espresso bbq sauce

Thinking back to when I was growing up, BBQ sauce was something I liked but didn’t love. I think the UK had one main type of bbq sauce, and it was very one dimensional. However, upon extensively exploring the USA and the different barbecue styles, I have discovered that there is a heck of a lot more to bbq sauce than I could ever have imagined. From the sweet and smoky style sauces you find in Texas and Kansas to vinegar heavy sauces in North Carolina and the mustard based varieties in South Carolina, there is a real plethora of tastes and style to explore.

This is way more in the realm of a Texas/Kansas style sauce due to the sweet, tangy, smoky flavour of it, but I’ve also added a little spin by adding some espresso to the mix. IT’s a great sauce to use as a dip for chips or pizza crusts, but can also be used as a baste or a mop when cooking briskets, ribs or chicken.

Feel free to adapt to your hearts content. You can scale most of the ingredients up or down depending on your taste preferences, this is just my favourite variation after a bunch of trials and iterations.

 
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for the sauce

350g ketchup

75ml white vinegar

75ml apple cider vinegar

75ml dark soy sauce

3 garlic cloves

1 onion

125g dark brown sugar

100g smoked bacon

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp hot sauce

1 tsp paprika

75ml fresh espresso

black pepper

50g butter

1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

method

  1. Start by chopping up the bacon, dicing the onion and crushing the garlic.

  2. Bring a large saucepan up to a medium heat and cook the bacon until it starts to brown and give off some fat.

  3. Add the onion and garlic, then cook until they soften.

  4. Add in the vinegars and scrape the bottom to deglaze the pan.

  5. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the butter and espresso.

  6. Stir and cook until the flavours mellow and the sauce starts to thicken. You’ll know when this happens as the vinegar will stop filling your nose, and the sauce tastes sweet and sticky.

  7. Add the butter and espresso and stir until they are all incorporated.

  8. Use a blender to make the sauce lovely and smooth.

  9. Let it cool, then store in a sealable bottle in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.