[shel]

Pork Rib Barbecue Sauce

The inspiration for this sauce came from a recipe that I found in a musty old book shop in Oakland, CA around 1978, and saved on a scrap of paper before transcribing it to the computer more than twelve years later. This recipe lends itself to flexibility in the amount of ingredients.

1 hot chile (Jalapeño or similar) stemmed, seeded, diced fine (1)
1 med - large garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp dry mustard (2)
½ tsp fresh dried basil
½ tsp fresh dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp Kosher or sea salt
2 - 3 Tbs fresh apple juice
½ cup mild apple cider vinegar
1/4 - 1/3 cup honey (3)
1 small red onion, finely chopped (4)
2 TBS oil or lard
8 ripe medium sized tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped or 3-cups tomato purée made from good quality canned tomatoes (5)

Pound the chile, garlic, mustard, basil, oregano, and salt into a paste using a mortar and pestle. A food processor may be used as well. Stir in the apple juice, vinegar, and the honey. Be sure to incorporate well. Let the mixture rest a while - ten to fifteen minutes will be fine, then press it through a sieve or strainer into a bowl and set it aside.

In a large enough saucepan to hold the tomatoes, cook the chopped onion in the oil or lard until soft but not browned. Then add the tomatoes and the sasoning mixture that you set aside. Bring the heat up a bit, but don’t let the mixture boil. Simmer the sauce for about 30 or 40 minutes until it has thickened and reduce by about half. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Notes:
1: The single jalapeño results in what I consider to be a mild sauce. You can add a hotter pepper, such as a serrano, or use more than one pepper. Another variation is to use some canned chipotles, but hardly any of the sauce they’re canned with.

2: I made this once with some dark mustard seeds and was quite pleased with the result.

3: My preference is for less sweet sauces, so I use the lesser amount of honey to start and see if it needs more. You can use up to ½ cup without upsetting the balance too much. Orange blossom honey and tupelo honey have given good results.

4: Somewhere around 1/3 - 1/2 cup should do the trick

5: Muir Glen tomatoes are a good choice. The fire roasted tomatoes add a nice little kick to the sauce. Muir Glen also makes fire roasted tomatoes with jalapeño, which may also be nice

[Willie24]

Shel - Timing for this recipe couldn't be better. Not only did I use up the last of my bbq sauce this weekend, I just peeled and seeded about 3 lbs. of tomatoes out of my garden yesterday. I've got everything else so I'm going to whip up a batch today. Thanks for the recipe!


Willie

[MaryB]

Sauce on properly made ribs? Never, get away from my BBQ pit heathen some sauces can really clash with some rubs so matching the two is a must. Personally I prefer my ribs "dry", just an extra shake of rub.

[shel]

Originally Posted by MaryB

Sauce on properly made ribs? Never, get away from my BBQ pit heathen some sauces can really clash with some rubs so matching the two is a must. Personally I prefer my ribs "dry", just an extra shake of rub.

Oh oh ... the never-ending debate on how to properly cook ribs is about to begin. Line up, ladies and gentlemen, choose sides, make obscene or funny gestures, wear a pig hat, and be ready for a day of fun-filled arguments

Yes, some sauces can clash with some rubs, some people don't use rubs, some rubs rub me the wrong way.

I like my ribs dry, rubbed, sauced, and whatever other which way there is.

[Koukouvagia]

We made bbq spare ribs last week and my husband is still mentioning them everyday. We prefer our ribs dry, I don't want sweet sauces or sauces that will take away from the luscious flavor of the smoked meat at all. I rubbed them with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and just let them smoke. I know it sounds too too easy but it's what we enjoy.

[teamfat]

One thing to try if you want to cut back a bit on the sweetness is use dark molasses instead of honey. Or keep it real simple and just cook up some tomatoes, some finely diced onion, perhaps a clove or two of garlic, a splash of vinegar and a nice pile of the rub you used on the ribs. If the ribs NEED lots of sauce, seek professional help.

Decent ribs, like Mary B and Mapiva claim, should be able to stand on their own. Stay away from Tony Romas, Famous Daves and Chilis.

