BBQ Sauces
Common Ingredients and Types of BBQ Sauce Recipes
Getting someone's BBQ sauce recipes away from them can be almost impossible, but that does not mean you can not take some well-known information and basic know-how to make your own fantastic BBQ sauce. Depending on where you live, certain types of sauces might be more prominent. Specifically, the bases for your regional BBQ may be certain items. For instance, the Carolinas have sauces that are based with vinegar and mustard, whereas Texas-style BBQ sauce starts with a tomato base.
While you do not have to work with the ingredients that are mainly found in BBQ sauce recipes in your region, it is good to know so that you can pinpoint specific tastes you like and incorporate them into your own custom sauce.
The sauces that can be found at any grocery store are often lack-luster and do not have the same punch that homemade recipes do. While it would be nice to say that it is because they are mass-produced, the real reason is that BBQ-making companies simply can not make delicious BBQ for every region. Not only that, but there are just some tastes that seem to be popular all over the country. However, don't let store-bought BBQ flavors entice or confuse you: real BBQ is made a certain way and if you want to make a sauce that is truly delicious, you are going to have to really delve into the world of barbeque.
The most common bases for barbecue sauce recipes are vinegar, mustard, and tomato (or ketchup). It is fairly easy to determine which type is the kind you have grown to love over the years considering the extremely varied tastes between the three bases. Vinegar sauces are more sour, while those that are mustard-based are more tangy. Sauces that use tomato as a base are often thicker than the other two and can be a host to a wide variety of flavors.
Besides the bases are, of course, the other seasonings. Common seasonings are: onion, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, bourbon, molasses, various tangy fruits, and more. Though do not go with what is most common, go with what you think is delicious. Depending on where you are from and the type of BBQ you grew up with, you could like certain flavors that are vastly different from what someone on the other side of the country would.
That's the great thing about BBQ sauce: no two people's recipes are the same, and everyone who makes it puts their whole heart into making the sauce as delicious as possible. BBQ sauce recipes are definitely regional, but the joy that comes from chowing down on some quality BBQ is universal.
