Basic All-American Barbecue Sauce (with Variations)

4 large onions, chopped

3 tablespoons vegetable oil for sautéing

1 28-ounce can tomato purée

3 28-ounce cans tomatoes with juice

2½ cups white vinegar

4 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons chili powder

4 tablespoons molasses

1 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons Liquid Smoke

8 tablespoons brown (Dijon-style) mustard

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, sauté the onion in the oil over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered at the lowest possible heat for 4 hours. (This long cooking removes as much acidity as possible from the tomatoes.)

3. Purée sauce in 2, 3, or more batches to prevent it from spilling out of your food processor or blender.

Mexican Variations - All-American Barbecue Sauce

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

4 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)

10 cilantro sprigs

Asian Variations - All-American Barbecue Sauce

2 teaspoons minced ginger

8 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Caribbean Variations - All-American Barbecue Sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

4 tablespoons pineapple juice

4 tablespoons dark rum

4 tablespoons Caribbean hot sauce

Juice of 1 orange

Pinch of allspice

Honey Mustard Variations - All-American Barbecue Sauce

1 cup brown (Dijon-style) mustard

8 tablespoons honey

Mediterranean Variations - All-American Barbecue Sauce

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large chunk of fresh tomato chopped

4 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

1 cup combined fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, sage, parsley, oregano, or rosemary

Barbecue sauce as a traditional American sauce, usually made with ketchup, that is used on grilled chicken, ribs, pork, etc. There are many other sauces that can be applied to grilled items, but only this one is your genuine, down-home All- American Barbecue Sauce.

Being a barbecue purist, I believe that the sauce in itself has been totally overrated as it relates to the whole of a plate of barbecue. Barbecuing is a method of cooking, not a sauce. Whether you’re talking about brisket, sliced pork, spareribs, or chicken, the sauce is an accompaniment to the barbecued meat, a condiment rather than an essential ingredient. The sauce has been given prominence only as people pay less attention to the process. In North Carolina, for example, barbecued pork is served plain, either chopped or shredded, on a sandwich. The sauce—in the case of eastern North Carolina, white vinegar and red pepper flakes, in western North Carolina, a sweet-and-sour ketchup and Italian dressing mix—is served on the side to be put on the barbecue at the last minute. (For this reason, barbecue aficionados call it a “finishing sauce.”)

In Kansas City, USA; where the barbecue of choice is pork spareribs which are served dry, they serve a grainy, thin, ketchup-based sauce on the side. Likewise in Texas, where the sauce for the sliced barbecued brisket is applied to one’s liking just before eating. In fact, since barbecue sauce usually has some sugar in it, if you apply it during the grilling process, the sugar in the sauce will burn.

What I’m saying is that when you hear people talking about how they have some extra special, super secret barbecue sauce, I would be highly doubtful that I was going to be eating any type of real honest-to-God barbecue. In fact, I’ve seen a lot of real barbecue pros just doctor up some ketchup with sugar, vinegar, and spices, or even take store-bought sauce and change it a little.

Having discounted barbecue sauce, I will now attempt to restore a little dignity to it. It is a “finishing” sauce to be applied either right before the meat is eaten or when it is just ready to be removed from the grill. What we’re doing here basically is making our own thin ketchup heavily flavored with vinegar and sugar. I am providing you with my particular recipe and method, but I really encourage you to use this sauce as a vehicle to develop the taste you personally like best: Try a little less vinegar, maybe a little more sugar. You, too, can come up with the super-special, ultra-secret, barbecue-snob recipe.

This recipe makes around 1 gallon of sauce. A pint or so is usually plenty to cover a grilling session for six people, and the sauce keeps up to 2 weeks covered in the refrigerator, so one batch will last a while. I have also given you some ideas for making variations from the “mother” barbecue sauce. Again, I encourage you to personalize these to your own liking.

 • About 1 gallon Variations

To 1 pint of your Basic All-American Barbecue Sauce, add these other ingredients for different variations of it. These additions should be made after the sauce has cooled to room temperature or has been refrigerated. These sauces all keep 2 weeks, covered, in the refrigerator.

Try: Texas Barbecued Beef Brisket