Fresh BBQ Sauce


 

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Diamond Member
After fiddling around with No.5 sauce...its time to upgrade.

Please lend your comments...this is off the top of my head.

1 can diced tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup chopped onion

1/4 t celery seed
1/4 t cumin seed
1/4 t cinnamon

1/4 t fresh black pepper
1 t ancho
1/2 t cascabel

1/4 cup drippings
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 T dried cherries

Cook onion and garlic in a dab of butter...add the remaining ingredients and simmer.

Strain or use a blender?

How are my proportions?

Kevin should I add thyme?

Does it need 2 t worcestershire?

Thanks....
 
Use a blender. This will give the sauce more body without having to cook it to death. Blend very well then taste for texture. If needed (this will depend largely on the cherries), force through a strainer after blending.

The proportions look good. I think I'd increase both chilies though, upping the ancho to 2-3 t and the cascabel to 3/4-1 t. Consider as a starting point halving both the sugar and the drippings. Start with 2 T each, then scale up, tasting as you go. You might very well end up with the levels you predict, but both of these elements have a significant impact and I think it's worth being deliberate with each.

Yes, add thyme. I'd suggest 1/2 t. I'd also suggest a pinch (1/16 t) of ground clove.

Yes, Worcestershire, and your thought of 2 t sounds right. I'm also thinking a little cider vinegar for its acidity and fruity notes (I like unfiltered cider vin for its fuller flavor--TJ's has a good one--but use whatever you have).

If I might suggest a procedural flow...


Chop the onion*, mince or press the garlic; reserve the garlic separately.

Melt the butter and when the foam subsides add the onion. While the onion softens, measure and mix in a small bowl the cumin (use ground), both chilies, the cinnamon, black pepper and ground cloves; reserve. Measure the thyme; reserve. Measure the celery; reserve. Have your bottle of cider vin ready and the tomato can opened. Measure the cherries; reserve.

When the onions are translucent stir in the thyme. Take the onions to the point where they are just starting to brown in spots. Crank the heat to high then immediately add the garlic and the contents of the little bowl of mixed spices. Cook, stirring constantly, till the garlic is very fragrant and the spices' aromas bloom, about 45-60 secs. Immediately add a good splash (about 2 T) of cider vin and the cherries. Quickly tip the pot toward you so that the liquid collects and you can eyeball the quantity. Simmer strongly to reduce the liquid in the pot to about 1/3 its original volume (tip the pot again to compare with what you saw originally).

Add the tomatoes and their juices, the celery seed, the Worce and a little salt. Bring just to a boil, stir in 2 T each of the sugar and drippings, cover, reduce the heat to med-low, then cook till the cherries have completely softened and the flavors have blended.

Puree the sauce in a blender, check texture (forcing through a sieve if necessary), then return the sauce to the pot. Bring just to a simmer. Adjust thickness by reducing the sauce gently, if desired. Adjust sugar and drippings, add 1/2 T more of each at a time and stirring to be sure the sugar melts and mixes in before tasting again.


* Not required, but a 1/4 c of finely chopped red bell pepper is a thought. Add to the pot with the onions.
 
Wow. Thank you once again. Your comments sound dead on. How could I forget vinegar...I like it in my sauces. While I'm thinking about it...a squeeze of lemon at the finnish perhaps.

I am still learning the individual chilis and quantities. Thanks.
 
Yes, I was going to mention a lemon addition after the sauce is finished, off heat, adding a few drops at a time, but thought that you'd probably decide to include it--or not--on your own.

I think what you're proposing is a good place to start. It does not need to be more 'complicated'; often it is a matter of a making adjustments to what you're already doing, e.g., going with 2 cloves of garlic instead of 1 or adding some granulated garlic and granulated onion to the sauce (added with the celery) to boost the flavors of the fresh and add a bit of their own without the compromising or needing to adjust finish texture that adding, say, a significant increase of fresh onion might entail.

The sauce, as written, could support much more chile flavor but that is a judgment call based upon the finish profile you seek--more tomato vs. more chile. Starting the sauce skewed more toward tomato will better allow you to taste the difference that more chile would make in future sauce making sessions should you decide to try that route.

Two other elements that come to mind--neither required, per se--that would evoke the profile that ketchup does would be ginger and coriander. Neither need be used in 'significant' quantities--you'd be looking to add their qualities without skewing the profile in their favor. Again, not a requirement, just a consideration. (For ginger, either fresh, grated, very finely minced, or juiced, about 1/2 t, added with the fresh garlic, or 1/4 t powdered, mixed in with the spice mix; the coriander, ground, about 1/2 t, mixed in with the spice mix.)

Have fun with it, smell everything before use and after, taste frequently then go from there.
 
My goal was to try a tomato based sauce without reliance on ketchup (with that cooked taste). This looks like it will do it. Your comments on chilis and cooking techniques are most helpful.

This will be my next sauce after I finish the batch just made.

As an aside, I saw Rick Bayless make a Red Chile sauce that that had a roux base. 1/2 butter 1/2 flour and a healthy dose of ground dried anchos and chipotles. Also added mexican oregano, onion garlic....then added beef stock. Perhaps this might be another approach to consider for a differ sauce. Sometimes I type before I think. Thats the problem with the internet-anyone can write about anything. As I step back and think about sauces for bbq we have the basics: vinegar, tomato, mustard and, even mayo for some. Does a Chile Roux make sense for a bbq sauce base? Bayless used the above sauce on beef.
 
Steve, I've used the diced tomatoes in a blender before. Took a long time to get the consistancy where I wanted it without bits and pieces. I thought about trying tomato puree next time. What do you think?
 
Hey guys I'm just learning too. The most tomato flavor would probably be whole, diced, crushed... Puree would be a little more processed. Paste being the most processed. Ketchup, well you know what that is-not tomato but now its own flavor. They all will work depending on what you are after. I chose diced cause costco carries them by the case and they are good quality.

Texture and consistency are an important element-the last batch of No.5 I made was too runny because of the amount of stock I added. I did not puree the fruit either-I just strained it out. Blending the fruit would have helped improve the consistency.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Steve Petrone:

Texture and consistency are an important element-the last batch of No.5 I made was too runny because of the amount of stock I added. I did not puree the fruit either-I just strained it out. Blending the fruit would have helped improve the consistency. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Steve, Just a thought here. When I make pizza sauce for my pies I find a bunch of water in canned tomatoes. What I do is use a can opener and put a slit in the bottom and top of the can and set the can on a angle in a 1 cup measuring cup for 12-24 hrs. You would be amazed at the amount of water that comes out of a can of Red Pack crushed tomatoes in heavy puree. I get 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water from a 28 oz can, something to consider if your sauce is coming out too runny. Yeah you could cook it to death to remove that water but it sounds like that's what you are trying to avoid. Also, once drained of the water you could freeze the tomatoes to help break down the cells for a smoother consistancy and redrain them. Freezing the toms will remove even more water on they thaw out. Here's a pic of the tomatoes draining.
EDIT: You gotta Love the 70's yellow kitchen back drop? It goes with the whipped butter container.
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OKNQP-Pizza009.jpg
 
I used canned diced for most things. Straight puree I do not use for anything as it can be a lot more processed/cooked, not something I'm interested in.

I sometimes use whole or crushed in puree. it's important to get a quality brand and I much prefer those that are pasteurized at low temps. The golden colored water is indicative of this.
 

 

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