Larry Eustis' BBQ Sauce
Spicy, Smooth and Pungent
- Servings: Makes about 2 pints of sauce.
Larry Eustis is a New Orleans native who knows his barbeque. This recipe was passed down from his mother, Kate Eustis, but Larry has perfected its high notes with a sauce that combines heat, acid and flavor. He says it's meant for pork but it's also ideal for chicken or game birds like duck.
Remember when cooking with a BBQ sauce like this to start cooking your meat without the sauce, adding it after your meat or poultry is cooked about half-way. If you don't, because the sauce includes sugar, it will burn before your meat is fully cooked. The recipe calls for "onion juice" which simply means to cut a yellow or white onion in half and squeeze out the liquid to add onion flavor without any texture. If you don't use it all right away, the sauce can be refrigerated or frozen. Because of the butter in the recipe, if the sauce has been chilled you'll need to re-heat it before using so as to reincorporate the butter into the other ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter
- 1 pint ketchup
- 1 pint white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Tabasco
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1 tablespoon onion juice
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with the heel of a large knife
- Cayenne pepper and black pepper to taste (you can start with about 1/8 teaspoon of each and go from there)
- 2 teaspoons salt
Directions
- Put all the ingredients into a large saucepan.
- Bring to a boil and boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Reduce heat to a very low simmer and simmer for a half-hour.
- Use immediately or else refrigerate until ready to use. Re-warm and stir the sauce before applying to whatever you're cooking.
Tip: Onion juice is made by cutting a yellow onion in half, adding a few more cuts to release its liquid, and then squeeze the juice into a small bowl to collect it. Watch your eyes as the fumes will probably cause tears!
