Ask Andy: BBQ Sauce

My friend Andy and I liked to experiment with food when we were growing up. Our foray into outdoor cooking occurred sometime around the 7th or 8th grade, with "The 1st [and ONLY] Annual Hot Foods Festival." Despite the rain, the event was a success, with four boys choking down fiery food and sweating profusely. Most of the food was successful, except for the Tabasco cookies. The chemical structure of the dough broke down, leaving behind wafer-thin crispy discs.

As adults, Andy and I continued our experimentation whenever we were in the same town... At my first job out of college, I discovered that a coworker grew Scotch Bonnet Habenero Peppers (this discovery was both intriguing and alarming because "What kind of person would plant THOSE?!"). I wrapped them up safely for a trip to New Hampshire where I handed them to Andy. We spent several hours making a wicked BBQ sauce out of only molasses, onion, and Habenero pepper. I damaged my stomach a little, but man (!) it was wonderful stuff.

A few years ago Andy attended culinary school, where he acquired some serious knowledge, but his most valuable skill in the kitchen is patience. He has spent years testing and experimenting with sauces and rubs. He once told me about how he spent an entire weekend roasting turkey bones, then boiling them into a stock with a bunch of veggies (and cognac I think), then reduced and reduced the stock down so much that the liquid could be frozen 12 tiny ice cubes. "Instant Flavor Cubes" he called them.

We still pick each other's brains about food whenever we see each other. The other night, he passed through New York, and we talked about some of our old BBQ sauces. I asked him what makes a perfect BBQ sauce. He listed, "Caramelized Onion, a can of Tomato Paste, Molasses, and Bourbon should do you just right." And, of course, lots of time and patience...

Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs with Mango Salsa

Last night, Marc and Becky invited me over for our usual Friday grilling. I had some bacon that I needed to use, so I came up with this. I worry that I might be going to hell for making this. It's just THAT good. So good, in fact, that it's actually illegal for Los Angeles street vendors to sell them!

--8 Hot Dogs (I prefer Nathan's Hot Dogs)
--8 rashers of GOOD Bacon (A nice thick-cut smoked variety with not too much fat)
--Toothpicks
--1 Mango, small cubes
--Juice from 1 Lime
--Half a Red Onion, chopped fine
--1 Serrano Pepper, seeded and chopped super-fine
--1 tbsp Olive Oil
--Salt and Black Pepper
--Fresh Rolls

In a small bowl, mix the mango, chopped onion and serrano pepper. Squeeze lime juice over it all, add olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix and refrigerate while you cook the dogs. Wrap one rasher of bacon around each hot dog, securing with a toothpick on both ends. Cook on a grill. Be aware that the bacon fat will cause the fire to flare up (so don't burn your meats!). When bacon is cooked, remove from the grill and take out the toothpicks. Serve in a fresh roll (I smeared on a light mayonnaise) topped with the mango salsa.

Barbecued Shrimp

When I first met Beez, he ate only pizza, hamburgers, and steak. He was not interested in anything else, especially vegetables. After almost 30 years now, he has turned into a wonderful cook. He will try cooking and eating almost anything (and sometimes even vegetables), indoors and out.

Last night, we prepared a superb meal together--barbecued shrimp, carrot salad, and focaccia. It was just one of those memorable meals that comes together with the perfect company, the best conversation, and the tastiest food.

The shrimp recipe is actually called "A Fine Mess of Barbecued Shrimp," and it comes from Bill and Cheryl Jamison's wonderful cookbook, Born to Grill. There is an online version of the recipe on The Global Gourmet.

Creole Barbecue Sauce
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
Juice of 1 medium lemon
5 plump garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Super Wooster Sauce or other Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or other hot pepper sauce, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled but with tails left on and, if you wish, deveined

Super Wooster Sauce or other Worcestershire sauce, or Tabasco sauce or other hot pepper sauce, or both.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and stir to heat through. Place the shrimp in a plastic bag or shallow dish, pour the sauce over them, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Fire up the grill, bring the temperature to high (1 to 2 seconds with the hand test).

Remove the shrimp for the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Transfer the shrimp to a well-oiled grate or, preferably in this case, to a well-oiled small-mesh grill rack. Grill the shrimp uncovered over high heat for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until just opaque with lightly browned edges. If grilling covered, cook the shrimp for the same amount of time, turning once midway.

Serve the shrimp hot, with Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce on the side for customizing the flavor.

Smoked Brisket

The other BBQ recipe card that I found was a little hard to read, but here's the gist:

--1 Beef Brisket (about 9 lbs)
--Dry Rub (here is mom's recipe for Cookie's Dry Rub)
--Basting Sauce (here is mom's recipe for Beer Moppin' Sauce)
--Disposable Aluminum Pan (or other heatproof pan), approximately the same size as your brisket
--Mesquite Wood Chips, soaked in water for a while
--the cleanest Charcoal Briquettes you can find (oxymoronic, I know...)

Cut brisket in half crosswise. Generously apply the dry rub. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature. In the bottom of your grill, place the aluminum pan, filled with about 1 inch of water. On the other side, bank your charcoal and start a hot fire. Place the brisket on the grill, over the pan side, NOT over the direct heat of the coals. Sprinkle some of the water-soaked mesquite chips over the coals and immediately cover the grill. Smoke the meat until very tender (6 to 7 hours), checking every 40 minutes or so to baste the meat with sauce and add more hot coals and mesquite chips.

Mezcal Magic Baby Back Ribs

BBQ, Part 3: The Meat

Finally, it's time to BBQ. It's gonna be a BBQ-filled summer for me!

