I am cooking my first Butt on Thursday and would like a good/easy sauce for dipping on the side. What's everyone's ideas? Thanks.
Jimbo-
Great question....I'm doing my first butts this weekend too. I look forward to the responses.
Good luck with yours.
Matt
Hey guys....to me, there is nothing better than "Vaunted Vinegar" sauce. The recipe is either in the book "Smoke and Spice" or in "Peace, Love, BBQ"...the latter I think. I'm sure you can find it in the recipe link on these forums too.
More of a Carolina style with the vinegar, but I find that tang just cuts right through the sometimes fatty pork shoulder. To me, it doesn't get much better than that. ;)
A tip I learned now that I have about 5-6 pork shoulders under my belt: allow for 2 hours per lb, then allow time to FTC with some apple juice in the foil. I think it makes a huge difference (after reaching about 190 degrees first, of course). Good luck.
Swany
Vaunted Vinegar is also my preference, but I do not like too much acidity, so I often use Nakano Rice Vinegars.
Here's a link to the recipe site; I'm not sure if this is the same as the one in Smoke and Spice.
http://susan.rminor.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124
Here's the Carolina-style sauce I've been using. It is a work in progress.
Measurement are all by approximate volume (ie., 2T=1oz)
1C Ketchup
6oz Brown sugar
3T Salt
2T Black pepper
2T Red chili pepper flakes
2T Worcestershire sauce
--- stir above together, then add
6C Cider vinegar with stirring/whisking
makes ~ 8 cups, ie., ~1/2 gallon
I don't cook it but I'm sure you could if you want to - (let me know what that does to it.)
I've come to think that the 2T of red chili pepper flakes (which impart more and more heat with time) might be a little too hot for some people, and so am thinking of cutting back a little in future tries. (it is not too hot for me and most people I've asked say it is not too hot with the above recipe, but then I don't add very much when chopping/pulling the pork)
For rib/chicken sauce, you can add 1C of this to 1-2 C of ketchup, plus a 1-2 T or so more of worcestershire sauce, and more brown sugar. That seems to be a pretty good combo - a little thicker and sweeter.
Remember, experiment, and pass it on - -
so it goes.
I am also a fan of the Carolina style, here is a mixture that was given to me from Bubba.
1 cup cide vinegar
1 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
This is enough for one shoulder. It is very easy and very good.
I know this is not home made, there are a few of us around here that do use this. When I give a butt away I always throw a bottle of this in...it is "Sweet Baby Rays" and yes you can get it at the World of Wallis.
Irish_Smoker: Yours is really a more authentic down-East Carolina sauce than mine, which I think is more typical of the mid-Piedmont region around Lexington and farther west where they add ketchup to it. But don't mention a ketchup containing sauce in Eastern NC -if they hear you they'll slice you up to thin to fry.
And thanks for the tip, MallardWacker. Looks like we can get Sweet Baby Ray's in NC. I'll give it a try. Which one is the least sweet of their sauces? (I'm not a big fan of real sweet sauces for pork)
asa,
You may not like it, they only sell one style at W/M. Being from the south things can get a little sweet around here. It's kind of like that vinegar type stuff...caauyaffff me no like that type.
I like my BBQ sauce (see recipes) for anything pork. It works well on everything but espescially pork.
Quote from: MallardWacker on May 27, 2006, 07:18:02 AM
asa,
You may not like it, they only sell one style at W/M. Being from the south things can get a little sweet around here. It's kind of like that vinegar type stuff...caauyaffff me no like that type.
Thanks for the tip. The web site says that Harris Teeter and Food Lion also carry it in the Carolinas. That's where I'd probably check first. So if I understand you correctly, you do prefer sweeter sauces and not those with a heavy vinegar-based taste? Any of the SBRs that are sort of inbetween those extremes that you might recommend?
Art
Well I like that red stuff myself.... Now you want one with just enough kick? Then get a hold of iceman. As the bottle says.. it has an attitude.
(http://www.susanminor.org/Rayeimages/gif/Launch65.gif)
Sweet YES, Vineee-grrrr YUK.
Quote from: MallardWacker on May 30, 2006, 01:13:14 PM
Sweet YES, Vineee-grrrr YUK.
