REC: Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce

[Consul]

Hello, all! I have just made this recipe, and I think it is quite good. Hope y'all enjoy it. This recipe is courtesy of an online friend of mine, who is a culinary school student.

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Doctor Pepper BBQ Sauce

• 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 cups Dr. Pepper (not diet)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup dry minced onion
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (may substitute 1/4 tsp Tabasco)
• 1 tsp basil

Just combine all of the ingredients and simmer, letting it reduce down. It will make about 2 cups of sauce.

Notes:

In order to get the oil to emulsify in with the other ingredients, I hit it with a stick blender pretty good after it had cooled off a little. That also purees the sauce to make it nice and smooth.

Now, I didn't have dried onion handy, so I sauteed some fresh onion in a little of the oil called for, then poured it into the rest of the ingredients as they started simmering. It worked pretty well. I'd imagine you could use fresh garlic in a similar way.

Have fun!

 

[jkath]

Darren, You ROCK!!!

I cannot wait to make this!!!

 

[middie]

ah man !!! where were you sunday when i was looking for bbq sauces to make ???? oh well, still making it !

 

[Consul]

Thanks, ladies!

I do think this is a good sauce. However, I can still taste the ketchup component, which is true of most barbecue sauces really. I'm wondering, what if I replaced the ketchup with half tomato paste and half blended whole canned tomatoes, added some mollasses, and kicked up the garlic and salt components a bit?

I'll give that a try for next time.

 

[Lugaru]

Great to see this sauce and Im glad to see more people using soda in their meat dishes... it's one of the best "secret" ingredients out there (you wouldent belive what cocacola does to pork before frying it).

Hmmm... if you do take out the ketchup remember to add a little vinager besides the other ingredients you mention, that's part of what makes the taste appealing. Of course if you want to do a BBQ sauce like my grandmaa you could use a lemon instead of vinager.

 

[Consul]

Lugaru,

The recipe already calls for lemon juice, but you're right, some vinegar probably would not hurt at all.

And I agree. Various kinds of soda pop make great ingredients in a wide variety of things.

 

[Consul]

Okay, I made up a new batch with my new recipe in mind. Here's what I did:

Removed the ketchup
Added one small can of tomato paste
Doubled the amount of garlic
Added one more teaspoon of salt
Added molasses, sugar, and corn syrup (Karo light)

The verdict: I added way too much molasses, probably close to a 1/4 cup. For some reason, I was thinking all of the remaining sweetness needed to come from this. I was wrong. I ended up adding corn syrup, which did nothing, then finally, just plain old granulated sugar, which finally brought the sweetness where I wanted it.

My task for next time: Cut the amount of molasses in half, and just add enough sugar for sweetness. No need for the corn syrup, I think.

Still, I think this is a step in the right direction. The ketchup flavor is gone, replaced by molasses flavor. Next time, I'll nail it.

 

[jkath]

This is very exciting, so see the recipe morphing!

Once you have perfected it, please post it, making sure you post it!
I'm going to wait to make it till it's the perfect blend. Then I can promise you I'll try it.

Also, what food did you use it on?

 

[Consul]

Well, today I plan to slather it on a burger or five just before they come off the grill. I think grilled chicken would also be a great use of this sauce. I would like to try it on ribs when I have a finalized recipe.

I need to start keeping a kitchen lab notebook so I can keep track of exactly what I do in what amounts. We like reproducable results and all that.

 

[Consul]

This is definitely a good sauce. The molasses flavor isn't so bad once you put it on food, but I still think it's overdone.

I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone, and he suggested that instead of using my molasses/sugar combo, to simply use dark brown sugar. Immediately upon hearing this suggestion, I start hitting my forehead against a wall wondering why I hadn't thought of that...

 

[jkath]

It's the evolution of "Darren's International Barbeque Sauce"
(hey, we have members from other countries....!)

Keep us posted.

 

[Consul]

And now, we move on to iteration three.

For this, I started with the idea of making a half-recipe, because I had half of a six-ounce can of tomato paste conveniently handy. To that, I added two cups of Dr. Pepper, in order to bring more of its flavor to the party. I also forgot it brings more sweetness, too.

