Chewing the fat…
Back in North Carolina, I once opened a sermon by telling those in the congregation I was about to present them with a heavy laden theological question. A few ears perked up, some of which belonged to the senior minister as I’m sure he thought, “Oh Lord, what’s Justin gonna say now?”
I then went on to pose the question every North Carolinian has to have an answered for; are you in favor of tomato based BBQ sauce or do you prefer vinegar? The ice breaker got the chuckles I was desiring and I got plenty of feedback after the service from those who came to shake my hand. Near the end of the fellowship line I spotted the Minister of Education. A seasoned pastor and theological powerhouse in Baptist thought, he came over and commended me on the joke, and then promptly told me that neither sauce could hold a candle to Alabama barbecue. No need to guess where he grew up.
Like denominations, barbecue and the sauce that accompanies it, come in a variety of “flavors.” In North Carolina, the state is split with the western portion being prone to enjoy tomato while the eastern part of the state longs for the tangy kick of vinegar. There’s “Lexington style” too, but that’s a conversation for another day. About the only doctrine held by both sides is that BBQ must be from the hog and plated in the categories of “pulled, chopped, or sliced.”
Of course this is regionalism and local pride at it’s finest. Travel down to South Carolina and you’ll find a mustard based sauce. Tennessee does it’s own thing, with Memphis championing a dry rub. Texas is where brisket is king and from what I’ve gathered those folk tend to push back against any sauce-slathering on their meats. Alabama has a famous “Come Back Sauce” for their BBQ made with mayonnaise (I’ve had some ribs at the famous Dream Land Barbecue and they were legit!), Kansas City in Missouri has a sweet sauce they favor, and the list could keep on going…
Whether it is sauce or rub that makes the dish shine a little brighter, the point is folks have preferences and methods in how they BBQ…and cooking hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill ain’t it. Utter that to pit master and it’s considered heresy.
So for today’s offering, I’m going to pass along a BBQ sauce recipe that I’ve altered a bit from Tupelo Honey Cafe. For me its a solid all around sauce. I haven’t marinated with it yet, but I’ve slapped it on everything from fried chicken thighs and breast to drizzling it on ground beef tortillas. As you’ll see I go a little hard with the heat, but there’s room for adjustment if your palate, or stomach, demands less.
Ingredients: This recipe makes just over 3 cups of sauce
Half cup firmly packed brown sugar, half cup diced sweet onion, 3-4 large cloves of garlic (finely diced), 1-2 jalapeno peppers (finely diced), half cup apple cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 Cups of ketchup, half cup of sorghum syrup (molasses can be substituted), tsp of hot pepper sauce, half a cup of root beer, tsp of lemon juice, and a tsp of each…sea salt, ground pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, ground cumin, coriander, and dry mustard. If you happen to have any…some hatch pepper powder does wonders.
EVERYTHING goes in the pot at once, so grab you a good sized one. The one I use might be a bit overkill, but a large pot for me is a safe bet. Combine everything with big swooping stirs and set your burner to a higher heat. Bring it to a boil and then back off on the heat so that its at a nice simmer, for me this is somewhere in the medium-low range. Let this go on for about 30-40 minutes uncovered, stirring here and there. During this time don’t be afraid to taste! Does it need more heat? Add more chili powder, red pepper flakes, or whatever you think is missing. This is where you’re looking to complete the seasoning process so doing your dialing in now.
When the taste is where you want it and it’s simmered for at least half an hour, remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Once it has, grab yourself a nice large mason jar or a few small ones and transfer the sauce. Toss in the fridge.
A large container like this for my house will last up to about 2-3 weeks before its gone.
One Last Chew…
Some folks get pretty territorial over cooking processes and sauce flavors. I’m not exempt from this either. My spouse once told me that years ago during a flight she’d picked up a magazine on the plane and saw a “letters to the editors” section where a Texan wrote, “Folks in NC couldn’t BBQ their way out of a paper bag.”
Every time I tell that story there’s a part of me that chuckles and a part of me that rages, “how dare he?!?”
The truth of the matter is I’ve never met an expression of BBQ that I didn’t like. As long as it was cooked with a bit of history and some tradition I’ve found value in it. I mentioned Dream Land BBQ in Alabama earlier and I still remember their “free appetizer” as I sat waiting for my order of ribs; a small plate of twangy sauce with a couple of pieces of sliced white bread. It was delicious. It wasn’t NC BBQ, it wasn’t home, but it was delicious.
My point is, be it BBQ or even other expressions of faith outside of one’s practiced own, there’s opportunity to discover value and appreciate the diversity in different groups. When you find meaning in another, don’t view it as abandoning your own, but instead expanding what you already know.
The complicated Baptist faith is what I consider my “home base. It’s where I start from. NC BBQ is too. But, and I’m pretty sure I’m paraphrasing this idea from the NakedPastor, I have a lot of other camps I travel to where I find sustenance that feeds my faith.
For me it all comes back to reciprocity. I’m always looking to share my sauce or faith with those looking to share theirs with me. Jesus’ describes something similar in both Matthew’s Gospel account in chapter 10 and in Luke’s too. Reciprocity is possible when both parties are “people of peace.”
With that thought in mind, maybe…just maybe, I’d be willing to let that comment from a Texas BBQ fan go in the hopes we could one day swap brisket for a chopped BBQ plate. That’s my hope any way.
Cheers,
~tBSB