While not as common as ketchup, barbecue sauce has become a complex American condiment that is prepared differently across the country and heightens the flavor of meat. The ingredients typically include: ketchup, vinegar, sugar, garlic, onion and mustard. But, it’s the consistency and variations that create regional differences coast to coast.
No one is really sure where the term barbecue originated. The conventional wisdom is that the Spanish, upon landing in the Caribbean, used the word barbacoa to refer to the natives’ method of slow-cooking meat over a wooden platform. By the 19th century, the culinary technique was well established in the American South and, because pigs were prevalent in the region, pork became the primary meat at barbecues. Barbecue allowed an abundance of food to be cooked at once and quickly became the go-to menu item for large gatherings like church festivals and neighborhood picnics.
American Barbecue varies by region, with the four main styles named after their place of origin: Memphis, Tennessee; North Carolina; Kansas City and Texas. Memphis is renowned for pulled pork-shoulder doused in a sweet tomato-based sauce (eaten on its own or as a sandwich). North Carolina smokes the whole hog in a vinegar-based sauce. Kansas City natives prefer ribs cooked in a dry rub and Texans prefer beef, especially mesquite-grilled brisket.
If there’s one issue that divides barbecue fans more deeply than any other, it’s the kind of sauce that should be served on a particular type of meat. Though it inspires passionate argument, the colorful variety of regional sauces – peppery vinegar-based in eastern North Carolina, orange tomato-based in Kansas City or yellow mustard in South Carolina are actually a rather recent dilemma. Regional sauce variations originated in the early 20th century with the rise of barbecue restaurants. Before then, barbecue sauce was pretty much the same from state to state. It was generally not a condiment applied at the table, but rather used to baste the meat just before it was served.
From Virginia to Texas, 19th century accounts of barbecues are remarkably similar in their descriptions of the sauce. In 1882, a reporter from the Baltimore Sun visited a Virginia barbecue restaurant and noted male cooks mopping the meat with “a gravy of butter, salt, vinegar, and black pepper.” A guest at a San Antonio barbecue in 1883 recorded the sauce as, “Butter, with a mixture of pepper, salt, and vinegar.” In 1884, the Telegraph and Messenger of Macon, Georgia, described the sauce of well known barbecue cook, Berry Eubanks of Columbus, as, “made of homemade butter, seasoned with red bell pepper from the garden and apple vinegar.” Similar descriptions can be found of sauces in Kentucky and the Carolinas, too. Sweeteners, such as, brown sugar, molasses or honey, were notably absent from any 19th-century formulas. Based on these descriptions, one can conclude that the eastern North Carolina–style sauce – which consists of vinegar, salt, black and red peppers without a trace of sugar – is the closest to the original.
Growing up in an Italian American home in the Northeast US, barbecue sauces were not really a part of our cuisine. We rarely had food that was grilled. My father would grill sausage and steak a few times during the summer months. I recall that I did not really like the steak because it was tough and dry. My mother did baste meats and vegetables with olive oil, vinegar and herbs. She also made tomato sauces to pour over cooked meats. However, I did not really discover the world of barbecue until I was married and looking for something different to cook for dinner. American food magazines, of the time, were my go to place for ideas and they were full of barbecue style recipes in the summertime. So I began to experiment. Try my Italian Babecue Sauce recipe below for a combination of what is good in American sauces and in Italian sauces.
Making homemade barbecue sauce is not difficult and it tastes so much better than bottled sauce. Here are a few to get you started. You just need to think about what you want to cook.
Easy Homemade Ketchup
I like to make my own ketchup, so I can control the salt and sugar content. This recipe is easy to make and can be doubled or tripled. I freeze it in 1/2 cup measures, so I can add it to sauces without having to defrost a large container.
Ingredients:
- 1-28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 2/3 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 small green pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon celery seeds
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
Directions:
Combine the first four ingredients in a large saucepan.
Saute the onions, pepper and celery in olive oil in a skillet until they are transparent. Add the garlic and saute about one minute. Add the vegetables and spices to the tomato and vinegar mixture. Simmer together for at least an hour or until the mixture had achieved a ketchup consistency.
Use the food processor or an immersion blender to puree the tomato mixture until it is smooth. Ketchup made with a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes will fill three pint jars after the tomato mixture has cooked down. Refrigerate, freeze or use in BBQ sauces.
Basic Barbecue Sauce
This is a delicious sauce to have on hand during the summer grilling season. Use it to baste chicken or to top hamburgers and hotdogs right off the grill.
Yield: about 1-1/3 cups.
Ingredients:
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Few drops hot pepper sauce
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
In a saucepan, cook onion in butter until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes or until sauce reaches desired consistency, stirring occasionally.
Store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Tangy Barbecue Sauce
This is another basic sauce to keep on hand and adds a sweet mustard flavor to grilled meats.
Yield: 1-1/2 cups.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Discard the bay leaf. Use as a basting sauce when grilling chicken, pork or beef.
Molasses Barbecue Sauce
Yield: 3-1/2 cups.
This sauce has a bold molasses flavor with a hint of orange. It goes well with chicken, ribs and chops.
Ingredients:
- 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed low sodium tomato soup, undiluted
- 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
- 1 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.
Mustard Barbecue Sauce
Use it on grilled ribs, fish or ham steak.
Yield: 2-1/3 cups.
Ingredients
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken or beef broth
- 1 cup prepared mustard
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until the flavors are blended. Remove from the heat; cool.
Smoky Barbecue Sauce
Yield: 2-1/2 cups.
Especially good on a grilled beef
Ingredients:
- 2-1/2 cups ketchup
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 to 3 teaspoons Liquid Smoke
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
Cherry Barbecue Sauce
Use frozen cherries for convenience to make this barbecue sauce. It tastes great on ribs and chicken.
Yield: about 3-1/2 cups.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, defrosted and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until cherries are tender and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. Puree with an immersion blender until almost smooth.
Pecan Barbecue Sauce
This sauce tastes good on grilled meats, fish and vegetables, but it is especially good on grilled turkey burgers.
Yield: 3 cups.
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces tomato paste
- 1 cup ground pecans
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Italian Barbecue Sauce
This sauce is especially good on grilled chicken ot Italian sausage.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1- 14 ½ ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and heat through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Puree with an immersion blender.
Related articles
- BBQ Ribs (heartofcake.wordpress.com)
- Barbecue Sauce and Ketchup (veganfromscratch.wordpress.com)
- BBQ pulled pork sandwich (cheftoponkumer.wordpress.com)
- get sauced (southernfinds.wordpress.com)
- Easy Oven Ribs With Sriracha Barbecue Sauce (putneyfarm.com)
- BBQ Chicken for the slow cooker (kimmiecats.wordpress.com)
