A couple of weeks ago I really nailed the taste on some homemade BBQ Sauce. The trouble is I didn’t write any of the ingredient portions down.
A few days ago I attempted to duplicate the sauce. While it wasn’t a total failure it did not match the home run from the previous batch.
That great batch was sweet and zesty for sure. Some might call it a Southern style. Or Carolina style.
So this is a work in progress recipe. I have the ingredients jotted down. They are here for you to experiment with. I will keep adjusting, and updating the ingredients and portions until I get it right again to my taste at least. Enjoy!
7/3/2017 Version 0.3
15 oz Tomato Sauce
10 oz Tomato Soup (Condensed/No water added)
1/4 Cup Dark Molasses
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Vinegar (Apple or Wine Vinegar)
3 Tbsp Mustard (yellow French’s brand -Hot Dog style)
2 Tbsp Cilantro Flakes
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Sage Powder
1/3 Cup Agave Syrup (Start with none then adjust to desired sweetness)
1 Tbsp Sriracha Sauce
1 Cup Ketchup
1/16 tsp Cayenne Pepper (See “Note” Warning below))
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup Liquid Smoke (I use Hickory Flavor)
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
3/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
Cooked down until thickened. This can be brushed on meats being grilled.
Once thickened whisk in the Agave starting with small portion of the 1/3 cup. You may not need to add any. If you do add it slowly until you reach your desired sweetness. For some the 1/3 cup Agave called for in this recipe may be too sweet. So start adding slowly. Combine thoroughly then taste
This recipe can be whisked together without cooking, and dumped over ribs to be slow cooked in a crock pot, or baked in a baking dish in the oven.
Note: Cayenne Pepper tends to increase in the “Hot” factor as it cooks, or sits mixed in with other ingredients. In low doses it is a great food taste enhancer. Do not increase the amount based on taste when first added. Especially if you are the cook and like things “hot”! This recipe is not what I would call “spicy hot”. But for people that prefer mild spicy tastes, this might be just on the upper edge of the spicy scale, for their liking. This recipe also gets some kick from the Sriracha Sauce. You can easily push this over the edge from a food enhancer, to something many people would not prefer.
You can quickly ruin a big expensive batch of meat if you don’t heed this spice warning. This above recipe is what I would say is the most popular level of ‘heat” when feeding a variety of people. Better to serve hot pepper seeds, or hot sauce, “on the side” for those that enjoy the extreme. Because most people, truth be known, do not enjoy extreme “spicy hot”.