Thanks for the translation DaffyWhomper. I had trouble looking up "caauyaffff" in my Funk 'n Wagnalls.
MW you just have never had a good vinegar sauce is all. You want something really good try a mustard based sauce for the pulled pork. It is sho nuf good :P.
Quote from: BigSmoker on May 31, 2006, 07:22:31 PM
MW you just have never had a good vinegar sauce is all. You want something really good try a mustard based sauce for the pulled pork. It is sho nuf good :P.
I agree. That would be like a Georgia-style sauce. I've worked one out based on Ms. Dull's cookbook entries. Do you have a favorite recipe for this style of sauce BigSmoker??
Well MW, I found SBR's at our neighborhood market in 3 different blends - regular, hot, and honey-something. Tried the regular and both the Ms. and I liked it a lot on our ribs tonight. Good flavor and balance. Thanks for the tip.
Art
Quote from: BigSmoker on May 31, 2006, 07:22:31 PM
MW you just have never had a good vinegar sauce is all. You want something really good try a mustard based sauce for the pulled pork. It is sho nuf good :P.
Large of Smoke and ASA...
You may be right on that...but I still the only guy on the table that doesn't like that freek'n SLAW on their pulled pork sandvich....I was on the other side of Memphis a couple weeks ago and stopped at a place called Brad's BBQ, got the ribs...S/L style and it had this brown sauce, not sure I could classify it...It definitely had a vineger bite to it, it wasn't bad nor it wasn't real good either, the ribs were CHEWY but the the price was good, full rack, honk'n Pile-O-Onion Rings and so so beans...with good tea for 20.00...tax and all.
Quote3 different blends - regular, hot, and honey-something
WOW...Maybe I'll go to Kroger and see what they have...
But I would like to try some good vinegar based stuff.
Have a great weekend...
Quote from: MallardWacker on June 03, 2006, 06:03:54 AM
QuoteWOW...Maybe I'll go to Kroger and see what they have...
Check out the SBR website. They list their retailers by state. That's how I found mine here so quickly.
You have a smokin' weekend too . . . . .
Quote from: asa on May 31, 2006, 07:38:56 PM
Quote from: BigSmoker on May 31, 2006, 07:22:31 PM
MW you just have never had a good vinegar sauce is all. You want something really good try a mustard based sauce for the pulled pork. It is sho nuf good :P.
I agree. That would be like a Georgia-style sauce. I've worked one out based on Ms. Dull's cookbook entries. Do you have a favorite recipe for this style of sauce BigSmoker??
If you have Paul Kirks Championship BBQ book it has vinegar and mustard based sauces. Its a great book I use for reference all the time.
MW,
I love slaw on my pulled pork sammiches. Just hard to beat like boiled peanuts and grits with butter :P.
MW,
I love slaw on my pulled pork sammiches. Just hard to beat like boiled peanuts and grits with butter :P.
[/quote]
Never did get the hang of boiled peanuts. Kind of like tanned joint compound. ;D
Quote from: arcs_n_sparks on June 03, 2006, 06:46:39 PM
Never did get the hang of boiled peanuts. Kind of like tanned joint compound. ;D
Wrap your hands around these gnarly things..... (http://www.susanminor.org/users/MallardWacker/Peanuts.jpg)
I can see that this thread is derogating fast....boiled peanuts....can I use it again...caauyaffff
Sorry, those Roddenbery's can't be authentic. Accept nothing other than boiled (pronounciation = "balled") peanuts, in a brown paper bag, with dark stains, rolled up and held closed with a rubber band that originally came around someone's newspaper.
Quote from: asa on June 04, 2006, 05:02:04 PM
Sorry, those Roddenbery's can't be authentic. Accept nothing other than boiled (pronounciation = "balled") peanuts, in a brown paper bag, with dark stains, rolled up and held closed with a rubber band that originally came around someone's newspaper.
Exactly ;D.
One of my favorite sauces on pulled pork is one that BigSmoker told me about. The reason I like it so much is that it is incredibly simple: 2 parts ketchup + 1 part apple cider vinegar + coarse pepper to taste. When I'm feeling really energetic I add a little bourbon to it, making sure that the bourbon passes my own personal taste test first, of course . . . I'm also a fan of slaw on my pulled pork sammiches!