"Memphis Style Barbecue Sauce"- Raichlen


 

Taylor Moseley

TVWBB Member
Here in Las Vegas, I am pretty much alone in my preference for Fat Johnny's or any spicy, red tinted vinegar sauce. Even my parents, who should know better, like another sauce I fix better, and so do all my friends, most of my co-workers, and all my in-laws. It's a recipie from Steve Raichlen's "Sauces, Rubs, And Marinades book"

"Memphis Style Barbecue Sauce"

WET FIXINS
4 C Tomato Sauce
1 C Cider Vinegar
1 C Coca-Cola ( I use caffine free, or Blue Sky Cola, sometimes Dr Pepper instead)
1/4 Cup Steak Sauce
1/4 Cup Yellow Mustard
1/4 Cup fresh lemon juice
3 T Molasses
3 T Soy Sauce ( I use low-sodium)
3 T Worchestershire sauce
1 t Tabasco
1/2 t Liquid Smoke

Dry Fixins
1/2 C packed Dark Brown Sugar
1-2 T Rub ( I use whatever rub I just made)
1 T Pure Chili Powder ( I half this)
1 T Fresh Ground pepper
1 T Mustard Powder
2 t Garlic Salt

1. Mix and bring to a boil the wet fixins.
2. Mix together dry fixins (I just dump em in 1 at a time)
3. Simmer to desired thickness about 30 mins.

The book says it makes 4 cups, but I usually only simmer 20-25 minutes for a thinner sauce, about 5 cups.

I think the "Authentic" Memphis way would be to slice the pork and use mustard slaw, but I just pull mine the NC way and use a vinegar/oil slaw. People have used the sauce on pork that didn't have any thing else mixed in, and pork that had been sauced with Fat johnny's and have been equally pleased. I have used this for chicken, beef, and pork and i think it favors the latter.

P.S. When I make this I cheat and skip an ingedient or two half the time, or use a lazy replacement. The only thing I wouldn't replace is fresh ground pepper with storebought, but if you have to use a coarse grind and use half as much. I have overspiced this by using storebought, and the pepper flavor was worse to boot.
 

 

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