Carolina Vinegar BBQ!

rfalias

I need a good sauce recipe.

# 1 cup cider vinegar
# 1 tablespoon salt
# 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
# 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
# 1 tablespoon brown sugar

That's what I did, minus red pepper flakes cause I didn't have any.

I did it all cold, but realized sugar and salt were never going to dissolve and warmed it up enough to dissolve it.

Is there a better way to do the classic carolina vinegar? I've got a shit load of pulled chicken that I want to make good!

I've googlefu'd some, but that one so far has been the best. Is there a Good Eats on this subject?

Chanus

Grape jelly (try different flavors) instead of the brown sugar adds a nice twist to the flavor... or even try using molasses instead of the sugar.

You definitely want to mix it together by cooking it to marry the flavors.

I want to say there is a Good Eats episode on barbecue.


From a totally different (Mexican) angle (I don't have a recipe, I tend to cook to taste... so... yeah):

Stew the chicken for 10 minutes or so (bring it to boiling and then turn it down to a simmer) in:

Water
Cumin
Garlic
Cilantro
Lime juice
Cayenne pepper

rfalias

Well I made two batches so far. One with the above recipe and one with guinness reduced in a sauce pan...
I like both, but still am looking for more ideas.
Is it always necessary to reduce them?
What about other (odd) ingredients that make unique sauces?

Chanus

Reduce them is a good way to thicken the sauce (as opposed to using something like a corn starch slurry), and it also brings out the flavors.

You could try different flavors of the peppers as well, like chipotle instead of cayenne.

EggyToast

Some people chuck mustard into carolina sauce (even the ones that aren't all mustard). Cumin adds a little spice without necessarily heat.

If you're asking for experimenting, I'll sometimes add a dash of cinnamon or a dash of nutmeg to sauces like this. Just a little bit, to make it interesting and new, rather than a heavy flavor, but they usually work out pretty well.

I also tend to use high quality white vinegar over cider vinegar, because the tang is a lot stronger.