 David Rubel'sWhat's For Dinner?6/15/05
Nearly all of us buy at least some prepared foods—chicken stock, for instance. I know that homemade chicken stock tastes better and is probably better for me, but I can’t be bothered to make it. Yet other staples I do choose to make, both for the taste and for the satisfaction of doing a better job than some giant corporation. Barbecue sauce is one of these. Like many other amalgamations, it’s very forgiving provided that you taste as you go. I’ve included suggested amounts here, but follow your bliss and remember that the final product should be a little bit sweet, a little bit sour, and a little bit spicy.
2. Transfer to clean (even sterile) glass jars and store in the refrigerator. Tips * This recipe gives you a good starting place, but the point of barbecue sauce is to experiment and develop your own distinctive flavor. You start with a base (ketchup in this case) and then add liquids to make the sauce pourable. I use cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, but you might prefer orange juice, soy sauce, beer, or bourbon. Next, add something sweet. In addition to brown sugar and molasses, common sweeteners include white sugar, honey, and maple syrup. Then, something sour. In my recipe, the cider vinegar takes care of this, but lemon juice, lime juice, or white vinegar would also work. Finally comes the spicy. Beyond mustard and hot sauce, popular ingredients include onion and garlic powders, chili powder, curry powder, ground ginger, ground allspice, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and seasoned salts. The secret ingredient of one person I know is hoisin sauce. * Remember that barbecue sauce was developed for barbecuing (cooking slowly with low heat), not for grilling (cooking quickly with high heat). If you put barbecue sauce onto food that you are grilling, the sugars in it will surely burn long before the meat is done. I prefer serving the sauce on the side; however, you can apply a thin coat once the meat is done and let it glaze for a minute or two before removing it.
If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future. David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Story of America (DK, 2002). |
