2 c ketchup
¼ c cider vinegar
¼ c Worcestershire sauce
½ c firmly packed brown sugar
3 tbs molasses
2 tbs prepared mustard
2 tbs Tabasco sauce
2 tbs of your favorite rib rub
2 tsp liquid smoke
½ tsp black pepper

Simmer on low for 30 minutes and your done!

 

I like most of that but the liquid choke! Seems like a really good base for making sauce. I have been experimenting with making my own and its great to have that personal touch in your BBQ!

 

huh mm, sounds good but I agree with smoke... Idk how I feel about it, but think I'd still try it... Next I smoke some ribs ibthink I'll try this...

-Rob

 

A lot of people don't like the liquid smoke. Usually because they think it is a bunch of chemicals or it was used excessively. A little bit goes a long ways. Actually liquid smoke is all natural and I use it quite often but in very small doses.

Let me know how you like the sauce.

 

I think liquid smoke is fine. The only prob with it is that if we are smoking the meat then your sauce doesn't need much if any smoke in it. BUT...I tried the your sauce with the liquid smoke.

waaaay to vinegary for me but it had a good taste otherwise. So I tweaked the sauce recipe a little and came out with some something I thought was damn good IMO.

2 c ketchup
¼ c cider vinegar
¼ c Worcestershire sauce
½ c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C molasses
2 tbs DIJON mustard
1 tbs stone ground mustard
2 tbs Tabasco sauce
2 tbs of your favorite rib rub
2 tsp liquid smoke
½ tsp black pepper
1/2 Cup of Honey

It was a little runny to me so I added a squirt of Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce to it and it thickened up. I also let it simmer forever. It wasn't super good at 30 minutes or even at an hour and a half. At about 3 hours of being between warm and simmer...it was pretty damn good. I loved the level of heat the Tabasco brought to the table. It mixed well with the honey, molasses, and cider vinegar.


I used this sauce on two things. I smoked ribs @ 225* for three hours but basted with your (and my additions) sauce at 2 hours. Then put them on a water rack, basted one more time and wrapped it in foil for an hour at 300*. Then put on grill and basted their asses off. Stayed on grill until well carmalized and done. I gotta say, pretty damn good.

I also made some turkey burgers. Basted those burgers with this sauce. It took them to another place of goodness.

 

For me its more of the after taste. I went to a local smoke house BBQ joint here in Chicago and questioned if they even had a smoker there. The after taste of their food tasted like liquid smoke. Everything they served was "coated" with their signature sauce. The second time I went there I told them not to put any sauce on my stuff and that I wanted sauce on the side. Would you know it was in the sauce. I went home and had a bottle in the fridge. A couple of drops on my finger and I knew what the taste in their sauce was. Maybe they used to much but it was not for me.

 

yeh they used too much to try and make up for actual smoking, but just only in the sauce. Liquid smoke should be used the same as if you "lightly" smoked something. Actually, if you put it in a marinade (again, not tons) and then just use the regular oven to cook, I can pull of some good beef items that has nice hints of smoke. I didn't think the sauce above has too much of the liquid smoke. It was good. The base recipe was way to vinegary for me, but the liquid smoke was just fine IMO.

 

If you thought this recipe was too vinegary, you certainly wouldn't like South Carolina BBQ sauce. LOL Actually this recipe is in between the ultra sweet and SC style. I primarily use it on pork but I agree that with less vinegar, it would be better suited to beef.

I like your swap of the Dijon for the prepared mustard. I think that that would take some of the bite out of it. With the extra molasses and honey you added I can tell you like it on the sweet side. The nice thing about this recipe is that it can easily be tweaked to suit anyone's personal taste. Just don't eliminate the Worcestershire and brown sugar or it doesn't work at all.

 

Looking forward to trying this!! Where do u get the liquid smoke as i have never came across it at our local store?

 

I'll admit, I like sweeter better. OR spicy. I like spicy too. However, I like my share of NC bbq too. This was just to intense. If i was in the mood for NC bbq I'd add other spices to compliment the vinegar. Plus I think NC sauce does better sitting in the fridge for a couple to few days. The vinegar gets a chance to take all those other flavors into it. Kind of softening the vinegar blow. But I like NC BBQ!!

I'd never not do this without brown sugar and worcestershire!

Thanks for throwing this up though! It is a great base and like you say leaves a starting point for every one who wants to tweak to their liking.

at our grocery store it is on the top shelf above the bbq sauce.