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Homemade spices and sauces

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AzJohnnyC

  • Karma: 2
  There was a bit of discussion this past Sunday at the BBQ at my house about making your own.  I am very hesitant because some of my past experiments when cooking other things have gone awry.  I usually like to follow a recipe verbatim, because when I throw in the "hey, this should be good" ingredient, it's usually what spoils it.   :-[
  Here's my question:  Is there a basic "formula" for ingredients and ratios of the ingredients that one would use to make spices and sauces, then add the "secret" ingredients from there?  I'd like to get started, but I'd like to get some basics first.  Maybe if I could make a basic sauce, for example, then I could play with adding some other things.  Then I wouldn't have to depend so much on Sweet Baby Ray's.   ::)
#1 - August 24, 2009, 05:28:02 pm
Whiskey Business BBQ
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Mike (AZBarbeque)

  • Karma: 171
Yes, first thing I would say is to purchase a few good BBQ Books.  Most of them have some great rub & sauce recipes in them and that will give you a great idea of where to start.

Peace, Love & BBQ is a good one.

BBQ Bible is also good.
#2 - August 24, 2009, 05:59:37 pm
Michael J. Reimann
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If God wanted us to be Vegetarians, why did he make animals out of meat??

AzJohnnyC

  • Karma: 2
Yes, first thing I would say is to purchase a few good BBQ Books.  Most of them have some great rub & sauce recipes in them and that will give you a great idea of where to start.

Peace, Love & BBQ is a good one.

BBQ Bible is also good.

The BBQ Bible is the book Bernie had at Cabela's, right?  I don't think I'll ever get "Arizona's HOTTEST barbeque club!" out of my brain.  lol  That guy's got some energy!  Bernie, you were a champ!
#3 - August 24, 2009, 06:19:24 pm
Whiskey Business BBQ
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RobOConnell

  • Karma: 0
The BBQ Bible is the book Bernie had at Cabela's, right?  I don't think I'll ever get "Arizona's HOTTEST barbeque club!" out of my brain.  lol  That guy's got some energy!  Bernie, you were a champ!

Yeah, that bible of Bernies was pretty hot eh?

Rob
#4 - August 24, 2009, 08:08:33 pm
UDS (love it most)
Pro Q
Brinkmans Smoke n Grill (now belongs to my daughter)

Mark

  • Karma: 23
Not that I'd ever use it in competition, but I have a little game I occasionally play by myself. If I'm in a dollar store like 99 Cents Only, I'll buy something sweet ( like apricot jam) something sour (like pineapple vinegar) and something hot (like a jar of chiles) Then I'll blend them all together and see what it makes.  >:D At the very worst, you're dumping three bucks down the drain. But usually you'll get something intriguing enough to try on a middle-of-the-week chicken dinner. Might be kind of a fun parlor game to try at a get-together.  :P ^-^
#5 - August 24, 2009, 08:23:16 pm
Mark Motta
Meatier Creator

RobOConnell

  • Karma: 0
Hey Johnny, I have started out with a recipe I found online, then as I use it and get familiar making it, I start to mod it somewhat. Go slow until you find the flavor you like. If you add too much it will obviously ruin the original and you may have to start all over. But since I am a trial and error kind of guy, I tend to muddle thru alot of mods.

Rob
#6 - August 24, 2009, 08:28:31 pm
UDS (love it most)
Pro Q
Brinkmans Smoke n Grill (now belongs to my daughter)

Quiggs

  • Karma: 3
Yes, first thing I would say is to purchase a few good BBQ Books.  Most of them have some great rub & sauce recipes in them and that will give you a great idea of where to start.

Peace, Love & BBQ is a good one.

BBQ Bible is also good.

