I used to think fly fishermen could very well be some of the most pedantic, anal, argumentative, minutia-loving bastards on the planet.
We are of course, though I’ve stumbled across a group out there that is probably just as bad. Maybe even worse.
Who might that be? While there are a number of groups that might well deserve the title of ‘bigger pinheads than fly fishermen’, several years ago we stumbled across a collection of competition BBQ sauce contestants.
They were vying for a coveted spot in the Diddy-Wa-Diddy (yep, that’s a real event) sauce contest held as part of the American Royal Barbecue Contest held every year in Kansas City. No olympic athlete trained with more vigor and hope than these sauciers. With the fervor of a medieval alchemist pots were stirred and filled with ingredient lists so secretive labels were removed and liquids repackaged.
That bizarre encounter, coupled with my love of just about all things grilled and barbecued, led to years of experimentation to find the perfect home prepared sauce (nearly all of which beat the socks off what you’ll find on the grocer’s shelf).
We’ve more or less settled on this Kansas City styled sauce (no offense to our friends in TX, NC and GA) as it covers almost all the bases we love in a great BBQ sauce – tomato based, deep layers of flavor, rich but not overpowering. It pairs up very well with beef, chicken or pork.
It’s easy to prepare (can you stir and count to three?), doesn’t call for outrageously expensive ingredients and keeps well in the fridge though we never seem to have it around very long when we make a batch.
We’d sworn years ago to not give out the recipe though a flood of requests from friends have come in of late with the arrival of summer, so here it is.
By the way, it’s better with a genuine Dr. Pepper though a cherry cola and a couple of tablespoons of cherry preserves add a nice twist too.
2 cups cola (original Coke or Dr. Pepper, NO DIET DRINKS)
2 cups tomato sauce (get the good stuff)
2 8-ounce cans tomato paste
1 stick butter (no margarine!!!)
1 cup Worcestershire
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar (or all cider above)
3 tbsp. prepared yellow mustard
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. ancho chili powder (or one additional of the above)
1 tbsp. granulated garlic
1 tbsp. Tabasco or your favorite red pepper sauce
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. summer savory
1 tsp. mexican oregano
Mix it up. Combine all ingredients well in a medium sauce pan; heat to a simmer.
Be patient. Knock the heat down a tiny bit and let this elixir slow simmer for several hours to let the flavors meld and the sauce to thicken (it will thicken a bit more as it cools).
Serve. We like it best at room temperature though it’s good to go hot or cold. Stores well in tightly covered jar for a few weeks (though it will never last that long).
Enjoy.
