|
Written by J. Donavan Stanley
|
|
Monday, 28 April 2008 |
|
In the United States barbecue sauces are as diverse as the states themselves. It's amazing how something so seemingly concrete turns out to in fact be an abstract concept. Barbecue sauce simply means "sauce that you put on barbecue". A good portion of the US would probably describe either a Kansas City style or a Memphis style sauce if you ask them to describe barbecue sauce but there's a plethora of options out there. Even the regional styles are further subdivided, "I'll have the north-west Texas on my ribs please" sheesh!
- Alabama – Features vinegar and pepper base in the northern counties; tomato/ketchup base with Mediterranean influences in the Birmingham area; sharper, unsweetened tomato/vinegar blend in the western counties around Tuscaloosa; mustard-based in the Chattahoochee River valley in the eastern part of the state; a special white mayonnaise and black pepper-based sauce is used on chicken in the area around Decatur.
- Arkansas – Has a thin vinegar and tomato base, spiced with pepper and slightly sweetened by molasses.
- Georgia – Much of the state favors a ketchup base flavored with the likes of garlic, onion, black pepper, brown sugar, and occasionally bourbon; South Carolina-like mustard sauce found in areas around Savannah and Columbus.
- Hawaiian - Sweet and sour in a tomato base featuring, pineapple along with other tropical fruits.
- Kansas City – Is a thick, reddish-brown, tomato-based sauce with molasses. It's a toss-up between Kansas City and Mephis styles for who's #1 but I'd wager if you asked the average Joe to describe a barbecue sauce they'd describe one of the two.
- Memphis - Memphis sauces occupy the middle ground between other styles. Based on tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar and spices, but not too thick, these blends provide moderate amounts of sweet, heat, and tang, with a lot of flavor.
- North Carolina – Has three major types corresponding to region: Eastern (vinegar with pepper flakes), Piedmont (tomato-based with vinegar), and Western (tomato-based and thicker)
- South Carolina – Mustard-based (central, Low Country regions of state), vinegar and black pepper (Pee Dee region), light or thick tomato (Upstate region)
- St. Louis – Is generally tomato-based, thinned with vinegar, sweet and spicy; it is not as sweet and thick as Kansas City-style barbecue sauce, nor as spicy-hot and thin as Texas-style
- Texas – In eastern Texas you'll find sweeter sauce with less chili bite. Mainly ketchup based with Worcestershire based. As you move further west you find more hot chilies and cumin and the sauce gets less sweet.
|
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 28 April 2008 )
|
