Cook\'s Country - 2019-06-07

FIVE EASY

Homemade

Barbecue Sauces

IN A MATTER of minutes, you can

make a homemade barbecue sauce

that easily outpaces anything you’ll

pull off the shelves in the supermar-

ket. I’m talking about all-purpose

barbecue sauce here: the dark red,

sweet-and-tangy elixir that works just

as well as a dip for chicken nuggets as

it does slathered on sizzling chicken,

brisket, or ribs.

Here’s how you make it. Start by

sautéing a grated onion in a couple of

tablespoons of oil; grating the onion (a

box or a paddle grater works well here)

allows it to melt into the sauce and

provide subtle sweetness and savory

backbone. Next, add spices to the hot

oil so they can bloom and reach their

full potential; I found that the best

combination was a mix of garlic and

onion powders, chili powder, and cay-

enne pepper. Finally, stir in ketchup,

molasses for depth, Worcestershire

sauce for complexity, cider vinegar,

sharp Dijon mustard, and a good glug

of hot sauce.

After just 5 minutes of simmering

the mixture, you will have a tangy,

slightly sweet, glistening barbecue

sauce that tastes fresher and richer

than the bottled stuff. The small effort

pays off big time.

Following this easy method, I came

up with four variations. I made a sauce

with some Asian flavors that is a great

match for grilled pork or chicken (try

it on wings!). Like bourbon? Then try

the bourbon sauce on grilled chicken

legs or as a glaze and/or dipping sauce

for grilled steak tips. The smoky

chipotle barbecue sauce is especially

awesome on pork ribs. And the bold,

pleasantly bitter espresso sauce pairs

perfectly with smoked beef (such as

our Texas-Style Smoked Beef Ribs on

page 4).

EASY ALL-PURPOSE

BARBECUE SAUCE

Serves 6 to 8 (Makes 2½ cups)

This recipe was developed using

Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne

Pepper Sauce. Grate the onion on the

large holes of a box or paddle grater.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ cup grated onion

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1½ cups ketchup

¼ cup molasses

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over
   medium heat until shimmering. Add
   onion and cook, stirring occasionally,
   until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir
   in garlic powder, chili powder, and
   cayenne and cook until fragrant, about
   30 seconds.


2. Stir in ketchup, molasses, Worces-
   tershire, vinegar, mustard, and hot
   sauce and bring to simmer. Reduce
   heat to low and cook until flavors
   meld, about 5 minutes. Let cool
   completely before serving. (Cooled
   sauce can be refrigerated for up to
   1 week.)

EASY ASIAN

BARBECUE SAUCE

Omit hot sauce. Substitute 1 table-

spoon grated fresh ginger for chili

powder, 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

for molasses, and soy sauce for

Worcestershire sauce.

EASY BOURBON

BARBECUE SAUCE

Off heat, carefully add ¼ cup bourbon

to saucepan after cooking spices in

step 1; return saucepan to heat and

cook until bourbon is nearly evapo-

rated, 1 to 2 minutes. Proceed with

step 2.

EASY CHIPOTLE

BARBECUE SAUCE

Substitute 1 tablespoon minced

canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

for chili powder.

EASY ESPRESSO

BARBECUE SAUCE

Combine 2 tablespoons instant

espresso powder and 1 tablespoon

hot water in small bowl; let sit for

3 minutes. Add espresso mixture to

saucepan with ketchup in step 2.

Put down that supermarket bottle: It takes

only 10 minutes to make a better breed

of barbecue sauce. by Ashley Moore

ONE-PAN SALMON WITH RICE,
BROCCOLI, AND SHIITAKE
MUSHROOMS Serves 4
You will need a broiler-safe 13 by
9-inch baking dish for this recipe.
Do not use a Pyrex dish; it is not
broiler-safe. Rinse the rice in a
fine-mesh strainer under cold running
water until the water runs almost
clear, about 1½ minutes, stirring the
rice with your hand every so often.

RICE, VEGETABLES, AND SALMON
1¾ cups chicken broth
1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
8 ounces broccoli florets, cut into
1½-inch pieces (4 cups)
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms,
stemmed and sliced thin
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 (6- to 8-ounce) center-cut skinless
salmon fillets, 1 to 1½ inches thick
2 scallions, sliced thin on bias

SAUCE
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons packed light brown
sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons Asian chili-garlic sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1. FOR THE RICE, VEGETABLES,
   AND SALMON: Adjust oven rack
   to middle position and heat oven to
   400 degrees. Combine broth, rice, and
   ½ teaspoon salt in broiler-safe 13 by
   9-inch baking dish. Jiggle dish on
   counter to even out layer of rice. Cover
   tightly with aluminum foil and bake
   until rice is tender, about 30 minutes.


2. FOR THE SAUCE: Meanwhile,
   stir all ingredients together in bowl.
   Transfer ¼ cup sauce to second bowl;
   set aside both bowls.


3. Remove dish from oven and heat
   broiler. Carefully remove foil, allow-
   ing steam to escape away from you;
   discard foil. Toss broccoli, mushrooms,
   oil, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt
   together in bowl. Place 1 salmon fillet,
   skinned side down, along each side of
   dish. Brush tops and sides of fillets with
   reserved ¼ cup sauce. Place vegetables
   in center and corners of dish so no rice
   is exposed (do not cover fillets).


4. Return dish to oven and broil
   until vegetables are very dark around
   edges and centers of fillets are still
   translucent when checked with tip of
   paring knife and register 125 degrees
   (for medium-rare), 9 to 12 minutes.
   Sprinkle with scallions and serve, pass-
   ing remaining sauce separately.

Tangy, thick,

glossy—and

there’s one for

every occasion.