Best Sauce for Brisket... homemade or store bought?


 
A

Andre A

TVWBB Member
Traditionally speaking, I know KC bbq sauce and brisket do not go hand in hand. I tried the recipe on Amazingribs for the Texas Mop sauce. Perhaps I did something wrong or I was expecting something different, but I wasn't a big fan of that receipe. Does anyone have anyother suggestions?

Best
 
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I do HH briskets, and after the foil the leftover juices brushed on a slice works for me. Any sauce that you like on beef will work just as well on brisket.
I'll do some of Bryans Chipolte mayo with a kick of horseradish occasionally as a dipping sauce ( great on brisket sammies ):)

Tim
 
Andre A said:
I tried the recipe on Amazingribs for the Texas Mob sauce. Perhaps I did something wrong or I was expecting somthing different, but I wasn't a big fan of that receipe. Does anyone have any suggestions?
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Please say more: I was looking forward to trying it on a future recipe.
 
Monty House said:
Please say more: I was looking forward to trying it on a future recipe.
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I do not know if there was anything wrong with recipe, but I remember the sauce being more bitter than I expected. I guess I was expecting something sweet since it sugar is in the recipe but once it hit the taste buds it was a different story. Perhaps I'll add a little more sugar next time and that would do the trick.

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If it has Paprika or store bought chili powder ( which is usually chili, paprika,cumin and some anti clogging stuff) it can have a bitter, grainy taste when used as a wet mop exposed to smoke. Smoke particles cling to a wet surface, and your choice of a smokewood and how you tend your coals can also lead to a bitter smoke.
I tried one from MIM which was a prize winner and I didn't care for it at all. Primarily a ketchup,vinegar,paprika one that also tasted quite bitter.
Tweak it to taste and you'll find what works for you.:wsm:

Tim
 
I make a few home brews and also like the Weber sauces especially the Weber Buzz'n Honey also Sweet Baby Rays is good for store bought. My all time favorite is the recipe for Big Al's KC sauce HERE I could drink this over the rocks it's so good.
 
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For me it's something not sweet. Stubbs regular is great on beef. Pork Barrel BBQ original is even better. Gates is good. I've heard of taking SBR and blending in a jar of salsa.
 
timothy said:
If it has Paprika or store bought chili powder ( which is usually chili, paprika,cumin and some anti clogging stuff) it can have a bitter, grainy taste when used as a wet mop exposed to smoke. Smoke particles cling to a wet surface, and your choice of a smokewood and how you tend your coals can also lead to a bitter smoke.
I tried one from MIM which was a prize winner and I didn't care for it at all. Primarily a ketchup,vinegar,paprika one that also tasted quite bitter.
Tweak it to taste and you'll find what works for you.:wsm:

Tim
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Ding ding ding, we have a winner. The recipe called for both paprika and american chili powder. Perhaps I'll try it again but this time skip them both.
 
This sauce looks tasty for ribs and chicken, but I was under the impression that a brisket sauce was relatively thin. Something that would penetrate the meat and now sit on top of it.
 
Well its not really for me, My brisket is USDA prime and will be cook low and slow with a ATC. But alas, I will have tons of non bbq aficianado's out my house and I know they will want bbq sauce no matter what I tell them. Ofcourse I will recommend them not to, but I aim to please.
 
I use no sauce when cooking, and I have used the Texas Mop Sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's Brown Sugar, and several home brewed concoctions for a dipping sauce. Like many others have indicated, any sauce will tend to attract smoke particles and can easily lead to a bitter taste.

I try to smoke for only the first 2 hours, then just let the charcoal do it's thing. Another trick is to use the Texas Crutch (wrapped in foil) after a few hours to keep the meat from absorbing any more flavors. It will also cook faster that way, as the foil acts as a small steam oven. A very thin sauce during this method seems to work best.

My best advice is to experiment with different techniques and different sauces until you find what suits your taste the best. Hope all of your cooks turn out sweet!
 
I have only done brisket one time and it was years ago long before I had a WSM and had any clue as to what I was doing. (I still have no clue but have a WSM to help me along). I used this recipe that I found and thinking back it came out really good for a first time. I remember the mop sauce being pretty good

http://www.bbqu.net/season3/305_4.html#smoklahoma

There was no need to add sauce after it was done
 
The sauce from The Salt Lick is unlike any other barbecue sauce and is uniquely good on brisket. It's the only sauce that I use completely unadulterated. Here in Jersey, I can only get it online directly from The Salt Lick. We are moving to Texas Hill Country in a couple of months and I'm looking forward to riding my motorcycle over to the Lick to pick up a couple of bottles.
 
I make a homemade sauce for my brisket that is less sauce and more jus. I almost never do the same thing twice, but I always start with juices saved from the brisket, some ACV, worcestershire sauce, and some veggie stock. From there, I mess around with pepper and other spices until I feel like I have what I want. After the brisket is sliced and the point is cubed, I'll dip them in the jus.
 
Can't help with a personal choice, I don't sauce my briskets.

Here in TX we don't sauce our briskets when cooking, but we may serve a TX-style sauce on the side. Aaron Franklin's recipe on his YouTube channel is a good starting point.
 
Andre A said:
Well its not really for me, My brisket is USDA prime and will be cook low and slow with a ATC. But alas, I will have tons of non bbq aficianado's out my house and I know they will want bbq sauce no matter what I tell them. Ofcourse I will recommend them not to, but I aim to please.
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If I'm not mistaken you're in a region where BBQ means pork and sweet sauces, so you will likely have guests that are accustomed to a sweet sauce.
I would offer 2 sauces on the side....a thin, non-sweet sauce for the brave and a traditional sweet sauce.
I just posted a beef marinade that is in-between those two categories and can be used for dipping.
 
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