BBQ Sauce


 
D

Darin Hearn

TVWBB Fan
Ok guys I have some questions for you about BBQ sauce.

What makes a BBQ sauce good?

What makes a BBQ sauce bad?

What makes you want to purchase a certain BBQ sauce?
 
I'll go as far as to say that I like a different sauce for everything that comes off my WSM. For ribs, I like a sweeter thicker sauce, for pulled pork it's got to be heavy on the apple cider vinegar (and thin), for chicken I like about the same thin vinegary sauce but heavier on the tomato paste. For brisket, it's going to have a more 'black pepper' presentation, but still very much in the BBQ sauce realm.
This is what makes that No.5 recipe such a winner; you can customize off of the basic sauce to suit the style you're going for.
ALMOST every sauce has strong points, as long as it doesn't say KRAFT on the label.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tom Chips:
This is a completely subjective inquiry. What purpose would the answers serve? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am not sure I agree with this statement. Sorry in advance for the long post.

Good sauce is like Obscenity. I don't know if I can define it, but I know it when I see it.

People like sweet BBQ sauce. Well, Maple syrup is sweet, so why isn't that used as BBQ sauce? Same thing with Hershey's chocolate syrup. Why not slather your brisket sammich with that?

Answer: Because alone, they would both make bad BBQ sauces. They might be interesting ingredients to put IN a sauce, but as a sauce in and of themselves, they would be bad.

But why?

Obvious answer is that they are missing something. But what?

I think if we explore the 'what's missing' that it might explain what makes a 'good sauce'. Is my 'good sauce' different from your 'good sauce'? Sure. That is the subjective part. But 'I can't tell you what makes a good sauce' is, I think, not much of an answer. So I will go with good and then address the 'missing' angle.

So here is mine...

Lets look at Steve Petrone's 'No. 5 Sauce'

BEGIN QUOTE
No. 5 Sauce

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon rub
END QUOTE

Ok. Tomato based. Good. I don't know many white bbq sauces. So good sauce = red. Now, some are darker than others...there is the preference thing. If this was missing, I am not sure what it would be, but I don't know that I would call it bbq sauce. (same thing with chili in my book)

Brown sugar. Sweet. Most people like a sweet sauce. I have to say I like mine sweet. Most people do. how sweet is subjective, but sweet doesn't hurt. If it is missing sweet then you end up moving toward Carolina sauce. Not bad, but with NO sweet there will probably be a Componant that you will miss, but not know what it is that is missing.

Vinegar. Acid. Acid balances the sweet and the rest of the spices. It brings a lively and light taste and allows the palate to clean off easier. If you go with a ton of it and minimize the sugar you are in Carolina country with your sauce. Tart, tangy, sassy, and surprising, this can wake you up if you put 1 cup instead of 1 TBL...I brought Carolina Red to the table for my wife...she was expecting thick and sweet. It was a complete turn off when she tasted it, only because she didn't know what to expect. Now, it is her favorite. If you leave the acid out, your bbq sauce will be flat, lifeless. It will lack a counterbalance to the sweet and the tomato. You will really be bummed with a BBQ sauce with no acid. Trust me. (same thing with chili IMHO. lime squeeze right at the end does WONDERS.)

Woosy sauce. Spices, dark flavours. Mysterious blends of steeped herb--and anchovies!!!! (yes, read the label folx)....this is a componant that adds a depth of flavor. Spices. They are the variety of life. Without this, I think you loose a depth of flavor. And who doesn't love anchovies. (trust me, you do, you just don't know it...maybe not on your pizza, but in your BBQ sauce, your ceasar salad dressing, your puntanesca...just trust me...)

And last but not least, the rub. This ties it all in. It's like a ribbon that leads you from point A to point B. I think it works for most sauces that I make. Pan sauces use the drippings of the item I was cooking in the pan. Gravy for Turkey day is from the drippings of the bird. Why not do something similar with the BBQ sauce? And there are those who suggest adding some of the meat juice from the foil, further tightening that cord. If it is missing you could get a potentially disjointed disconnect between the food and the sauce. Like if you have a hickory meat and a mesquite sauce. Or vice versa. It's ok, but you can tell it is off.

So, what is good? Your and mine will be different, sure.

What is bad? Most of us have horror stories. "This one time we had good ribs until they threw ketchup and white sugar on top, ruined the whole thing!" or some other nightmare. LEave something out and you will kick yourself for it and probably never forget it again.

Now, the number five sauce...it's good. But it can be tweaked to no end. Double the vinegar, or the sugar, or the ketchup or the rub, or the woosy sauce. It will be different every time and probably still good.

Are there other elements you can add? Sure. But in my book you need tomato, sweet, acid, spice, and a tie in to what you are cooking.

Loose one of these and it will probably not be bad, and probably still will be good, but it won't be great. Lose several of those and you are headed for 'bad' with a quickness.

IS the the end all be all of answers to this question? Nope. Does it mean reading this and you will know the secret to good sauce and never need to learn anything more about bbq sauce? Nope. But I hope that if you taste a sauce in the future now and say to yourself, "This would be better if it were brighter"...and then think 'Acid'...then you are on the right track to good sauce. Learn the lieces, and recognize how to track the componants. It wil help you find your version of 'good sauce'.

That's my take.
 
Wow, this thread can go anywhere.

If the sauce makes the meat taste even better than it is a good sauce.

