Hatcreek BBQ Sauces -- made one gallon at a time with TLC
For many years, across the nation, only four types of BBQ sauce have been deemed worthy of putting on food.
- A vinegar and pepper sauce from the Carolinas was the original. In my opinion this sauce has about as much use in barbeque as a hog has for a side saddle. It was probably invented to rub on the meat to hide the awful flavor of whatever road kill those good folks of the Carolinas managed to scrape up to cook over the fire. A vinegar and pepper sauce is real good in the pickling process, but it doesn't add anything to the meat. If you want to marinade your meat and get it to taste like a barrel of pickles . . . why not just add a little salt, and there you go!? As you can probably tell, I’m not a huge fan of this type of sauce. I think it's too strong and hides the taste of the meat.
- Next were mustard-based sauces from Germans who moved into the Carolinas beginning in the 1740s. Of course we all know the German affinity for mustard and all things tangy. While this sauce has a lot of merit, it too can be overbearing if added in too large a quantity. Nonetheless, mustard-based sauces were the beginning of a real adventure into BBQ sauce-making history. Finally something a little bit out of the norm had been created, and, I believe, set the standard against which to measure sauces for years to come. Yet while mustard-based sauces were a first step outside the box, they certainly weren't a last…
- Next in line were light tomato sauces. Using catsup as their base ingredient, these sauces were meant to be an "improvement" on the old vinegar and pepper sauces. Someone must have realized that mustard sauces were taking away from the good ole reliable vinegar and pepper barbeque sauce, so they set out to improve on it some. In all their brilliance they must have thought if the Germans can use mustard, we can use this newfangled tomato stuff called “catsup”. This was the advent of what is commonly called a light tomato sauce. While it did improve the vinegar and pepper sauces somewhat, in my opinion, it just doesn’t overcome their nasty taste.
- Finally BBQ got really creative with a variety of ingredients added to a heavy tomato-based sauce. Seems someone realized that by adding together a few good ingredients and simmering them over a low heat, you could come up with a delightful, good tasting, smoky, tangy taste that is the perfect compliment to any food cooked correctly over the fire, over coals or in the smoker. This heavy tomato-based sauce, in my humble opinion, is the best sauce on the planet. What makes it so good are its many different varieties. Ask any man that cooks anything, anywhere, and I will guarantee you he has a great BBQ sauce recipe -- and it will be tomato-based. These sauces come mild, medium, hot and blow the top of your head off spicy.
The newest entry into the BBQ sauce field is the Alabama mayonnaise-based sauce. While I haven’t tried this concoction yet, I have talked with several friends that say it is interesting. Leslie Ann’s son, Dan, says it's real good, and he's a great fan of barbeque, so I tend to put my trust in his taste.
Dan's smoker, btw, is pictured in the How-To section under Smoking How-To.
How to make a simple sauce
Here is a simple recipe for BBQ sauce you can make in your kitchen or out on the grill. You will also find it in the recipe section:
SIMPLE HOMEMADE TOMATO-BASED BBQ SAUCEOne small bottle of catsup (16 oz)
4 ounces of Worcestershire sauce
A pinch of cumin
A tsp of chili powder
A squeeze of mustard (about 3 tsps)
A pinch of paprika
A half cup of brown sugar (optional)
A tsp of cayenne pepper (optional)
Put all the ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until it reaches the desired thickness. Slather it on your food just before taking it off the grill………….and enjoy!
So there you have it, a little bit about the BBQ sauces of America. Now go on out to the kitchen, create your own and quit bothering me about mine.
If you think I have been a little rough on the good folks of the Carolinas, well, maybe that's true. I just don't like that vinegary sauce! But it's all in good fun, and y'all can take a shot back. Email us your comments, and if we think you can give us a run for the money, we promise we'll publish 'em on the site or in our newsletter as part of the "Great BBQ Sauce Debate".