summers on the way so its bbq time and you will need a sauce

like any other food item bbq sauce is personal and something that everyone has something to say about it. fact is, there is no right or wrong bbq sauce, only what you prefer. some like mop sauces and other like dipping sauces. mop sauces goes on while you are cooking the food, and dipping sauces are used after the fact. further, the sauce has nothing to do with what you will rub, marinate, or season the food with first.

i have tried a lot of sauces, both homemade and store bought. here is the recipe that i have developed to my taste and i use it for many applications. in concept it is a dipping sauce or condiment, but it can also be used to moisten sliced/roasted or smoked/pulled meats.

you can substitute some of the ingredients for others of you choosing. for example: dijon mustard instead of yellow mustard, or margarine instead of butter. but the one ingredient that i think is imperative is the apple cider vinegar. without, this sauce is like any other tomato based american style bbq sauce.


NOTES: 

1. this makes a lot of sauce, so if you want, you can reduce all quantities proportionately and make less of the same. but if you don't, you will have some to give to friends. :-)
2. the slower and longer you cook this the thicker it will become and the more intense the flavor, too.
3. printable version is here.

THE ULTIMATE AMERICAN STYLE BARBECUE SAUCE
STEP ONE
USE A HEAVY BOTTOMED NON-REACTIVE POT ~ MEANING NOT ALUMINUM. SWEAT TILL CLEAR:
UNSALTED BUTTER	2 CUPS
VEGETABLE OIL	¾ CUP
ONION, CHOPPED	5 LARGE
GARLIC	6 PIECES OR MORE - UP2U
STEP TWO
ADD AND SIMMER UNTIL THICKENED / REDUCED:
KETCHUP	6 CUPS
CIDER VINEGAR	½ CUP
YELLOW  MUSTARD	½ CUP
CHILLI SAUCE or TOBASCO	¼ CUP
WATER	½ GALLON
BROWN or PALM SUGAR	4 CUPS
BLACK PEPPER	TO TASTE
HUNGARIAN PAPRIKA	TO TASTE
WATCH POINTS: 1.    DO NOT BOIL, SIMMER. THIS WILL PREVENT SCORCHING AND BURNING OF BOTH THE SAUCE AND THE COOK!   DO NOT COVER, IT WILL NOT THICKEN OR REDUCE. USE A SPATTER SCREEN IF YOU HAVE ONE. 2.    STORE IN NON-REACTIVE CONTAINERS, EITHER GLASS OR PLASTIC. RECYCLED WATER BOTTLES ARE VERY GOOD FOR THIS PURPOSE. 3.    IF YOU INSIST ON PUTTING THIS SAUCE ON FOOD WHILE IT IS COOKING, USE SMALL AMOUNTS, AVOID DIRECT FLAME, AND COOK LOW AND SLOW. THE SUGAR WILL CARMELIZE AND THEN BLACKEN IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL. 4.    ALSO GOOD ON ANYTHING YOU WOULD PUT KETCHUP ON. GREAT WITH FRIES, HOT DOGS AND HAMBURGERS, STEAK, GRILLED CHICKEN, ETC.

TGIF, didn't cook for anyone, ate out twice ...

once or twice a week i do not cook lunch for myself or the the others, and we order in or i pick something up. today i went out to the street vendors and picked up some "khao man gai", khao = rice, man = fat and gai = chicken, basically it is chicken and rice thai style.

the chickens are boiled or steamed in water with very little added, usually just some winter melon, but not much else. the rice is twice cooked in a special preparation making it very tasty and glossy. the chicken is boneless breast meat, smacked with the broad side of a knife and then thinly sliced. the broth is served on the side, and the "nam chin" or sauce, is a "siew", or soya based sauce with chili added. it is not a fiery hot chili, but a mellow tasty one.

one true testament to the popularity and the simplicity and elegance of this dish is how many links i discovered when i was searching for stuff to tie into this article. here are four good reasons why this is such a popular dish:

1. http://www.bangkokrecorder.com/magazine/bangkok-life/cheap-eats---khao-man-gai-487.html
2. http://www.thailandmusings.com/thai-food-recipes/khao-man-gai-thai-chicken-and-rice/
3. http://www.simply-thai.com/thai-food-recipes-khao-man-gai.htm
4. http://importfood.com/recipes/tchickenandrice.html

i picked up mine on pridi soi 3 in the phra khanong district, an awesome street for true thai tastes. phra khanong being a middle or working-class neighborhood has an abundance of good, cheap thai food of every variety. there are a few random vendors during the day, but as the afternoon shifts into evening, they come up and line the street for blocks in 4 directions. 'n' the bes' thang is, they are open until early morning in order to cater to the night workers who drift back into the neighborhood after all the entertainment venues shut down around 2 am.

khao man gai.
usually for just 30 thai baht/$1 usd
this is an order that was made "pee-set", special.
it contains 50% more chicken and double on the broth.
and, the rice is simply "khao suay", steamed, i'm trying to cut down on the fat.
i paid 40 thb/$1.30 usd - right, 30% more cost, yet 50% more food.

we also get off work a tad early on friday's, so after i had enjoyed a few beers with a good friend i was feeling a bit hungry again. so i trapsed on over to sukhumvit soi3/1 and had a bite a sherazade, an egyptian restaurant that i think ranks so high on my list, that none other actually comes close. and that is regardless of cuisine, meal time, service, ambiance, or any other factor you would care to apply. if you told me i could only eat in one restaurant for the rest of my life, it would be sherazade.

tonight i had a fantastically moist bar-b-qued leg of lamb, specifically it was the rear shank or lower leg portion. some perfectly prepared garlicky babaganoush, and a plate of egyptian feta cheese. what sets the cheese apart form other fetas available in bkk is the fact that it has the texture of marscapone, it is not too salty, and it is packed in a uht type paper and wax-coated box. not a tin or plastic. i think that, in and of itself, helps this cheese be all that it can be. i swiped all of the lamb from the bone and the cheese and the 'noush with my fingers and 2 light-as-air chapatis that were made to order.

again, simplicty and elegance, and all for just a little over $12 usd.

sorry, i was in such a rush to eat this delicacy i started before i thought to take the pic.
check out the texture of the cheese.
granted i added a tablespoon of olive oil to it, but still, creeeeeeeee-mee!
note the pocket in the chapati, perfection. nothing beats fresh bread with any meal.

the all important fire.
anything cooked over this pit that burns locally pressed charcoal is dee-lish.
the tikka and kofta are also highly recommended here.