Any fan of the all-American barbecue will have his or her own opinion about the ingredients and steps needed to make barbecue sauce. While there’s no one recipe for barbecue sauce, most agree that the most flavorful sauces that make a succulent barbecue never come from a bottle that you buy from the supermarket. Here are some tips to help you make your own barbecue sauce.
What Is Barbecue Sauce?
barbecue sauceIn many culinary traditions, meat is grilled without any sauce. In the American culinary tradition of grilled meat, however, barbecue is not barbecue without the sauce. Barbecue sauce serves two main purposes in cooking:
Flavor. Barbecue sauce is a hearty and savory mix of flavorful ingredients. Many barbecue aficionados often refer to “secret ingredients” that are added to the sauce to make it more flavorful.
Moisture. Moisture is an important component of cooking grilled meat, because some of the natural juices and fat from the meat may drip into the grill. Sauce not only keeps the meat flavorful, but it also helps seal in some of the meat’s natural juices.
Ingredients
There are three popular ingredients most commonly used in barbecue sauce:
barbecue sauce
Tomato sauce is a common ingredient to add some tartness and volume to barbecue sauces. While you can make your own tomato sauce, many people prefer to use commercially-available tomato sauces because they are easily mixed into sauce. Tomato ketchup may also be used in place of tomato sauce.
Worcestershire sauce is another ingredient common to barbecue sauces to add sweetness, spice, and a savory taste to barbecue. Many barbecue aficionados buy the stuff in gallons to satisfy their cravings for barbecue sauces.
Spices and condiments. Many other ingredients can be used to provide barbecue sauce with interesting tastes. Vinegar or lemon juice is usually mixed with barbecue sauce to cut some of the heavy flavors. A variety of “secret ingredients” in barbecue sauce are combinations of spices and herbs added to the product to make it even more flavorful. Fruits and vegetables may also be blended to the marinade to add a fresh taste.
When all of these ingredients are combined, the result is a tasty, flavorful mix of ingredients that taste awesome on any meat you plan to barbecue or grill. Some people marinate the meat in raw marinades, although some cook the marinades first, or cook the marinade along with the barbecue (like St. Louis style barbecue).
Cooking With Barbecue Sauce
Here are two ways that barbecue sauce is used on the grill:
barbecue sauce
Marinade. Meat is usually sliced and allowed to soak in the sauce, allowing the flavors to seep into the fibers. The length of time required to marinate the meat in sauce depends on how much of the flavor is needed in the meat when cooked.
Basting. Most barbecued meats tend to dry up during the grilling process, and the flavorful marinade may burn off from the heat. Basting the meat while cooking helps introduce moisture and flavor to the meat as it cooks through. An interesting flavor also forms as the basting liquid is exposed to high heat.
Dry-Rub
While many people like barbecue sauce, some prefer to use the dry-rub to flavor meats in a barbecue. A dry-rub consists of dry ingredients - like salt, pepper, herbs and spices - that are rubbed into the meat. The flavoring agents are allowed to seep into the fibers, just like liquid marinades.