Looking for Bar-B-Que Sauce

[marmalady]

A., I think the sauce (brown, spicy-sweet) is more of a Kansas City style - first the rub:

2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup paprika (hot or sweet, it's up to you!)
1/3 cup salt
1/4 cup onion powder
1T celery seed
2T. freshly ground black pepper
2T cayenne (more or less, up to you!)
2 tsp. mustard powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

Combine all ingredients and whisk to combine; makes about 2 1/2 cups, and keeps in a jar for about 2-3 months.

For the ribs, LAVISHLY sprinkle the rub over both sides of the ribs, and massage it in; then do it again. Cover the ribs with foil, and refrigerate at least 12 hours. Then pre-cook them in the oven over a rack on a pan that has water, chopped onion, and liquid smoke in it, for about an hour. Then you can grill or barbeque them to finish them off. About 10 minutes before they're done, start brushing with the barbeque sauce (This is a KC style sauce, brown and spicy-sweet):

1/2 cup vegetable oil (don't use your beloved olive oil - it's too heavy!)
1 large onion, minced
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
2 tsp. hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco)
1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
2T cider vinegar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4T Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. liquid smoke flavoring
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1T cayenne powder (more or less, up to you!)

Saute onion and garlic in oil til soft; add the rest, and simmer over low heat slowly for 20-30 minutes. Stir to prevent burning. Let rest at least an hour before using to let the flavors marry. Makes about 4 cups. If the sauce seems too thick to brush on, use some of the water from the initial oven roasting of the ribs to thin it down.

This is my husband's family recipe for a true North Carolina vinegar sauce (he remembers jars of it sitting on the windowsill to 'cure'!). Used mostly on pork shoulder barbeque, and chicken.

2 cups cider vinegar
2T ketchup
4 tsp. crushed hot red pepper
1 tsp. white pepper
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp. black pepper
5 tsp. salt

Combine everything and whisk til blended well. Store in a jar. You can start brushing this on almost as soon as the meat goes onto the grill, and keep brushing as the meat is turned, until done.

This is my fave -but mostly for chicken, fish or pork - never tried it with ribs.

Yucatecan Citrus Marinade

1/4 cup triple sec
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1T orange zest
1 tsp. each lime and lemon zest
1/4 cup oil
3/4 garlic cloves, minced
2 T chipotle chile powder (source below)
1 T ancho chile powder "
1 minced fresh jalepeno pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
3-4T chopped cilantro
2 tsp. salt

Mix everything together well; for pork or chicken, marinate 6-8 hours, for fish/shellfish, marinate 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, but not more. Brush with leftover marinade while grilling. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

God, I could stay here all day! There's also the South Carolina mustard based sauce; awesome jerk marinade; cranberry marinade; I'll leave the Texas sauce to the natives!!!

A., how about reciprocating - I do a Greek style BBQ sauce with oil, lemon, oregano, crushed hot pepper, garlic - do you have others?

Sources for chili powders and dried chiles, also:

www.penzeys.com

www.thecmccompany.com

[marmalady]

FoodnFoto - Where in NC? My husband's kin hail from Lucama, just outside Wilson. And my idea of a little piece of heaven is Maggie Valley, and the Asheville-Henderson/Bat Cave area!

Agree with you in principle about the liquid smoke, but there's some folk who can't do the 'low and slow' cooking; no it's not the 'real deal', but i think a close proximity.

[panini]

Just my 2 cents,
I totally agree with Pete on this issue. The key to good BarBQue is the meat(cooking process) not the sauce, although the sauce is very important. Sholders and things like that are good, but butts are the way to go for pulling. Down here just about the only smokers you can buy are made of 55gal drums with seperate smoke compartment. Man you need ROOOM to smoke. Smoke it all, you gotta put the peppers in there, tomato,garlic,eggplant,corn,etc.