--1/2 cup Mezcal Tequila
--4 slabs of Pork Baby Back Ribs (1 1/4 lb each), the thin membrane on the ribs' lower side stripped off
--Chile Rub Rojo
--Mezcal Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Between 6 to 24 hours before you plan to grill, bake the ribs: Drizzle Mezcal over the meat and rub it in thoroughly. Coat the ribs generously with the Chile Rub Rojo. Wrap tightly in 2 layers of aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Unwrap and cool, then re-wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 1/2 hours. Remove the ribs from the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Grill them uncovered over medium heat for 25-30 minutes, turning every 8-10 minutes or so. Baste ribs with the Mezcal Chipotle Barbecue Sauce in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Ribs are done when they are very tender with a surface that's crisp in some spots and gooey with sauce in others.

From Born to Grill by Cheryl and Bill Jamison.

Mezcal Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

BBQ, Part 2: The Sauce

I absolutely love the idea of making my own BBQ Sauce. There's a world of secret ingredients out there to use. I once spent 6 hours making a sauce that consisted almost entirely of molasses and Habenero Chile Peppers. I say "almost entirely" because I can't tell you the rest. It's a secret. I'm still trying to get Andy May to spill the beans on his latest "Perfect BBQ Sauce" recipe, to no avail. This one comes from Born To Grill by Cheryl and Bill Jamison.

--2 tbsp Bacon Drippings (or Butter, if you are weak-willed)
--1 medium Onion, chopped
--2 cups Ketchup
--1 cup Mezcal Tequila (plus 2 tbsp to reserve)
--1 cup Water
--1/4 cup Canned Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce (or any whole Chiles), minced
--1/4 cup Orange Juice
--3 tbsp Molasses
--2 tbsp Dry Mustard
--2 tsp Chile Powder
--1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

Combine ingredients and simmer 20-25 minutes. Just before removing from heat, add the last 2 tablespoons of Mezcal. Store until you're ready to brush onto some meat!

Chile Rub Rojo

I found another couple of old recipe cards, both in the Key of Barbecue. Since barbecuing takes time, I'm going to slowly break it all down over a couple of days...

BBQ, Part 1: The Rub

--1/4 cup Paprika
--2 tbsp Kosher Salt
--2 tbsp Ground Chipotle Powder
--2 tbsp Ground Chile
--2 tsp Cumin
--1 1/2 tsp Sugar

Mix all these ingredients together. And that's "The Rub". Store. Then when you feel like it, rub it all over some meat!

From Born to Grill by Cheryl and Bill Jamison.

Beer Moppin’ Sauce

This is a great basting sauce for grilling meat.

¼ cup vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 12 oz. bottle of beer
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tbl. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbl. prepared brown mustard

Cook onion and garlic in oil until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer, and continue cooking on low heat for about 10 minutes.

Tequila Mockingbird Marinade

This is another recipe (see also Boilermaker Sauce) quoted from the July 1995 issue of Bon Appetit.

Here's a marinade that was inspired by the spicy food served at a favorite Connecticut restaurant of the same name. It's nice for jumbo shrimp, sea scallops and chicken. The recipe makes enough to marinate about 1 1/2 pounds of seafood or poultry. Any marinade coming in contact with raw meat, seafood or poultry must be boiled for one minute before using it for basting.

1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons tequila
2 tablespoons triple sec
1 large jalapeño chili, seeded, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime peel
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Let stand 15 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.) Cover and refrigerate.

Marinate poultry 1 to 3 hours and seafood 30 minutes in refrigerator. Drain (do not pat dry) and grill. Boil remaining marinade in heavy small saucepan 1 minute. Drizzle some of marinade over poultry or seafood just before serving.

Makes about generous 3/4 cup.

Cowboy Barbecue Sauce

There might have been a time when it seemed odd to talk about barbecue and grilling in the winter. Those days have passed, and hard core grillers do it year 'round.

This is the best sauce to brush on meat and/or to serve as an accompaniment to barbecued meats.

2 tbl. bacon fat or vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup tomato catsup
1 cup bottled chili sauce (looks like catsup)
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup lemon juice
2 tbl. Worcestershire sauce
Hot red pepper sauce to taste

Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add everything but the hot sauce and simmer, stirring often to prevent sticking, until slightly thickened, about 45 minutes. Add hot sauce to taste.

Cool, cover, refrigerate. Use within 5 days.

Cookie’s Dry Rub

Use about 2 tbl. of this rub on a 6 lb. boneless rib roast or a brisket that you plan to smoke.

2 tbl. sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tbl. garlic salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper

Boilermaker Sauce

This recipe is quoted from the July 1995 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine. It's a grilling/basting sauce that has been used in our house ever since it was published.

A boilermaker is a classic one-two drink consisting of a shot of whiskey followed by a beer chaser. Those ingredients also come together in this all-American barbecue sauce. Use it on ribs, pork chops, chicken, even burgers (brush it on during the last ten minutes of grilling). If making ribs, brush them often during the first part of cooking with a mixture of one part cider vinegar to ten parts water and a pinch of dried crushed red pepper; that will keep them moist. This recipe makes enough for three pounds of meat or poultry and can be doubled easily.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 12-ounce bottle chili sauce
3/4 cup beer
1/4 cup unsulfured (light) molasses
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat. Add chili sauce, beer, molasses, vinegar, bourbon and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer until reduced to 2 cups, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Stir in hot pepper sauce. (can be made up to 1 month ahead. Cover; chill.)