By Staff
The final days of summer have gone and fall is making an appearance, albeit, rather slowly. With this passing of time, folks are looking for ways to get the best out of the last days of outdoor cooking and eating.
As I was preparing for this column, I was searching through at large base of recipes and decided that I would focus on grilling. We usually think of grilling out as the best way to enjoy a great afternoon or early evening with friends, family and great food. Not everyone is good at cooking meat and vegetables on the grill. I know I don't fall into that expert category. My husband, on the other hand, seems to be somewhat of a pro at it. He can take a plain old piece of chicken or a sausage link and make it taste like some professional chef had put the fancy touches on it to make it mouthwatering.
I don't know how he does it (I'm usually inside making potato salad or baked beans and don't see his technique). One thing I know is that he NEVER puts sauce on the meat while it's cooking. We usually do that at the table. I have talked him into putting the sauce on just a few minutes before he takes the meat off the grill, but he doesn't like to do that. He says that store-bought sauces are usually loaded with sugar or syrups and tend to cause burning in a very short amount of time.
If you prefer to sauce your meat once it reaches the table, your favorite variety of pre-bottled sauce will do the trick. However, if you're looking for a little variety in sauces, you can find it across this nation. It seems that sauces vary from region to region. Below you'll find some sauces that I found in my search. Hope you like at least one of them.
Vinegar Based Sauce
(Popular in North Carolina)
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp. salt
One-half tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. brown sugar
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and brown sugar. Mix well and allow ingredients to mesh for about 4 to 8 hours before using.
South Carolina Sauce
1 and one-half cups prepared yellow mustard
One-half cup packed brown sugar
Three-fourths cup cider vinegar
Three-fourths cup beer
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
One-half tsp. cayenne pepper
1 and one-half tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. butter, room temperature
One and one-half tsp. liquid smoke flavoring
1 tsp. Louisiana-style hot sauce, or to taste
In a heavy non-reactive saucepan, stir together the mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, and beer. Season with chili powder and black, white, and cayenne peppers. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook for about 20 minutes. DO NOT BOIL, or you will scorch the sugar and peppers. Mix in the Worcestershire sauce, butter, and liquid smoke. Simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. Taste, and season with hot sauce to your liking. Pour into an airtight jar, and refrigerate for overnight to allow flavors to blend. The vinegar taste may be a little strong until the sauce completely cools.
Memphis Sauce
one-half cup ketchup
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
one-fourth tsp. mustard powder
one-fourth tsp. salt
In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, hot pepper sauce, garlic powder, mustard powder, and salt. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before brushing on your favorite meat.
Kansas City Sauce
1 (28 ounce) bottle ketchup
1 (12 ounce) bottle chile sauce
one-third cup prepared mustard
1 tbsp. ground dry mustard
1 one-half cups packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 one-half cups white wine vinegar
1 dash hot pepper sauce
one-fourth cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
1 cup lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
In a large bowl, mix ketchup, chile sauce, prepared mustard, ground dry mustard, brown sugar, black pepper, white wine vinegar, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, vegetable oil, beer and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until use. Approximately 1 hour before use, mix in the garlic. Apply generously to desired meats during the final minutes of cooking.
White Sauce
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tbsp. ground black pepper
2 tbsp. salt
6 tbsp. lemon juice
6 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
4 tbsp. white sugar
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, pepper, salt, lemon juice, vinegar and sugar. Mix all together until smooth. Use to baste chicken, pork chops or ribs as they cook on the grill. Serve extra as dipping sauce.
Remember to email your ideas or questions to me at lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com, I'll be happy to hear from you.
Until next week, Happy Cooking!