B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
HOME & LIVING
TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021
Boozy barbecue sauces
6 scrumptious
recipes to make
all summer long
By BEN MIMS
Los Angeles Times
During the past year,
I turned to a daily cock-
tail (or two) to help get
through the pandemic (just
me?). I experimented with
syrups and bitters, per-
fected my orange twist and
went through many bottles
of booze. But now that the
world is opening back up
again — and we can fi nally
meet up for drinks made by
other people and enjoyed
with other people — all that
booze needs to be put to
good use.
As it happens, my col-
league Lisa McRee, anchor
of Spectrum’s “L.A. Times
Today,” emailed me back at
the beginning of May to say
she had the same problem
and to ask for advice on
what she should do with all
the excess liquor she had
in her bar. So I made plans
to go to Lisa’s home to
spend the day cooking and
talking about how she likes
to entertain to get a sense of
what we might do with the
“leftovers.”
As it turns out, Lisa is a
sauce queen. From barbecue
sauces to herb relishes,
spicy salsas and everything
in between, Lisa likes to
make a few diff erent sauces
to keep on hand so that
when guests come over,
either planned or unan-
nounced, she can grill up
some ribs, chops or veggies
and serve a fl avorful dinner.
It’s a no-stress method of
entertaining that takes a lot
of work off the host while
also allowing guests to cus-
tomize the food to fi t their
taste or dietary practice of
the moment.
So, to fi t with her enter-
taining ethos and because
it’s summertime and more
and more people will be
having backyard barbe-
cues and get-togethers, I
immersed myself in using
that leftover booze to create
lots of fl avorful sauces —
using the alcohols’ distinct
fl avors and aromas to com-
plement those of the other
ingredients — that you can
make now and keep in your
fridge the whole summer to
use at a moment’s notice.
For my Jack-and-Coke
BBQ Sauce, good old-fash-
ioned whiskey adds a dry
punch to a traditional ketch-
up-and-vinegar-based sauce
sweetened with cola and
caramelized onions. In the
same vein, but with a twist,
my Stone Fruit & Scotch
BBQ Sauce gets its sweet-
ness from peach preserves
(you can use plum, apricot
or cherry too) and is bal-
anced with the smoky tinge
of blended Scotch.
If you love honey mus-
tard, then try my Golden
Honey Mustard Sauce With
Rum and Turmeric, which
uses the punch of rum for
a more complex sweet-
ness that is balanced with
the earthy kick (and vibrant
color) of ground turmeric.
The sweetness of
bourbon works with the
heat of fresh chiles and
a complex mix of warm
spices to bring harmony to
the Moroccan-Spiced BBQ
Sauce from Zuzu, a Span-
ish-inspired restaurant in
Napa. (It is Lisa’s favorite
sauce.)
Expanding beyond
smooth sauces, my Pine-
apple Chutney With Mezcal
and Vanilla Bean utilizes
the booze’s tell-tale smoki-
ness to add character to the
tropical sweetness of pine-
apple and vanilla bean, pod
and all. And my favorite
condiment gets a south-
of-the-border makeover in
Tomatillo & Tequila Chow-
chow. The relish, typically
made with green tomatoes
and bell peppers with lots of
vinegar and sugar, instead
uses tart, fi rm tomatillos
and serrano and habanero
chiles for plenty of heat.
Sweet at fi rst, then spicy at
the end, the earthy agave
liquor seamlessly blends
each fl avor with the next.
I had Lisa try all the
sauces, and we discussed
the best ways to serve them
(you can go to latimes.
com/food to watch that
video). Some are more tra-
ditional barbecue sauces
— sweet and tangy and
spicy — meant for brushing
on grilling chicken or
splashing on hearty pulled
pork, while others are rel-
ishes meant for spooning
onto cooked meat, seafood
and veggies or using as a
spread on the sandwiches
you’ll make with all the
leftovers. Because once you
make these sauces, you’ll
fi nd plenty of excuses to use
them, whether your bar is
stocked or not.
JACK-AND-
COKE
BARBECUE
SAUCE
Time: 45 minutes
Yields: Makes 3 cups
The sweetness of cola and
whiskey are the ideal foundation
for a complexly layered barbecue
sauce that works brilliantly as a
rib glaze as well as a sauce to pass
around the table for slathering
over grilled chicken, pulled pork
or slices of brisket. Be careful
to stir the onions often so they
brown evenly but don’t burn.
Otherwise, they’ll make the sauce
bitter.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 tablespoons double-
concentrate tomato paste
2 large garlic cloves, fi nely grated
2/3 cup whiskey
2/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons
Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon Diamond
Crystal kosher salt
1 bottle or can (12 ounces) Coca-
Cola, preferably Mexican
1. Heat the oil in a small sauce-
pan over medium-high heat. Add
the onions and cook, stirring, until
soft and evenly browned at the
edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the
tomato paste and garlic and cook,
stirring to combine both with the
onions, for 30 seconds. Pour in the
whiskey, bring to a boil and cook
until reduced to a thick sauce, 2 to
3 minutes.
