I’ve been smoking and barbecuing lately and while I have been making rubs from recipes and not using store bought, I’ve been using commercial bbq sauces. I did a set of ribs a couple of weeks ago (4 spareribs racks: 2 with just a dry rub and 2 with a dry rub and a store-bought bbq sauce at the end). Well, I would like to develop my own bbq sauce to use on pork ribs and what I’d like to know is if there are any ingredients that are definite “no-nos” for pork ribs. I imagine there are obvious ones, but I was wondering if there are any in the bbq sauce world of recipes that I should NOT experiment with when it comes to pork ribs. Any suggestions? What type of base should I use? I’m from Louisiana and would like to incorporate some sort of local ingredients in the recipe. Something that is not usually used, but might work. Thanks.
All I could say would be to use pickle juice instead of vinegar for a more homestyle approach. Molasses. Probably whatever is in your dry dub. In fact, I’ve been known to just take a dry rub, add it to a basic barbecue sauce (tomato paste/brown sugar/vinegar) and be done with it. No need to come up with 2 distinct spice mixtures when it’s all going on the same thing.
Dry rub is more important anyway. Real barbecue is less sloppy and more crispy.
Now I’m hungry.
I usually just close the lid and smoke the ribs.
A Korean BBQ sauce marinade the night before of soy sauce, ginger and brown sugar is grea on chicken and good on ribs, but you have to watch that the sugar doesn’t burn.
Well, I’ve smoked my ribs successfully (6 hours at 240 degrees) a few times. I don’t put sauce on until the very end, if I do so at all. In fact, I would not have put sauce on the ones I did if not for the fact that I had invited people over and they were told it was “barbecue” and therefore expected some sort of meat with sauce on it (I, however, realize there’s a difference between “bbq” and “grilling”). However, both types of ribs (dry and with sauce) came out really good. The dry were a little spicier due to the rub not being cut by the sauce. But the sauced ones were pretty good too. So, I’m just looking to experiment a little here. I was just wondering if there were any definite “never use this ingredient with pork” pieces of advice.
Sorry I didn’t pay attention to “never use”, but sounds like you’re doing fine as you are.
In my experience, Daddy Sam’s is the best sauce in the stores – plus it doesn’t contain high-fructose corn syrup.
I had a great sauce at Famous Dave’s called Georgia Mustard, that contained vinegar, brown sugar, and (duh) mustard - plus whatever else they didn’t want to give away. Weirdly, I think it’s their least popular sauce, as they no longer stock it on their tables with the four or five other flavors they have. I’m attempting an approximate clone with dijon, cider vinegar, and brown sugar.
Oh and hear, hear to the poster who barbecued dry ribs. I like my sauce, but I’ll be the first to admit that it is not definitive or necessary for BBQ.
Oh, and this coffee rub is to die for. It doesn’t taste like coffee on meat at all.
When it comes to pork, I can’t think of any ingredient that shouldn’t be tried-- It’s more about a harmonious blend of sugar, vinegar, and spice.
I think you could take some leftover, seaasoned, crawfish boil stock, add some sugar, vinegar, maybe some tomato, reduce, and make a tasty BBQ sauce for Ribs. Weezy Anna Lobster Sauce.
For an asian theme, soy sauce and honey make an awesome base
I’ve had luck adding (in various combinations) coffee, chocolate, vanilla, minced sweet onion, Balsamic vinegar, Marmite, apple juice, cherry preserves and mushroom stock base. It’s hard to mess up a BBQ sauce.
May favorite BBQ sauce (added at the end if course) is maple syrup, thai chile sauce (not the sweet), and dijon mustard. Honey or molasses could replace maple syrup.
This thread will range vastly (and interestingly), and my one contribution will be to encourage you not to abandon sweet glazes, but to consciously resist the notion (rife in any commercial sauce I’ve seen) that sweet is the must-have base for sauce. It’s a great genre, no doubt, but I think the paradigm is over-emphasized to the exclusion of others.
The only ingredient that is absolutely verboten is Liquid Smoke or similar. If I’m using a commercial BBQ sauce as a base, I will avoid any with liquified smoke as an ingredient. (which, unfortunately) is the vast majority of them.
Personally, my sauces are tart and thin. I don’t like sweet and I don’t like sauces that are syruppy in consistency.
It’s way down on the list, but Corky’s lists “Natural smoke flavor” as an ingredient.
:eek:
I have something in mind for a sweetener, but I aint’ telling until I try it out.
Well, if your from Louisiana, I sure hope you’ve tried Pig stand BBQ sauce.
I wish they sold that stuff here in Dallas. It makes a good mopping sauce as well as a BBQ sauce too.
To me, making my own sauce doesn’t seem like it’s worth the cash you have to spend on all of the spices. I eat a lot of BBQ but still not enough to justify it.
OTOH, it does sound like a lot of fun to make and experiment with.
Check it out.
I use dried chiles as a base for BBQ sauce - most groceries sell them. You can use any kind you want (ancho/guajillo/whatever) - throw a dried chipotle in if you want smoky BBQ sauce. Cut out the stems & seeds, toast 'em for a few minutes on each side on a hot griddle, then cover with hot water and let them reconstitute for ~30 minutes. Put the chiles in a blender with a bit of the soaking water and puree until smooth. Unless you have a Badass Blender, you’ll need to press the puree through a sieve to get the bits of skin out.
This results in a complex, somewhat spicy mixture; from there I just usually improvise with some/all of the following ingredients until I get the sauce I’m looking for:
mustard (dry or prepared)
ketchup (yuk, but sometimes I’m trying to appeal to the masses)
brown sugar
molasses
honey
vinegar (red wine/cider/white/cheapo balsamic)
garlic
pureed onion
salt
red wine
chipotles/chipotle sauce
tabasco
soy sauce
anything else I might find in the fridge/cupboard.
Regarding mustard in BBQ. I like to use dry yellow mustard as part of the dry rub. It clings to the meat and keeps the flavor even after putting on a wet sauce.
If you put mustard into the sauce it just gets lost and muddys up the flavor.
Wet mustard, even Dijon, is for hot dogs.
Aren’t you dismissing all that lovely barbecue they make in South Carolina?
Yes, and with good reason. 