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
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
