Tasting the sauce

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co smokinator

Newbie
Original poster
Apr 21, 2014
15
12
Fort Collins, CO
I make my own sauce that is sort of a KC style. It's really good and I get compliments all the time. The problem is I can slather it on what ever I'm cooking up to 3 times and yet when you eat, you can barely taste the sauce. What's going on? Thanks
 
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My experience:
1. Slather it on shortly before you take your meat off the grill / smoker so it forms a thick glaze.
2. Simmer your meat in a big pan of the sauce. That was my mother's method for FOTB ribs
3. Serve it as a side as chopsaw chopsaw advises.
 
I prefer to put any sauce on the side, sometimes the tastes leaves or changes a lot when heated, if you like the taste of it cold or room temp leave it off and add as needed. I ended up diabetic and that's when I started tasting a lot of the sauces cold vs heated, SBR had a chipotle raspberry that I loved and they quit making it. it was almost worth the sugar raise for a tablespoon or 2 of it :emoji_laughing:
 
I'm assuming you get the compliments while using the sauce to add to something at the table/plate?

The obvious answer is you need to amp up the flavor profile of the sauce. Folks cant suggest anything specific because we dont know your recipe to compare it to anything.
 
I'm assuming you get the compliments while using the sauce to add to something at the table/plate?

The obvious answer is you need to amp up the flavor profile of the sauce. Folks cant suggest anything specific because we dont know your recipe to compare it to anything.
I will post the recipe for any suggestions. Thanks
 
I prefer to put any sauce on the side, sometimes the tastes leaves or changes a lot when heated, if you like the taste of it cold or room temp leave it off and add as needed. I ended up diabetic and that's when I started tasting a lot of the sauces cold vs heated, SBR had a chipotle raspberry that I loved and they quit making it. it was almost worth the sugar raise for a tablespoon or 2 of it :emoji_laughing:
I've thought about doing that
 

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Looks to me like a side sauce to be added at just the end or as a serving sauce later while eating rather than a burn it on in the smoker cooking sauce. JMO
 
I make my own sauce that is sort of a KC style. It's really good and I get compliments all the time. The problem is I can slather it on what ever I'm cooking up to 3 times and yet when you eat, you can barely taste the sauce. What's going on? Thanks
Sauce is just 1 layer of flavor.
So what kind of seasoning are you using on the meat (rub)? Also do you use a binder to start like yellow mustard?

Good bbq has layers of flavors that build, just a sauce by itself will fall flat.
 
You have to take a step back and remember a few things.

1) Sauce, Spritz, Mops, Etc added before or during the cook will add layers of flavor and graft to each other per say to form a totally new flavor profile.
2) Adding to point 1 the sauce by its self is just the flavor profile of its self.
3) Smoke even a short time will change/enhance a flavor profile
4) Is your goal to get things to taste just like the sauce? If so then just do salt and pepper on the meat and glaze afterwards before serving.
5) If you want your meats to take on the flavor of the sauce it has to be extremely strong almost to the point that you don't care for it alone as it will mellow out sort of like Hoisin or Plum sauce in Asian cooking. Taste them on their own and they are extremely strong. Mix in a dish and you can taste them well but they are enjoyable.

Hope this helps.
 
Sauce is just 1 layer of flavor.
So what kind of seasoning are you using on the meat (rub)? Also do you use a binder to start like yellow mustard?

Good bbq has layers of flavors that build, just a sauce by itself will fall flat.
I always use Jeff's rub with a little variation or some other type. I usually let the rub get wet on both sides and then refrigerate.
 
I always use Jeff's rub with a little variation or some other type. I usually let the rub get wet on both sides and then refrigerate.
Try a simple French’s mustard slather on first, then the rub, then smoke, then a couple hours before done sauce them and let that sauce sit in heat for an hour or so then sauce again for the last hour. You may need to layer the sauce as well as more base layers. Neither Jeff’s rub nor sauce “wowed “ me, no offense to Jeff, they are both good just not very bold.
 
You have to take a step back and remember a few things.

1) Sauce, Spritz, Mops, Etc added before or during the cook will add layers of flavor and graft to each other per say to form a totally new flavor profile.
2) Adding to point 1 the sauce by its self is just the flavor profile of its self.
3) Smoke even a short time will change/enhance a flavor profile
4) Is your goal to get things to taste just like the sauce? If so then just do salt and pepper on the meat and glaze afterwards before serving.
5) If you want your meats to take on the flavor of the sauce it has to be extremely strong almost to the point that you don't care for it alone as it will mellow out sort of like Hoisin or Plum sauce in Asian cooking. Taste them on their own and they are extremely strong. Mix in a dish and you can taste them well but they are enjoyable.

Hope this helps.
An example is pork steak on the grill. Use Jeff's rub on
You have to take a step back and remember a few things.

1) Sauce, Spritz, Mops, Etc added before or during the cook will add layers of flavor and graft to each other per say to form a totally new flavor profile.
2) Adding to point 1 the sauce by its self is just the flavor profile of its self.
3) Smoke even a short time will change/enhance a flavor profile
4) Is your goal to get things to taste just like the sauce? If so then just do salt and pepper on the meat and glaze afterwards before serving.
5) If you want your meats to take on the flavor of the sauce it has to be extremely strong almost to the point that you don't care for it alone as it will mellow out sort of like Hoisin or Plum sauce in Asian cooking. Taste them on their own and they are extremely strong. Mix in a dish and you can taste them well but they are enjoyable.

Hope this helps.

both sides then refrigerate. Do a light search on both sides then reduce heat and add sauce at least twice both sides. I do want the sauce flavor to come thru strong. What can I add to make it stronger for just the sauce I'm putting on the meat?
Try a simple French’s mustard slather on first, then the rub, then smoke, then a couple hours before done sauce them and let that sauce sit in heat for an hour or so then sauce again for the last hour. You may need to layer the sauce as well as more base layers. Neither Jeff’s rub nor sauce “wowed “ me, no offense to Jeff, they are both good just not very bold.
I'm primarily talking about grilling. When smoking, it's not as big an issue. Even though I start with Jeff's recipes, I doctor them up. Especially the sauce. I posted my sauce recipe on here. Take a look. And thanks for the input.
 
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