2. Add the ketchup, vinegar,
brown sugar, Worcestershire, salt
and soda, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to maintain a
steady simmer and cook, stirring
occasionally, until reduced by
about a third and thickened, 15 to
20 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the
heat and pour the sauce into a
bowl. Let the sauce cool to room
temperature, then transfer to an
airtight container and refrigerate
until ready to use.
Make Ahead:
Refrigerate the sauce in an
airtight container for up to one
month.
STONE FRUIT
& SCOTCH BBQ
SAUCE
Time: 25 minutes
Yields: Makes 2 2/3 cups
This tomato-based barbecue
sauce uses peach preserves to
add a fruity sweetness (you can
also use apricot, plum or cherry),
balanced by the light smokiness
of Scotch, while whole peeled
tomatoes add acidity and tang.
Brush the sauce on pork ribs or
chicken, but also try it on salmon
fi llets or swordfi sh.
1/2 cup blended Scotch
1/2 cup chunky stone fruit
jam (see note above)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
(not “blackstrap”)
1/2 teaspoon Diamond
Crystal kosher salt
1 can (15 ounces) whole
peeled tomatoes,
preferably fi re-roasted
1. Bring the Scotch to a boil in
a small saucepan and cook until
reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
Pour in the remaining ingredients,
crushing the tomatoes with your
hand as you add them or with a
spoon or potato masher in the
pan, and return to a boil. Reduce
the heat to maintain a steady
simmer and cook, stirring occa-
sionally, until reduced slightly and
thickened, about 15 minutes.
2. Remove the pan from the
heat and pour the sauce into a
blender, or use an immersion
blender, and purée until smooth.
Transfer the sauce to an airtight
storage container and let cool to
room temperature. Refrigerate
until ready to use.
Make Ahead:
Refrigerate the sauce in an air-
tight container for up to 1 month.
GOLDEN
HONEY
MUSTARD
SAUCE WITH
RUM AND
TURMERIC
Time: 20 minutes
Yields: Makes 2 1/2 cups
Bright yellow, spicy and earthy
all at once, ground turmeric adds
complexity to regular honey mus-
tard sauce, balanced here with
a splash of Worcestershire sauce
and golden rum. While it’s a great
dipping sauce for chicken tenders
or anything coming off the grill,
try it as a coating for chicken
wings or grilled vegetables and as
a marinade and grilling sauce for
tofu or veggie burgers.
2/3 cup gold rum
2/3 cup yellow mustard
2/3 cup Dijon mustard
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons packed
light brown sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Diamond
Crystal kosher salt
1. Bring the rum to a boil in a
small saucepan and cook until
reduced by half, about 2 to 2 1/2
minutes. Stir in the remaining
ingredients and bring to a simmer
over medium-high heat. Reduce
the heat to medium-low to main-
tain a gentle simmer and cook,
stirring occasionally, to marry
fl avors and thicken slightly, about
10 minutes.
2. Remove the pan from the
heat and let the sauce cool com-
pletely. Transfer the sauce to an
airtight container and refrigerate
at least 8 hours before serving.
Make Ahead:
Refrigerate the sauce in an air-
tight container for up to 1 month.
MOROCCAN-
SPICED
BARBECUE
SAUCE WITH
BOURBON
Time: 45 minutes
Yields: 2 1/4 cups
This intensely aromatic and spicy
sauce comes from Zuzu restaurant
in Napa, California, and is fi lled
with 20 ingredients, all of which
are essential to its fi nal fl avor.
Bourbon helps elevate the sweet-
ness of the ketchup and honey
to balance out the headiness of
the warm spices and fresh chiles.
Serve this sauce with lamb, game,
dark meat chicken or any other
protein that can match its bold
fl avor.
1 1/2 teaspoons whole
black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons whole
coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons whole
green cardamom pods
3/4 teaspoon whole cloves
3/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup bourbon
1 cup honey
1 cup ketchup
1 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons dried lavender
1 1/2 teaspoons whole green
peppercorns (if in brine, drain
and rinse before using)
3/4 teaspoon freshly
grated nutmeg
2 small serrano chiles, stem
removed, halved lengthwise
2 small garlic cloves,
roughly chopped
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled
and thinly sliced
1/4 bunch cilantro, leaves and
tender stems roughly chopped
1. Heat a medium saucepan
over medium-high heat. Add the
black peppercorns, coriander,
cardamom, cloves, cumin, star
anise and the cinnamon stick and
cook, stirring, until all the spices
are lightly toasted (look for the
cumin to turn a shade darker), 2 to
3 minutes.
