In this week’s edition, I wrote about the Texas Tailgate competition and fundraiser coming to the Design District this Sunday. To get you in the mood for it, I decided to offer up a recipe for your own tailgate staple: barbecue sauce. This one is made with Leprechaun Cider (one of the sponsors of the Tailgate event, and one of my new favorite beverages — yum!). Get cooking!
Ingredients:
3 medium Vidalia onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup salted butter
1 bay leaf
24 oz. yomato paste
2 bottles Leprechaun Dry Cider
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp ground yellow mustard
1 Tbsp ground celery seed
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp Maldon smoked sea salt
1 Tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup grade B maple syrup
¼ cup blackstrap molasses
¼ cup Sriracha
¼ cup worcestershire sauce
Making it:
In a heavy bottomed pot, melt butter with onions, bay leaf and garlic until they begin to soften (5-10 minutes), then remove. Meanwhile, stage the other ingredients near the stove. Remove bay leaf before moving on.
Add tomato paste first, stirring together with the onions. Mixture should be hard to stir and will begin to stick to the sides of the pot. We want to create a little browning to the tomato paste. After an additional 5 minutes, add cider and cider vinegar and let sizzle for a minute before stirring to combine. Reduce heat and add all of the remaining ingredients. Stir as you go to prevent clumping. Cover and simmer for an hour. Add more cider if the mixture feels too thick.
After an hour, remove from heat. Transfer in batches to a high-powered blender or food processor to puree. Return to a clean pot on the stove and taste test. Use your intuition to add ingredients to best suit the sauce and your taste (salt, maple, thickness, etc.).
Transfer to clean glass storage containers or squeeze bottles.
Store for at least 24 hours before use — flavors develop over time.
RECIPE: Dry cider barbecue sauce and marinade
