Sauces

   Well since I bought my smoker on Friday, I have been scouring the Interwebs looking for great recipes for rubs and sauces.  One thing that has become obvious to me is that my spice cabinet is going to grow exponentially.  After looking through some of the info on the different styles of sauces, I decided to try my hand at a ketchup-based KC Style sauce.  I did a little cabinet raiding, and came up with a pretty good sauce.  Check it out:

KC Test Batch #1

1/2 c. Hunt's Ketchup
1/4 c. + 1Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Molasses
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/8 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Prepaired Yellow Mustard
1 tsp White Sugar
1/8 tsp Onion Powder
1/8 tsp Garlic Powder

This yields enough sauce for 4 legs and a breast

     OK... so now all of my PA friends are shouting at the screen, cursing my name... because of ketchup.  We are a Hienz household.  I would not buy another ketchup, but every once in a while I can score free Hunt's.  So I've had 2 bottles sitting on the shelf in the basement that was NEVER going to be eaten, until now.  The basic ingredients in Hunt's makes it the perfect base for BBQ Sauce.

    After a taste while it was still on the burner, I rated this sauce a B-.  I was pretty happy with my first attempt, but it had to go on some meat before I really passed judgment.  In the fridge it went to cool.   I thawed out some chicken legs, a boneless/skinless breast for the wife, and got some good coals going.  When it was time to sauce it up, I was pleasantly surprised.  This sauce had thickened so much.  It clung to the meat like it's life depended on in, and the flavors married very well.

    Flavor wise it was very nice.  Sweet and tangy with a spicy finish.  I thought that I had the 1/8 tsp for the cayenne pepper, so I put in twice the amount that I wanted.  I enjoyed the spice, but it was a little too much for the wife.  So next time I will double the recipe but not the cayenne.  Unless, I am just making it for the guys.

                 
Final Grade: B+