PUCKETT'S SMOKEHOUSE
Established 2020
INTRODUCTION TO BBQ SAUCES
HOW TO BUILD A GREAT BBQ SAUCE
Barbecue sauces can contain literally dozens of different ingredients. I’ve seen sauces flavored with everything from coffee to cranberry sauce to cough syrup. But whether you’re making a simple North Carolina vinegar sauce or a Kansas City everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sauce, there’s one component you must have: balance. The goal of any good sauce is to meld the contrasting elements – sweet, sour, salty, aromatic, hot – into a harmonious whole.
Here’s a look at the essential building blocks you need to construct a great barbeque sauce that will have guests at your next outdoor barbeque asking, “where did you buy this sauce?”
BONUS SAUCES
Dave's Personal Favorites
After you've mastered the basic BBQ Mother Sauces you can make virtually any barbecue sauce you want with pretty much whatever is in your pantry or refrigerator. You'll save money at the grocery store and impress your dinner guests. Just add different ingredients based on your taste. The best way to learn is to try something new and fail, but here are a few tips to guide you on your journey:
If you add heat then also add sweet.
If you go more sour then you better also enrich.
Choose just one seasoning...or else you'll be too salty.
Remember less is more with aromatics. Too much actually is too much.
DAVEY'S MEMPHIS RED
Folks in Tennessee believe they started barbecue and for good reason; from their slow smoked ribs to beer can chicken, the good people of southwest Tennessee know their smoke. However when it comes to sauce, Memphis BBQ basically builds their sauces off the same ketchup based Sweet BBQ Sauce I've provided. My twist on that Mother Sauce brings a nice sweet and spicy sauce that compliments the best of what Memphis has to offer.
HONEY BOURBON HEAT
I created this recipe from scratch by combining the Vinegar and Sweet BBQ Mother Sauces as my base. I've literally made this sauce twenty times and it somehow tastes slightly different each time. No fighting it...that's barbecue. If you want to try my multi-layered sauce that makes your mouth tell you two different things just give this recipe a try the next time you grill chicken or smoke pulled pork. I call it HBH and its part of my Pirate Series of BBQ Sauces.