for trying new recipes. There’s always something new to learn.
You’ll thank me for suggesting this some day:
http://www.southernliving.com/food/how-to/a-north-alabama-favorite-white-bbq-sauce
Not a bad base.
But I’m going to pick the nit and point out that vinegar and Worcestershire sauce are two of the major ingredients in ketchup. With brown sugar readily substituting for corn syrup, you could just add some tomato paste and eliminate a good deal of redundancy.
I’m also not quite sure what the purpose of the butter is if you’re pouring it over something already cooked.
.
Seriously, as long as you’ve got an acid, a sugar, and salt, you’ll most likely have a good marinade. Even if it’s not something a purist would call proper BBQ. (And if you want to get seriously minimalistic, beer, wine, or citrus juice can cover two of the three.)
Btw…
Next time you fiddle with your recipe, you might try adding a pinch of curry powder, a pinch of ginger, a bouillon cube, and a clove. YMMV, but I’ve always found these a worthwhile addition to ketchup-based BBQ sauces. (Rosemary and thyme are also generally good additions, but they come with more caveats.)
Basically good stuff; my mom’s version starts with either wine or balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, powdered mustard, ketchup, chili sauce (heinz or your choice–to taste), and Worchestershire. For those who like a bit of fine texture, finely chopped or minced red or white onion is a nice touch. This version is particularly good on beef short ribs and lamb shanks.
Good cooking!
I saw a recipe for BBQ sauce last week on one the high end retail places (a Williams-Sonoma-ish place, but I don’t think it was them). It was most remarkable as one of the ingredients for the sauce was … BBQ sauce. The remarks in the comment section were not kind.
What is this ‘sauce’ you speak of? Properly smoked, barbecued meats need no such accompaniment.
You’re off to a good start, I see.
.
A suggestion – if the Lane household is feeling brave – would be to use a non-tomato catsup. I know I’ve run across peach before, although I suspect apricot would work better as a marinade.
.
Mew
Basic ingredients should include vinegar, brown sugar and a bit of dry mustard. Then a little bit of ketchup…. this is for pulled pork.