Saturday, July 3

Recipe: Easy All Natural Homemade Barbecue Sauce

And a great new book: America's Best BBQ!

Grilled Pork Ribs with Homemade Barbecue Sauce 1
Grilled pork ribs slathered with homemade BBQ Sauce

"What do you feel like having for dinner?" I asked Joe as he sat down to his usual breakfast of organic peanut butter and apricot jam on thick slices of homemade Farmhouse White Sandwich Bread and a big glass of fresh Jersey milk courtesy of a cow down the road.

Unless we've already planned that night's dinner the day before (a rarity around here), we need to decide fairly early what we're going to have, since chances are good any meat portion of a meal is frozen.

Sometimes one of us already has an idea of what we want, sometimes we both have the same idea, and sometimes neither of us has a clue and hopes the other person will come up with something brilliant.

After a minute he said, "Isn't there still a slab of pork ribs in the freezer?"

"Yes! And I'll make barbecue sauce!"

It's no secret that I am wholeheartedly in favor of naturally raised animals, heirloom fruits and vegetables, organic gardening, and sustainable agriculture—and staunchly opposed to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs,) GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms, aka Frankenfoods, which many countries are strongly against because they're so dangerous), and basically anything the Evil Empire Monsanto does.

But twice now, while in the throes of grilled pork rib ecstasy courtesy of the locally raised hog we had butchered last summer, I've admitted—out loud—that if ever there were a case for messing with an animal's DNA, it would be in order to add a couple of extra sets of rib cages to a hog. That's how much I love pork ribs.

The definition of perfect barbecue depends on who you are and where you're from. Opinions are strong, and discussions about one cooking method over another, sauce vs. no sauce, whether it's barbecue, BBQ, or Bar-B-Que—or even what actually constitutes barbecue—can get ugly.

Maybe because I didn't grow up in a place known for it's 'cue (did I lead a deprived childhood or what?), my own feelings regarding barbecue can be summed up in three simple words: Bring it on!

Naturally I went hog wild as soon as I flipped open a review copy of America's Best BBQ: 100 Recipes from America's Best Smokehouses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses, and Restaurants. From the back cover:

America's Best BBQ honors the people who make it. Food tastes better when you know the people and stories behind the recipes, and in this book you'll meet lots of famous and not-so-famous pitmasters and barbecue personalities as authors Paul Kirk, pitmaster and winner of seven world barbecue championships, and barbecue historian and ambassador Ardie A. Davis take you on a tour of the best swine dining establishments from coast to coast.

Along with the standard ribs, rubs, sauces, beans, potato salad, and coleslaw, there are recipes for everything from Jamaican jerk hog wings, fried cheese steak grits, jalapeno hushpuppies, fried okra, and vidalia onion dip to barbecued pork steaks with chunky applesauce, lobster stuffed with smoked seafood, rib gumbo, and Bar-B-Q spaghetti.

Anyone for Red's barbecued raccoon or some grilled rattlesnake? I'm definitely going to try the butterflied leg of lamb with caramelized onion bbq sauce.

There's even dessert: fried peach pies (I'm a sucker for a good fried pie—or even a mediocre fried pie), root beer cake, Lexington banana pudding, turtle cheesecake, apple dumplings, deep-fried Oreos, and more.

If you love BBQ, you're probably going to love this book even if you never make a single recipe or visit any of the restaurants because the collection of full-color photos of signage, menus, memorabilia, restaurant dining rooms, smiling pit masters, and of course plenty of mouthwatering food is wonderful.

If you love seeking out new 'cue, then get your hands on a copy, grab a map, and start planning your next road trip. If you know someone who fits into either of these categories, this book would make a great gift.

Got any barbecue recipes, tips, or lip-smacking stories to share? Directions to your favorite smokehouses and rib joints—along with what we should order of course—are especially welcome. If you've shared a barbecue recipe or BBQ restaurant review on your own blog, you're welcome to leave a link to the post in your comment.

