Barbecue - Sauces

The barbecue sauce you use can make the difference between boring food and a succulent feast. Sauces that contain sugar should only be brushed on the meat in the last few minutes of cooking, as sugar has a low burning point and becomes charred and bitter on the meat, as well as tending to cause flare ups from the coals. Here are a couple of recipes that will make your barbecue into a real winner.

Asian style hot sauce

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 400 grams tomato ketchup
• Half to one teaspoon hot mustard (chinese if you can get it)
• I large minced garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (reduces salt if you can get it)
• 1 teaspoon chilli paste

Combine all the ingredients except chili paste in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then turn off heat. Stir in chilli paste. Brush on chicken, beef or pork at the end of the grilling period.

Texas style sauce

• A good handful of pickling spices
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 1 large chopped onion
• 2 finely chopped celery stalks
• 1 bottle tomato ketchup
• 30 grams chilli sauce
• 400 ml water
• 50 ml cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 30 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 75 grams light brown sugar
• 1/4 tablespoon garlic powder or one clove minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
• 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

Tie the pickling spices and cloves loosely in cheesecloth bag, combine all the other ingredients in a heavy saucepan, and heat to the boil with the bag of spices. Reduce heat and simmer slowly for around an hour. Remove from heat and cool. Remove spice bag and blend mixture until smooth. Pot or cover and keep in fridge until ready to use. Keeps for two weeks.

Barbecue sauce photograph by Adactio, used under a creative commons attribution licence.

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