2. Pour in the bourbon to
stop the spices from cooking; if
using a gas stove, remove the pot
from the heat beforehand so the
alcohol doesn’t catch fi re. Bring
the bourbon to a boil and cook
until reduced by half, 1 1/2 to 2
minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredi-
ents and return to a boil. Reduce
the heat to maintain a steady sim-
mer and cook, stirring occasion-
ally at the beginning and more
frequently toward the end, until
the sauce is reduced by about half
and is syrupy, about 30 minutes.
4. Pour the sauce through a fi ne
strainer into a bowl and let cool
to room temperature. Transfer the
sauce to an airtight container and
refrigerate until ready to use.
Adapted from Zuzu restaurant
in Napa, California.
Make Ahead:
Refrigerate the sauce in an
airtight container for up to one
month.
PINEAPPLE
CHUTNEY
WITH MEZCAL
AND VANILLA
BEAN
Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yields: Makes 2 1/2 cups
Major Grey’s chutney, the Indi-
an-infl uenced British condiment
typically made with mango,
serves as the inspiration for this
pineapple version, imbued with
fragrant vanilla bean and cut
through with smoky mezcal.
Bright lime, spicy ginger and the
mineral sweetness of golden
raisins add even more tropical
fragrance to the chunky sweet
condiment that’s best served over
smoked meats, grilled turkey or
chicken, salmon or grilled lobster
and shrimp.
1/2 whole vanilla bean
2/3 cup mezcal
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Diamond
Crystal kosher salt
1 pound peeled and cored
pineapple fl esh, cut into
1/4-inch dice (from half
of a large pineapple)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup fi nely chopped
fresh ginger
Christina House-Los Angeles Times/TNS
Cola is used as the sweetener in this whiskey-spiked barbecue sauce
based on the ketchup-y sauces beloved in the Midwest.
1 small yellow onion,
fi nely chopped
1 small garlic clove, fi nely grated
1/2 cinnamon stick
1. Using a paring knife, split the
vanilla bean pod in half length-
wise. Using the tip of the knife,
scrape out the seeds and transfer
them to a small bowl. Very thinly
slice the vanilla pod, then run your
knife through it a few times to
make sure it’s very fi nely minced.
Transfer the chopped pod to the
bowl as well.
2. Bring the mezcal to a boil
in a medium saucepan and cook
until reduced by half, 1 1/2 to 2
minutes. Stir in the vinegar, both
sugars, the lime juice and salt to
dissolve the sugar, then add the
reserved chopped vanilla bean
and its seeds, the pineapple,
raisins, ginger, onion, garlic and
cinnamon.
3. Place the pan over high heat,
cover and bring to a boil. Reduce
the heat to maintain a gentle sim-
mer and cook, stirring occasion-
ally, until the mixture is reduced,
almost all the liquid is gone and
the mixture is glossy and thick, 50
to 55 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the
heat and let the chutney cool
completely. Transfer the chutney
to an airtight storage container
and refrigerate at least 8 hours to
thicken before serving.
Make Ahead:
Refrigerate the chutney in
an airtight container for up to 1
month.
TOMATILLO
& TEQUILA
CHOWCHOW
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus 4
hours unattended
Yields: Makes 2 cups
The earthy salinity of tequila adds
depth to this sweet, tangy relish,
which uses tomatillos instead of
the typical green tomatoes, and
adds plenty of heat from serrano
and habanero chiles. Try to use
large tomatillos to make the
slicing quicker. This chowchow is
wonderful spooned onto grilled
meat, but even better paired with
grilled fi sh fi llets, oysters or on
sautéed crab cakes.
1 pound tomatillos
1 small white onion,
fi nely chopped
1 large serrano chile, stem
removed, minced
1 habanero chile, stem
removed, minced
4 teaspoons Diamond
Crystal kosher salt
2/3 cup tequila, preferably
reposado or blanco
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 small garlic cloves, fi nely grated
1. Remove the husks from the
tomatillos, then rinse them under
warm running water to remove
the sticky fi lm on the outside. Cut
each into 8 wedges, then thinly
slice the wedges crosswise to
create triangles. Transfer the sliced
tomatillos to a large bowl.
2. Add the onion, serrano and
habanero. Sprinkle the vegetables
with the salt and toss to combine.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap
and let sit at room temperature for
4 hours or refrigerate for 8 hours
or overnight.
3. Transfer the vegetables to
a large sieve set in the sink and
press to extract as much liquid as
possible, discarding the liquid.
4. While the vegetables drain,
bring the tequila to a boil in a
medium saucepan and cook
until reduced by half, about 1
minute. Stir in the sugar, vinegar
and garlic, then stir in the drained
vegetables.
5. Cover the pan and bring
the mixture to a boil. Reduce the
heat to maintain a gentle simmer
and cook, stirring occasionally,
until the vegetables are very soft,
almost all the liquid is gone and
the mixture looks glossy, 40 to 45
minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the
heat and let the chowchow
cool completely. Transfer the
chowchow to an airtight storage
container and refrigerate for at
least 8 hours to thicken before
serving.
Make Ahead:
Refrigerate the chowchow in
an airtight container for up to 1
month.
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