BBQ Sauce Ideas

[Bob Correll]

Not a recipe, but a guideline to develop your own.
The St Louis Post Dispatch adapted the list from "Barbecue! Bible Sauces, Rubs and Marinades," by Steven Raichlen.

Start with one of the bases, then pick one or more ingredients from each flavoring category.
Remember that balancing flavors is the key.
Combine the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and stir while you cook to the desired thickness.
If you're worried that any given ingredient won't break down when cooking (chunks of celery or other vegetables, for example), run them through a blender or food processor before adding, or purée the sauce after you've cooked it.


BASES
Ketchup
Tomato sauce/purée/paste
Fresh tomatoes
Chili sauce
Salsa
Mustard
Chicken or beef stock

SWEETENERS
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
Raw, turbinado or demarara sugar
Honey
Molasses
Agave nectar
Corn syrup
Maple syrup
Jams and jellies
Raisins
Fruits and fruit juices

SOURING AGENTS
Distilled vinegar
Cider vinegar
Wine vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Lemon or lime juice
Pickle juice

SALTY SEASONINGS
Salt
Soy sauce
Hoisin sauce
Anchovies
Capers
Olives

HEAT
Hot sauce
Chile peppers
Black or white pepper
Red pepper flakes or ground red (cayenne) pepper
Fresh ginger
Mustard
Horseradish or wasabi

AROMATICS
Onions
Garlic
Celery
Bell peppers
Chili powder
Liquid Smoke
Worcestershire sauce
A.1. or another steak sauce
Herbs
Spices

THICKENERS/ "ENRICHERS"
Butter
Oils
Bacon grease
Meat drippings
Chicken or beef stock

CUSTOMIZATIONS
Coffee
Soda
Beer, wine or liquor
Peanut or other nut butter
Vanilla or other extract

Please post if you have any additional ingredient ideas, and I will edit to add them to the list.

 

[Regina S]

Great list Bob. I was at a catered BBQ party once, and the ribs were great, they added chocolate as a sweetner. Of course the caterer would not give out the recipe. But hey it's almost like our TVWBB cook off! I have never tried it but it was more of a background flavor.

 

[Paul K]

Chocolate is a great addition for certain savory sauces. Most likely the sauce you tried didn't include a sweet chocolate such as a milk chocolate. Many times the sauce uses a cocoa powder or bittersweet dark chocolate for flavor. The sweetness can be derived from fruits or other sugars. It's a nice twist on sauce; you should give it a try. On a related note, there are some excellent chocolate stouts (ales) out there that will really suprise you if you've never tried one. See Bill's last pic here. Not at all what you might expect.

Paul

 

[Ben Setzer]

A little Pick-A-Peppa sauce is good!

Ben

 

[Regina S]

Thanks Paul, I will look for an ale such as the one pictured. I love trying new things.

 

[E Sassak]

I have used chocolate in chili recipes before but not in BBQ sauce. Sounds intriguing. I have been experimenting with ginger, allspice and celery seed (not together) lately. Liqour of choice - Maker's Mark. It has a great pure bourbon flavor for injections, marinades and sauces.