Cooking Articles & Recipes

BBQ Sauce

If you go searching for BBQ Sauce in the BBQ capital of the world, you just might be surprised at what you'll find ...

When I was growing up, I loved the flavor of bbq sauce. I ate it on everything from hamburgers to onion rings. Much to my mother’s dismay, bbq sauce graced our dinner table every night. She didn’t really like the fact that I slathered all of her good cooking with bbq sauce, but I guess she figured it was good that I was cleaning my plate even if I drenched my dinner in sauce to do it.

As I entered into adulthood, I became a little more discriminating when it came to bbq sauce. I still loved the flavor and bbq sauce was my favorite dip of choice for French fries, but my taste buds became more conventional when it came to my use of bbq sauce.
I liked to dip my steak in it or make oven baked chicken basted in a nice hickory bbq sauce.

With my love of any meat cooked with bbq sauce, it was inevitable that I eventually visit the south. The south is the bbq capital of the world. I had heard about the world famous bbq’s in the Deep South and my mouth watered in anticipation as I packed my bags. I tried to do a little research to find out where the best bbq sauce was served. Everyone told me that I had to try a pulled pork sandwich and wash it down with sweet tea if I wanted to experience true Southern bbq.

The day I arrived in the state of Alabama, I hustled to the closest bbq joint. You could smell the meat cooking a mile away and as I pulled into the parking lot, I breathed deeply of the intoxicating scent. I had my moist towelettes. I had a spare shirt. I was ready for the sauciest bbq sauce and a pile of pulled pork. I placed my order and waited impatiently for my dinner to arrive. When the waitress placed it in front of me, I took one look at it and told her she had made a mistake.

“There isn’t any bbq sauce on my pork.” I explained.

The waitress just laughed and laughed as she poured me a glass of sugary iced tea. “Darlin’ that is real Southern bbq. We don’t use bbq sauce. The secret is in how we cook the meat, we don’t want to ruin it by drowning it.”

She saw my disappointment and brought me some bottled bbq sauce on the side. I did try her traditional pulled pork minus the bbq sauce and it was good, but for me, it tasted so much more familiar when I slathered it with my favorite sauce.

About Barbecue Sauce

Barbecue sauce (also spelled barbeque sauce, or abbreviated BBQ sauce) is a liquid flavoring sauce or condiment ranging from watery to quite thick. As the name implies, it was created as an accompaniment to barbecued foods. While it can be applied to any food, it usually garnishes meat after cooking or during barbecuing, grilling, or baking. Traditionally it has been a favored sauce for ribs and chicken. On rarer occasions, it is used for dipping items like fries, as well as a replacement for tomato sauce in barbeque-style pizzas. In some barbecue circles, it is frowned upon to add any condiment, including barbecue sauce, to barbecued food.

Barbecue sauces may combine sour, sweet, and spicy ingredients or focus on a particular flavor alone. It sometimes carries with it a smokey flavor. The ingredients vary, but some commonplace items are tomato paste, vinegar, spices, and sweeteners. These variations are often due to regional traditions and recipes.

Source: Wikipedia.org

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