If all you taste is the sauce and then the meat, then the sauce is bad.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Scott T (Odirom):
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tom Chips:
This is a completely subjective inquiry. What purpose would the answers serve? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am not sure I agree with this statement. Sorry in advance for the long post.

Good sauce is like Obscenity. I don't know if I can define it, but I know it when I see it.

People like sweet BBQ sauce. Well, Maple syrup is sweet, so why isn't that used as BBQ sauce? Same thing with Hershey's chocolate syrup. Why not slather your brisket sammich with that?

Answer: Because alone, they would both make bad BBQ sauces. They might be interesting ingredients to put IN a sauce, but as a sauce in and of themselves, they would be bad.

But why?

Obvious answer is that they are missing something. But what?

I think if we explore the 'what's missing' that it might explain what makes a 'good sauce'. Is my 'good sauce' different from your 'good sauce'? Sure. That is the subjective part. But 'I can't tell you what makes a good sauce' is, I think, not much of an answer. So I will go with good and then address the 'missing' angle.

So here is mine...

Lets look at Steve Petrone's 'No. 5 Sauce'

BEGIN QUOTE
No. 5 Sauce

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon rub
END QUOTE

Ok. Tomato based. Good. I don't know many white bbq sauces. So good sauce = red. Now, some are darker than others...there is the preference thing. If this was missing, I am not sure what it would be, but I don't know that I would call it bbq sauce. (same thing with chili in my book)

Brown sugar. Sweet. Most people like a sweet sauce. I have to say I like mine sweet. Most people do. how sweet is subjective, but sweet doesn't hurt. If it is missing sweet then you end up moving toward Carolina sauce. Not bad, but with NO sweet there will probably be a Componant that you will miss, but not know what it is that is missing.

Vinegar. Acid. Acid balances the sweet and the rest of the spices. It brings a lively and light taste and allows the palate to clean off easier. If you go with a ton of it and minimize the sugar you are in Carolina country with your sauce. Tart, tangy, sassy, and surprising, this can wake you up if you put 1 cup instead of 1 TBL...I brought Carolina Red to the table for my wife...she was expecting thick and sweet. It was a complete turn off when she tasted it, only because she didn't know what to expect. Now, it is her favorite. If you leave the acid out, your bbq sauce will be flat, lifeless. It will lack a counterbalance to the sweet and the tomato. You will really be bummed with a BBQ sauce with no acid. Trust me. (same thing with chili IMHO. lime squeeze right at the end does WONDERS.)

Woosy sauce. Spices, dark flavours. Mysterious blends of steeped herb--and anchovies!!!! (yes, read the label folx)....this is a componant that adds a depth of flavor. Spices. They are the variety of life. Without this, I think you loose a depth of flavor. And who doesn't love anchovies. (trust me, you do, you just don't know it...maybe not on your pizza, but in your BBQ sauce, your ceasar salad dressing, your puntanesca...just trust me...)

And last but not least, the rub. This ties it all in. It's like a ribbon that leads you from point A to point B. I think it works for most sauces that I make. Pan sauces use the drippings of the item I was cooking in the pan. Gravy for Turkey day is from the drippings of the bird. Why not do something similar with the BBQ sauce? And there are those who suggest adding some of the meat juice from the foil, further tightening that cord. If it is missing you could get a potentially disjointed disconnect between the food and the sauce. Like if you have a hickory meat and a mesquite sauce. Or vice versa. It's ok, but you can tell it is off.

So, what is good? Your and mine will be different, sure.

What is bad? Most of us have horror stories. "This one time we had good ribs until they threw ketchup and white sugar on top, ruined the whole thing!" or some other nightmare. LEave something out and you will kick yourself for it and probably never forget it again.

Now, the number five sauce...it's good. But it can be tweaked to no end. Double the vinegar, or the sugar, or the ketchup or the rub, or the woosy sauce. It will be different every time and probably still good.

Are there other elements you can add? Sure. But in my book you need tomato, sweet, acid, spice, and a tie in to what you are cooking.

Loose one of these and it will probably not be bad, and probably still will be good, but it won't be great. Lose several of those and you are headed for 'bad' with a quickness.

IS the the end all be all of answers to this question? Nope. Does it mean reading this and you will know the secret to good sauce and never need to learn anything more about bbq sauce? Nope. But I hope that if you taste a sauce in the future now and say to yourself, "This would be better if it were brighter"...and then think 'Acid'...then you are on the right track to good sauce. Learn the lieces, and recognize how to track the componants. It wil help you find your version of 'good sauce'.

That's my take. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You showed the No.5 bbq sauce ing. with a tablespoon of rub.....what is the ing. of the rub?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Evan T:

You showed the No.5 bbq sauce ing. with a tablespoon of rub.....what is the ing. of the rub? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Whatever rub you used on the meat . . .

That sauce is different every time. And I've never missed with it.
 
All very interesting. There are regional variations that may leave 2 or three items out of No.5 and still be great. Vinegar, salt, sugar and a pepper or two makes a delightful Eastern Carolina Sauce and some might leave out one or two of those ingredients or add another.
I cannot speak for the mustard stuff or the mayo based. I have not ventured there yet. Many however would label them great....

Perhaps any liquid that makes the meat taste better as stated above is pretty close to what many look for. Kevin and many others have opened my eyes to flavors I have never knowingly tasted before...some of them do wonders for rubs and sauces. My tastes continue to change. That is the fun part. And if I can return to what folks say about good wine...it is the one you like and enjoy. It is influenced by the time , place and folks you are enjoying it with.
 
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