BBQ Sauce Ideas to Rule the Grill

If you are looking for an edge when you are grilling. Then you need to look at what you are adding to your meat. Here’s some simple BBQ sauce ideas you can use to rule the grill.

When you’re making a sauce, you should always think about balance: if its too spicy, a hit of sweetness will cool things off:

If it’s too salty, a splash of acid will keep the sodium from numbing your taste buds. Mix and match items from each of these flavor groups, then taste and adjust. You can’t go wrong.

BBQ Sauce Ideas to Rule The Grill

Sweet

Tomato sauce, honey or honey mustard, brown sugar, maple syrup, hoisin sauce.

Salty

Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, white miso paste, smooth peanut butter.

Acid

Vinegar (red, white, rice wine, balsamic or cider are your best bests), lemon, lime and orange juice.

Spicy

Chill sauces, Dijon mustard, minced canned chipotle chilies, cayenne pepper.

Try adding some smoke

For something a little different, it falls a little out side of the normal BBQ sauce Ideas, but where there’s smoke there’s flavor

If you’re cooking with timber, you need to choose the right wood for your meal the same way you’d choose a wine: the stronger the dish, the more intense the wood flavour can be.

Mesquite

This intense wood works best for robust, hearty meats, like pork chops, chicken wings and burgers. (Beef and lamb charcoal companion).

Apple wood

These tight scented woods are best for delicate proteins like chicken breast and salmon steaks.

Hickory

Its assertive aroma makes It the chip of choice for pork and ribs.

Really want to kick up the flavor when you’re BBQ’ing, try adding herbs for really unusual BBQ Sauce ideas

Adding A hit of herbs

Fresh or dried ?

Fresh herbs are brighter and more delicate than dried, so always add them towards the end of cooking. Since dried herbs are potent and their flavors are released in heat, add them early. If your out of the fresh stuff ? swap a scant teaspoon of dried herbs for each teaspoon of fresh.

Your basic brine and beyond

For a simple brine that works and protein, combine sight cups of water with half a cup of rock or sea salt and half a cup of light-brown sugar in a large pot.

Heat the mixture on high, stirring occasionally, just until the salt and sugar dissolve. Let the brine cool completely before using. Pour it into a large resealable container and add your protein of choice.

But why stop at a basic brine, with this simple mixture as your base, you can add flavor with apple juice, honey and chilies, garlic cloves bay leaves orange peel, peppercorns and/or rosemary, to name a few.

No matter what you use to flavor your liquid, make sure the brine covers the protein completely so it can penetrate evenly, and always keep both brine and protein covered and refrigerated.

If you go to the trouble of adding some flavor to your BBQ, you’ve got the best cuts of meat. Why not do something different with your buns.

How to toast your buns

Slide a warm, juicy burger onto a cold bread and you’re missing out on the crunch of a well-toasted bun.

Time the toast

You don’t want to toast your buns before cooking the burgers or they’ll sit out and lose heat. Toast the buns while your cooked burgers are resting.

Find your Zone

Direct, high heat is best. If you’re barbecuing, find a clean selection of the grate. If you’re using a griddle pan, wipe of the burger grease before toasting.

Fire fast

Placed the bun halves on the barbecue, open side down with a light smear of softened butter. Cook until the edges are crispy but before the bun blackens.

The finishing touch for decent BBQ sauce ideas, is to do something a little cheeky, try these quick 3 little zingers

Coriander Chimichurri

This simple South American sauce adds freshness to grilled meats. In a food processor or blender, combine 1 cup of coriander leaves, 1/2 a cup of olive oil. 1/2 of a cup of lime juice, 2 garlic cloves and 1/2 a teaspoon each of chilli flakes and salt. Pulse the ingredients until finely chopped.

Spicy Chilli sauce

Smear on this hot and sweet sauce during barbecuing for an extra layoff of heat, or use it for dipping at the table. (Have a beer nearby to extinguish the chilli heat.) To make it, stir together 1/2 of a cup of Asian chilli sauce with 1/2 of a cup of maple syrup and mix in 2 finely chopped spring onions.

Easy Lemon Aioli

This French mayonnaise adds a creamy kick to kebabs. To make it in minutes use a shortcut: a jar of shop-bought mayo. Whisk together 1/2 a cup of olive oil mayonnaise with 1 finely chopped garlic clove, 1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Tags: Barbecue, Barbecue ideas, BBQ, BBQ Sauce Ideas