subject: What Is Your Key Barbecue Sauce Ingredient? [print this page] There is an age-old question about what makes the perfect barbecue sauce, or even what the main ingredient should be. From Kansas City to Houston, California to the Carolina coast, people seem to agree to disagree on the subject. Never has such a wide variance been such a topic when dealing with any other condiment. Everyone agrees that tomato is the main ingredient of Ketchup, or mustard seeds for mustard. Even Mayonnaise cannot really be disputed, nor the variable recipes for relish either. But grilling sauces are so numerous and of so many distinct flavors that the debate rages on.
In the Carolinas the key element in many of the sauces is vinegar. It could be malt vinegar, red wine vinegar, or some other variation, but these sauces originate with German immigrants who settled in the region, and the vinegar base carries over from their original sauces. A vinegar based barbecue sauce is unique, regionally distinctive, and flavorful as well.
The big dog in the barbecue sauce arena is the Kansas City style sauce. Tomato based, sweetened with molasses, brown sugar, or honey, and Americas best selling kind of sauce. Nobody can dispute these sauces as they are on every shelf in every grocery store in America.
Texas style sauces are generally used with beef, and the smoky flavor of the wood used in the coals is the key element. Some claim mesquite is the answer to all the problems of the world, while others will stake their meats, barbecue sauce, and their reputation on hickory. There have even been some meats slow cooked using apple or cherry wood.
In California they do things a little different, and the elements of barbecue sauce out west are no different. Asian influence is heavy with grilling sauces here, and also the tastes of the Pacific Islands. Pineapple, mango, or even coconut will be the main ingredient is some sauces, as well as soy sauce or even Jalapeno peppers. Nothing is too outrageous for a tropical or Asian inspired grilling sauce.
Ultimately, it seems, nobody will eventually be able to determine the one dominant ingredient in barbecue sauce. With flavors and blends of so many varieties, a conclusion or answer to the question remains to be that there is no single answer. So, whatever your choice is for your favorite sauce, get the grill fired up, get the meat ready to go, and enjoy.