Of course, everyone knows the best ribs are boiled first until they are falling off the bone, then quickly browned on a gas grill. And if you believe that I have some land off the coast of Florida you might be interested in...

mjb.

[ChefBoyofDees]

my collection...The ONLY change I will make at this point is....(you probably have already guessed)...I will not be using it as intended. I.E. it will not be going on ANY type of pork product...since as a 'nice Jewish boy' I don't DO pork. However, I like the lineup of spices and will be trying it out shortly. I have a dinner party tomorrow night where I'll be making stroganoff and other items of decadence. However, be assured that I will be trying this shortly...as it is still about 100 or so outside (perfectly fine grilling weather). I'll let you know how it comes out here at the Casa De Cantor aka "Chez Lainie".

Happy New Year y'all

Shmuli

[shel]

Originally Posted by teamfat

One thing to try if you want to cut back a bit on the sweetness is use dark molasses instead of honey. Or keep it real simple and just cook up some tomatoes, some finely diced onion, perhaps a clove or two of garlic, a splash of vinegar and a nice pile of the rub you used on the ribs. If the ribs NEED lots of sauce, seek professional help.

Decent ribs, like Mary B and Mapiva claim, should be able to stand on their own. Stay away from Tony Romas, Famous Daves and Chilis.

Of course, everyone knows the best ribs are boiled first until they are falling off the bone, then quickly browned on a gas grill. And if you believe that I have some land off the coast of Florida you might be interested in...

mjb.

Yes, I know about molasses - in this case I think the honey was a better choice, especially if chipotles are the hot pepper of choice.

I like (and make) all kinds of ribs and other 'cue items.

[Willie24]

Shel - made a batch of sauce tonight using your recipe - very tasty! It reminds me of Peter Luger's Steakhouse Sauce that I've bought at my local market. Good stuff, thanks.


Willie

[shel]

Originally Posted by Willie24

Shel - made a batch of sauce tonight using your recipe - very tasty! It reminds me of Peter Luger's Steakhouse Sauce that I've bought at my local market. Good stuff, thanks.

Well, that's so nice to hear. Very glad you liked it. I've never eaten at Peter Luger's - left NYC before I became interested in food. Some day I'll have to try it, along with a few other great steak houses. Maybe I can see if the sauce is available aroiund here, just to compare.

[shel]

Originally Posted by Mapiva

We made bbq spare ribs last week [...] I rubbed them with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and just let them smoke.

Olive oil on ribs! Blasphemy Ruining perfectly good ribs with that Mediterrannean junk - sheesh!

[shel]

Originally Posted by ChefBoyofDees

my collection...The ONLY change I will make at this point is....(you probably have already guessed)...I will not be using it as intended. I.E. it will not be going on ANY type of pork product...since as a 'nice Jewish boy' I don't DO pork. However, I like the lineup of spices and will be trying it out shortly. I have a dinner party tomorrow night where I'll be making stroganoff and other items of decadence. However, be assured that I will be trying this shortly...as it is still about 100 or so outside (perfectly fine grilling weather). I'll let you know how it comes out here at the Casa De Cantor aka "Chez Lainie".

Well, as a nice Jewish boy, I eat pork. A nice ham sandwich on white bread with mayo and a big glass of milk. Yummy!

Hmm, how does a nice Jewish boy do stroganoff. Isn't that a meat dish made with cream?

Anyway, let us know how you like the recipe.

L'Shana Tova

[teamfat]

The sauce doesn't have to be used on pork, it would work well on a grilled chicken sandwich for example. If I were to use it on beef I'd be tempted to replace the apple juice with a couple of mashed anchovy filets or some worcestershire sauce.

Boy, it has been too long, I gotta smoke something this weekend, or at least grill some chicken.

mjb.

[MaryB]

My rib mop is olive oil(cheap, the smoke flavor will overwhelm a good one)/cider vinegar(use the best you can buy) Everyone always wonders what that taste is and they never guess

[shel]

Originally Posted by teamfat

Boy, it has been too long, I gotta smoke something this weekend ...

Judging by your posts, I'd say you've been smoking something all along

(Couldn't help myself - sorry)