I replaced the sugar, molasses, and corn syrup with 1/3 cup of brown sugar. This was too much, as I ended up with a very tasty but rather sweet sauce, as I forgot to account for the added sweetness of the extra DP. Nonetheless, this is far-and-away a singlularly excellent barbecue sauce.

Here is the recipe as it stands now, for about one cup of final sauce:

• 2 cups Dr. Pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1/4 cup onions, finely diced
• The juice and zest of one lemon
• 3 ounces (1/2 of a small can) of tomato paste
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (I'd definitely cut this back for next time.)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. fresh-ground pepper (I used white pepper)
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
• 2 tsp. garlic powder (more or less to taste)
• 1 tsp. dried basil

First, saute the onions in a little of the oil in the pan you'll simmer the sauce in (no need to dirty extra pans). After they're browned a bit, turn the heat down, add the rest of the oil, then the Dr. Pepper. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Let it simmer until reduced to desired thickness (about one cup or so). Let it cool, then puree it nice and smooth with a stick blender or a stand blender. This will also emulsify the sauce so the oil stays integrated.

For next time, I'll stick with this recipe, minus a lot of that brown sugar, although some may like the extra sweetness this brings. I used light brown sugar, but I think maybe a tablespoon of dark brown sugar would bring the desired flavor without adding too much sweetness. This sauce has such a nice flavor to it that I think it will find lots of use in my kitchen from here on out. In other words, I really think iteration four will be The One.

There is, however, one other variation I'd like to try. Here in Michigan, there is a soda company called Fanta, that makes a flavor called Rock 'n' Rye. It's a cherry-like flavor with spicy notes like DP. I think it would make a great barbecue sauce. I'll let you know how it goes.

Enjoy!

 

[jkath]

Fanta! I wonder if they still have that out here - I ought to check.

Darren, this sauce is sounding mighty tasty!

 

[AllenOK]

There is, however, one other variation I'd like to try. Here in Michigan, there is a soda company called Fanta, that makes a flavor called Rock 'n' Rye. It's a cherry-like flavor with spicy notes like DP. I think it would make a great barbecue sauce. I'll let you know how it goes.

Fanta? Don't you mean Faygo? I'm just a transplant, but I know I've had Faygo Rock'n Rye. I've asked PeppA (a Michigander native), and she says only Faygo has that flavor.

I thought the Rock'n Rye flavor was different. Of course, I'm still not used to Vernor's.

 

[Michael in FtW]

The original recipe sounds like something that originated during World War II when sugar was rationed ... you couldn't get sugar but you could buy a soda. Recipes like this with Dr. Pepper, Coke, and Rootbeer were common especially in the South.


Sugar, brown sugar, molasses, and corn syrup are all sugar!

 

[pckouris]

I'm going to BBQ some Big Beef ribs soon, (these are bigger than pork) for the guys, and was kinda looking for a new sauce. I also want to lose the ketchup flavor so I will have to modify it somewhat. The brown sugar and mollasass could be the answer.
I'll keep monitoring this thread to see how this recipe really comes out.

 

[Raine]

My friend Belly (RIP) used to marinade his briskets in Dr Pepper. We never had any, but folks said it was good.

 

[pckouris]

The ribs turned out just great! I had a little too much heat though because I put in Red cracked pepper and some cyanne too! But we washed it down with ice cold beer and everyone was happy. They just fell off the bones!
Now I have some leftover for lunch today! Hmnn good, can't wait!
Too bad we can't post pictures with our messages so you can see them!

 

[Consul]

I will say once more that I am very happy with how this sauce has turned out. I know iteration four will be supreme.

Yes, I meant Faygo, not Fanta. Fanta is a Pepsi-owned soda that those colorful and very annoying girls advertise. Sorry, I'm new to the area. I still think the Rock & Rye would make a good base for this sauce. I'll definitely give it a shot. Of course, the advantage to the DP is that it's available anywhere.

 

[mudbug]

Too bad we can't post pictures with our messages so you can see them!

Oh, but you can, Pete! Use the same method you used to post your photos in the gallery.