Embarking on a mission to copy a sauce I once had

[HaziPalinka]

Hey guys and gals, not sure if I've ever posted. I've been smoking a bit here and there on a GMG. The other day I had the best ribs of my life. The sauce was sweet, but not the usual thick bbq sauce that you typically see. They were also spicy with a habanero flavor to them and an amazingly crunchy bark.

Anyhow, I am on a mission to copy this sauce. Unfortunately, when I asked the server to find out the recipe, she came back with a big negative. The only thing she said is that it has beer in it. Interesting, but not much help :(

I assume this is too difficult, but taking a chance and wondering if its possible to identify at least the base of this sauce. If any of you fine connoisseurs of sauce have any idea what could be in this, I'd be happy to take all suggestions and trial-and-error it until I hit it, and then I'll share on the forum for all to enjoy.

Any help or advice on how to go about copying this one-taste event is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[BandCollector]

Not quite sure what you are asking. There are thousands of sauces and to randomly guess at the one you are seeking to duplicate would involve astronomical odds.

My suggestion would be to search here on the forum for sauces ( many members have graciously shared their recipes), try the ones you think you would like , and then tweak them to your liking.

Restaurants are usually very sensitive about giving out their recipes.

Besides, experimenting is all part of the fun!

John

 

[Steve H]

Where did you buy them? Store name, location, is a good start.

 

[chef jimmyj]

What color was it? Other flavors like Vinegar, Mustard, Tomato? Any noticeable Herbs or spices? Anything else you remember will help...JJ

 

[HaziPalinka]

great lead! thanks for all the questions. I was really just asking about what the base of the sauce could be. Upon further research I think this is really more of a glaze than a bbq sauce, and likely not a ketchup base, rather vinegar and beer based.

It was at the Brewster Beer Garden in Petaluma, CA. It was rather translucent on the plate, but the bark was very dark, almost black. There may have been a bit of a tamarin flavor to it, but not sure. The heat reminded me of habanero.

I think I will try a recipe with ingredients of a Bock or Porter style beer, vinegar (not sure what kind, maybe cider?), sugar (either white or dark brown), onion, garlic, salt, and for the hot sauce I'm undecided as of yet. I think it was habanero or shriracha. Don't ask how I could mistake the two. :)

Do you guys think this recipe would get me a translucent glaze with a nice dark colored bark like the one in the picture?

 

[chef jimmyj]

Your off to a good start. Did the sauce have meaty flavor? The sheen and consistency looks like a heavily reduce stock loaded with gelatin. Could also be thickened with Corn Starch or Arrow Root...JJ

 

[gmc2003]

Possibly a beer reduction based sauce with added spices. Possibly garlic, onion etc...

Chris

 

[forktender]

Hey guys and gals, not sure if I've ever posted. I've been smoking a bit here and there on a GMG. The other day I had the best ribs of my life. The sauce was sweet, but not the usual thick bbq sauce that you typically see. They were also spicy with a habanero flavor to them and an amazingly crunchy bark.

Anyhow, I am on a mission to copy this sauce. Unfortunately, when I asked the server to find out the recipe, she came back with a big negative. The only thing she said is that it has beer in it. Interesting, but not much help :(

I assume this is too difficult, but taking a chance and wondering if its possible to identify at least the base of this sauce. If any of you fine connoisseurs of sauce have any idea what could be in this, I'd be happy to take all suggestions and trial-and-error it until I hit it, and then I'll share on the forum for all to enjoy.

Any help or advice on how to go about copying this one-taste event is appreciated.

Thanks!

Do they sell bottles of their sauce to go?
I guess that reading the the back of the bottle would be way to easy........lol
I'll have to stop in next time I'm on my way out to bodega, never heard of the place thanks for the tip. I live in the east bay area but fish out of Bodega pretty often. I use to be up there a lot more when Abalone season was still open, it kills me that we can't Ab dive anymore, it's such a joke, this whole state is a joke really. I can't wait to escape from this dump of a state.

 

[Hawging It]

Hope you have success on your venture! Let us know.

 

[johnmeyer]

I just did a search on Yelp for that restaurant and then searched within the 522 reviews for the word "sauce." Got 40 reviews containing that word, a few of which might help. Here are some pull quotes:

"Love the Louisiana vinegar hot sauce and live band."

"The brisket was delicious but not hot enough so I added some of their shadangalang sauce and that made it."

"What I liked best was having the option of putting a vinegar based sauce, mustard base sauce, or a bbq sauce that are all made in house."

"The meat was fresh and juicy. Fries were crisp and the selection of mustard sauce, barbecue, and Carolina vinegar at the table was perfect."

"Your main BBQ sauce is horrible, sorry but it really is. All you taste is chili powder and paprika, no depth of flavor."

Not much, but maybe you'll find a few hints there.