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BBQ sauce... If memory serves me correctly, that has mustard and red pepper in it. |
Posted on 03/02/2006 7:47:01 AM PST by stainlessbanner
Barbecue sauces have a uniquely Southern and Western U.S. history. Most experts agree that the practice of adding sauce and spices to meat and fish began early in our history, with Native Americans teaching the art to early European settlers. The natives probably developed the process as part of an attempt to keep meats and fish from spoiling quickly. Salt played a major role in those early barbecue sauces, and salt is a well-known preservative in the meat curing process.
Because the nations first European arrivals lived on the East Coast of America, that part of the country is credited with spawning the original barbecue sauce styles. First and foremost, there are the various Carolina barbecue sauces. The most widely known are East Carolina, Piedmont, and South Carolina varieties. East Carolina barbecue sauce consists of vinegar, salt, black pepper, and crushed or ground cayenne peppers. Its a very simple sauce that penetrates the meat nicely for a deep flavor. Piedmont barbecue sauce only varies from East Carolina in that it often includes molasses or Worcestershire sauce and thus clings to the meat more. South Carolina sauce is entirely different, using a mustard base instead, producing a much tangier and sharp flavor.
Then there is Memphis or Southern style barbecue sauce. This popular variety is typically more complicated (flavor-wise) and is built around mustard, tomato, and vinegar. Fans often point to the boldness of these flavor combinations as the hallmark of Memphis barbecue sauce. A saying often heard among hungry connoisseurs is no two bites alike.
Continuing our trek westward, we come to the acknowledged center of the barbecue universe Kansas City! Kansas City barbecue sauce is distinguished by its noticeably thicker consistency and emphasis on sweetness. Thats because this style of sauce is built upon thick tomato sauce, chunks of vegetables, and lots of sugar. Many popular commercial brands are based on this Kansas City recipe. It’s most popular among amateur backyard grillers because of the availability in grocery stores (Kraft, Heinz, K.C.s Masterpiece, etc.). And also because the thick sauce can be applied only once and enough will remain in place to please the happy recipients of the grilled meat.
Finally, there are the Texas barbecue sauce styles. Now, Texas is one big state, and there are several regional varieties within it. The most common include thick and spicy sauces that are essentially spicier variations on the Kansas City sauces. These are found mostly in the north and east sections of the state (Dallas). In western Texas, thinner sauces that feature hot peppers can be found. These sauces are often added only at the very end of the barbecuing or grilling process. And then, in southern Texas, the barbecue sauce of choice features an emphasis on Mexican spices and, of course, jalapeno peppers! Make sure to have a cold beverage handy to put out the fire!
Owen Miller is the town expert on barbecuing and on barbecue sauces to make you drool. To get the information you need to be the top barbecue sauce guru in your town, check out Owen's bbq sauce resource center at http://www.bbqsaucezone.com.
Or spit your teeth out. We thought someone was playing a sick joke on us the first time we had BBQ after moving to NC. We can hardly wait to get to Lexington or points south for some real BBQ when we travel.
We like ours with tomato base although Maurice's is good too.
Why Ray? In 1985, Chef Larry, perfected the family recipe and entered his all-natural, sweet and tangy barbecue sauce into the country’s largest rib cookoff. He called it "Sweet Baby Ray’s," a name his brother, David, got shootin’ hoops on the west side of Chicago. The sauce is so fine, it beat nearly 700 entries. That was enough proof for the brothers. Larry, David and a high school friend, Mike O’Brien, forged a company with a simple philosophy about barbecue. Make it great. So, the rest, as they say, is history. What Happened After winning second prize in the 1985 Mike Royko Riboff they thought, "why not sell this stuff." Sales came from word-of-mouth and cold calls. SBR’s experienced steady growth through the years and 1994 took them to the moon. Well, not literally the moon, but all over the Midwest at least. During 1996 through 1999 they were the BBQ Guru’s to the Taste of Chicago, (that’s 4 million visitors and a ton of napkins). By 1999 sales totaled 500,000 cases. Stacked on top of each other, that’s tall. Due to its superior taste, Sweet Baby Ray’s has become the fastest growing barbecue sauce in the United States. They are currently looking to expand to Atlanta, Arizona and Southern California. And maybe, someday the moon.
I use Sweet Baby Rays or Sticky Fingers.
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BBQ sauce... If memory serves me correctly, that has mustard and red pepper in it. |
would ya be wrapping them snickers and catsup thingys in tinfoil, there then would ye?
I guess I'm more a southern memphis kind of sauce leaner,, vinegar,mustard,catsup,soy,
Ever try the Rib Fest in Sparks? if ya haven't already, squeeze it in, more BBQ that ya can hope to try in one day, that's why its 5 days long now.. I think.
Yessir. I hear Sparks Rib Festival is the place to be for the BBQ out here. Saw a documentary on it a while back. Looks like a hoot.
I'm surprised it took that long before I got in trouble for that one.
You didn't get in trouble...I thought it was funny. I love witty humor...I just wasn't going to call attention to it.
Mesquite and I ain't a tellin' what goes in my BBQ sauce.
You got the hours thing right!
Mmmmmmmmmm... Snickers and Catsup wrapped in sea weed and served cold.
Truer words were never spoken.
Tiger Sauce is great stuff for a lot of uses, including mixing it with sour cream to make a chip dip. It's got a great combination of subtlety and power...
I'd rather smear my ribs with the stuff my cat pukes up. Probably give it a better flavor.
BBQ Ping
ping... thought you'd get a kick out of this
Well you're a yank at heart, you wouldn't know good BBQ sauce from cat puke anyway...if you're putting anything but Eastern NC sauce on your BBQ (which is pork only, a noun, and not a verb) you may as well take your ribs into the back yard and dip 'em in the mud. Would be about the same as non-vinegar sauce anyway.
We New Englanders don't need no BBQ sauce on our meatloaf, sir.
Missed out on this one. Have been up in Oklahoma the past few days -- which, for reasons that aren't entirely clear, is a barbecue Sahara.
Cherokees are are BBQ clueless???
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