improve it if you can

[grumpyoldman]

going to do some bay backs today and i noticed i need to make the wife some more BBQ sauce , her and 1 other friend are the only one around here that i know of that preferers a "Carolina " sauce which has a lot of vinegar in it here is how i make it for them :
2 cups vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup catsup
the rest i do to taste
salt
black pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
they like it but to me its to thin ( tastes ok ) but i always thought it could stand a bit of improvement
so lets see what the group can add to improve it ...have fun with it !!!

 

[caseydog]

I like a Carolina style sauce on pulled pork. Being a Texan, I generally don't sauce anything else off the smoker.

CD

 

[grumpyoldman]

my preference is a good Memphis sauce and when i had the BBQ joint i did taste tests with a lot things including BBQ sauces and by far the Memphis was the dominant favorite

 

[forty_caliber]

Dry rub is the way to go for ribs. Will be firing up the smoker at noon to start a rack for our supper.

No sauce at all, none on the ribs, none at the table.

Here is my "secret" rub recipe.


Ingredients:
1.5 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1.5 tablespoons finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coarse ground kosher salt
2 tablespoons demerara sugar, granulated
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Adolph’s tenderizer
1 tablespoon Paprika
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds, toasted, then ground
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, rounded
2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons hot curry powder
2 teaspoons allspice berries, ground

Instructions:
Add all ingredients together in bowl of food processor. Pulse until entire batch is a consistent color.
Transfer to a shaker.
Coat all surfaces of meat with EVOO prior to use.
Apply rub generously. Allow meat to rest in refrigerator uncovered on tray for up to 12 hours. Apply additional rub when transferred to smoker if desired.


.40

 

[grumpyoldman]

forty: that sounds good except for the sugar thing , allspice berries and curry powder ( i don't know what these are ( i think the curry powder is an indian spice )
but it sound like something i would like to try one day

these baby backs are some i smoked a while back and put in the freezer . i smoke 6-10 at a time and freeze them for when i'm feeling lazy, and i do use a dry rub on all my ribs

 

[Andy M.]

Dry rub is the way to go for ribs. Will be firing up the smoker at noon to start a rack for our supper.

No sauce at all, none on the ribs, none at the table.

Here is my "secret" rub recipe.


Ingredients:
1.5 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1.5 tablespoons finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coarse ground kosher salt
2 tablespoons demerara sugar, granulated
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Adolph’s tenderizer
1 tablespoon Paprika
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds, toasted, then ground
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, rounded
2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons hot curry powder
2 teaspoons allspice berries, ground

Instructions:
Add all ingredients together in bowl of food processor. Pulse until entire batch is a consistent color.
Transfer to a shaker.
Coat all surfaces of meat with EVOO prior to use.
Apply rub generously. Allow meat to rest in refrigerator uncovered on tray for up to 12 hours. Apply additional rub when transferred to smoker if desired.


.40

I've been using this rub for years and we love it. Thanks again for sharing it.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

KoreanBarbecue Sauce
(Gochujang)​

Ingredients:

• ½ cup soy sauce
  
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
  
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
  
• 1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
  
• 2 tsp chile-garlic sauce
  
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
  
• ½ tsp ground ginger
  
• ½ tsp toasted sesame oil
  
• ¾ tsp fish sauce
  
• 1 Tbs cornstarch
  
• 2 Tbs water
  
• 2 Tbs toasted sesame seeds (garnish)

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, rice winevinegar, chile-garlic sauce, pepper, ginger, sesame oil and fishsauce together and bring to a boil.

Whisk cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves. Pour into boiling soy sauce mixture.

Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer until the sauce reaches desired thickness, 3 to 5 minutes.

Removef rom heat and allow to cool. When cooled, pour into a sealable container and garnish with sesame seeds.

 

[grumpyoldman]

me thinks i'll pass on this last one !!
there is no way i would ever put fish sauce in BBQ sauce ,
thanks, but no thanks

 

[FrankZ]

I'm happy to put some sauce on my ribs, and to have extra at the table. I will play heretic and say I really like the Heinz Texas style sauce.

I also prefer spares to baby back usually.

 

[grumpyoldman]

FrankZ : i'm glad you said that, because i like spare ribs better than baby backs myself , and the way i serve them is i smoke them with dry rub only , after letting them rest for at least an hour i will serve them with BBQ sauce ( 2 or 3 kinds ) on the side so people can decide for themselves

 

[Kathleen]

@forty_calibur I'd love to try this dry rub. Your chili recipe was spot-on. We have loved it.

@Sir_Loin_of_Beef That sounds really good. I've never made Korean ribs, but love getting them out.

@grumpyoldman You are missing out by never using fish sauce and chances are huge that you have had it. When I need a hint of umami in my food, I will break it out and add it in a dish. No one would ever suspect that fish sauce is what gives it a delicious undertone. In cooking, when something is missing, I generally go through my list: salt? acid? sweetness? umami? I cannot explain it other than umami makes things taste more rounded. Other things can give an umami feel, but fish sauce, to me, is the most subtle. And you only need a bit.

 

[grumpyoldman]

thanks but no

 

[Kathleen]

No Worcestershire sauce either, huh? Hmm....

 

[grumpyoldman]

nope haha, but i am surprised no one has suggested any improvements, just recipes

 

[Kathleen]

But I did suggest an improvement. Put something in to give it a bit more umami. While a fish sauce would not be part of a dry rub, there are many other ways to add some umami to your rub.

 

[grumpyoldman]

ok i give up , whats umami ?

 

[Steve Kroll]

It looks like a good recipe to me. The one ingredient I've seen in a lot of Carolina sauce recipes is the addition of mustard. So that might be worth trying. And maybe swapping out some or all of the brown sugar for honey. I like brown sugar myself, but honey and mustard are a great combination.

 

[Badjak]

I'll second the use of fish sauce in almost anything savoury.

I don't like bbq sauce, so no improvements of your recipe from me

 

[taxlady]

I'll second the use of fish sauce in almost anything savoury.

I don't like bbq sauce, so no improvements of your recipe from me

Fish sauce is really a great way to boost the flavour of just about anything savoury.

 

[taxlady]

thanks but no

What is your objection to fish sauce? Is it the name? Have you ever tried it? It really doesn't taste at all like fish, if you use it in very small amounts, which is the intended way to use it.