As Mike says, go to the book store.  There many many killer recipes for rubs out there!!
#7 - August 24, 2009, 08:33:00 pm
Quiggs@AZBarbeque.com
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KidCurry

  • Karma: 1
Its funny, I have been playing with lots of "exotic" rubs and this last pork shoulder we decided to just use the basic bbq rub from Steven Raichlen rubs and sauces book...and it turned out to be the best butt in a while.  Sometimes KISS is the word.
#8 - August 24, 2009, 10:00:45 pm
KidCurry@AZBarbeque.com
KCBS CBJ
Mike boils his ribs....pass it on.

azkitch

  • Karma: 9
Two words. Public Library.
I have about 6 books out right now, as well as my own copies of the Steven Raichlen Rubs and Sauces, and Smoke and Spice--I love that one!! Peace Love and Barbecue is great too. Phoenix Public Library is fantastic. Tell 'em what you want, where you want to pick it up. Renew on line and keep it for months!!
#9 - August 25, 2009, 11:46:19 pm
CBJ # 53779
For cooking, lower and slower. For spices, mo' hotter, mo' better. Habaneros rule!

Three4Que

  • Karma: 0
When playing with new rubs it's a good idea to keep the quantities small, keeps the cost down as well.  Try and break down the recipe to it's smallest amount, ie. teaspoons, 1/2 t, 1/4 t, and even 1/8 t.  Mix it up and try it out.  Make sure you write down each version too so you can go back to your recipe later.

But don't just do a taste of the rub "dry", put it on some chicken legs or thighs.  Try each rub on 1 or 2 pieces of chicken, pork chops/country style ribs (to get the pork flavor only).  This ought to give you a nice sampling of your 'rubs' and how they taste cooked.  

Same thing with the sauces.

Mix and play around with your rubs/sauces until you get the combination(s) you like.  

Remember, practice, practice, practice.
#10 - August 26, 2009, 05:35:31 am
« Last Edit: October 01, 2009, 04:56:21 am by Three4Que »
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RobOConnell

  • Karma: 0
So that's where that book has been. Holding out on us are ya Kitch? Lol
#11 - August 26, 2009, 07:33:41 am
UDS (love it most)
Pro Q
Brinkmans Smoke n Grill (now belongs to my daughter)

azkitch

  • Karma: 9
So that's where that book has been. Holding out on us are ya Kitch? Lol
8)
#12 - August 26, 2009, 09:50:14 am
CBJ # 53779
For cooking, lower and slower. For spices, mo' hotter, mo' better. Habaneros rule!

Lizard333

  • Karma: 0
I too had been a little hesitant about making my own BBQ sauce.  I am not a big believer that BBQ needs a sauce, so I never did my homework.  I was fine enough with just throwing a bowl of KC masterpiece on the table and calling it good.  But the fact of the matter is some people feel the need to sauce there food, and I felt like I was cheating the people that ate my BBQ with giving them awesome BBQ, and store bought sauce.  After flipping through a bunch of BBQ books that I have, I just started throwing stuff together.  I personally like a Molasses based sauce, so that was the first thing I started with.  One word of advise.  I used a digital kitchen scale with all of my recipes, so my BBQ sauce was no exception.  I kept track of everything I put in and used that to make the mods.  After reading a lot of recipies that call for cooking tomatoes down for hours to complete the sauces I did end up using Ketsup in it as well, merely as a time saver.  I only have to bring my sauce to a boil to ensure that the sugar I use in the sauce breaks down.  The heat also allows everything to meld together.  Just go with your gut.  I was able to come up with three sauces, a sweet, a mild (not much heat but you know it is there), and a Hot (No doubt it is hot, not something you pour all over your food and still enjoy.  Still has really good flavor and good heat).  >:D
Let us know how it turns out!!
#13 - September 06, 2009, 09:32:23 am
Bueller... Bueller...  Bueller..........

Smokn-J

  • Karma: 0
Thanks all for the hip tips on books, I've been wondering what was good to get for rubs and especially sauce.  I've been making my own rub for years and want to try mixing it up a bit and it's a drag when, after cooking, it's not good. 

I'm a "sauce on the side guy" but I like a good sauce and always wanted to create my own - smoky, not two sweet with back heat.  If there are recipes in any of these books anyone could recommend, that would be great.
#14 - September 19, 2009, 10:07:46 am

bearbonez

  • Karma: 9
Yes, first thing I would say is to purchase a few good BBQ Books.  Most of them have some great rub & sauce recipes in them and that will give you a great idea of where to start.

Peace, Love & BBQ is a good one.

BBQ Bible is also good.

Don't forget smoke and spice as well as Paul Kirk's book
#15 - September 20, 2009, 08:55:01 am
David "Bear" Nunley

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