Grilled Pork Ribs with Homemade Barbecue Sauce 2

Farmgirl Susan's Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Makes about 2 cups of thick sauce


I've been making this sort of tangy, sort of sweet, basic tomato-based barbecue sauce for at least a dozen years, though not nearly often enough. I love it slathered on grilled pork ribs (with extra sauce on the side for dipping), but you can put it on pretty much anything: chicken, burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, brisket, sausage links, even fries.

The chopped onion makes the sauce thick and chunky, but if you prefer yours smoother you can purée it with an immersion or countertop blender. (I love my KitchenAid hand blender.) It tastes even better the second day, and will keep for at least a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. To make a bigger batch, double the recipe and increase the cooking time as needed.

As for the pork ribs pictured here, Joe 'just cooked them until they were done' on our outdoor gas grill, with nothing on them except this sauce. The only other instructions I could get out of him were to wait until the last 20 minutes or so of cooking before you start basting with the sauce, because otherwise it'll just burn.

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2½ cups finely chopped onion (about 14 ounces/1 large onion)
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons brown sugar (granulated will work, too)
4 Tablespoons sweet molasses (not blackstrap)
1/3 cup raw organic apple cider vinegar (we buy Bragg by the gallon)
1 6-ounce can organic tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
Several grinds fresh black pepper
1½ cups water

Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart pot. Add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently (I use a wooden spoon), until they start to soften, then reduce the heat and cook until caramelized, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Increase the heat back up to medium, make a space in the center of the pot, add the garlic, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the brown sugar and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes.

Add the molasses, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, cumin, chili powder and cayenne (if using), salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Add the water. (If you're going to purée your sauce, you might want to do it now.)

Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 30 minutes.

Serve the sauce hot with whatever you like, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

If you plan to baste raw or partially cooked meat with your barbecue sauce, be sure to save some sauce in a separate container to have at the table for dipping.

Still hungry? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

More book reviews on Farmgirl Fare:
Keeping the Feast (and how food helped readers through tough times)
The Laws of Harmony (readers share favorite food novels)
Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant (and what readers eat when alone)
Cooking with Shelburne Farms (& Lamb Burgers w/ Red Pepper Olive Relish)

Comfort Food (readers share favorite comfort food stories & recipes)
The Cornbread Gospels (readers share cornbread memories & recipes)
The Artist's Palate (a beautiful cookbook for food and art lovers)
Falling Cloudberries (Greek Leg of Lamb & readers talk food/travel)
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible (my favorite gardening book)

© FarmgirlFare.com, the extra saucy foodie farm blog where one of us has been busy clearing out enough space in one of the chest freezers to fit another whole hog—even if it will only have just the two slabs of ribs.

102 comments:

  1. I love barbecue, but living in Canada, I am barbecue-deprived. :-( I don't even have a working grill anymore. Because of that, I've been limited to doing pulled pork and ribs in a low-temperature oven. Sure does heat up my house (no air conditioning, either), but for good food, a little suffering is sometimes necessary!

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  2. I moved down south for a few years and my love of BBQ was formed. Give me anything from the grill with a good BBQ sauce or some North Carolina style pulled pork and I am in heaven.

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  3. Oh man - I need this cookbook!

    If you're ever in Portland Oregon, head to Clay's Smokehouse or Russell Street Barbeque for some awesome BBQ (at least as good as it gets outside of BBQ country!).

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  4. My parents always used KC Masterpiece, which caused me to gag at just hearing the word "barbecue." Then I moved to Texas and began to understand that there were far better things than could be found in that bottle. Then I started making my own sauce. Now all is right with the world!

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  5. As a Minnesotan, I thought for a long time that I didn't like barbecue. Turns out I don't like my meat swimming in so much sauce that I can't even recognize what meat I'm actually eating. Now I can't get enough pulled pork, though I'm still not a fan of ribs. (Sorry! I hope that doesn't mean you won't pick me. ;)

    Love your blog!!!!

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  6. I'm sitting here on my husband's laptop...I'd better go grab a paper towel, because the keyboard is collecting a puddle of drool! Yummy!!! You have the best blog - between the adorable animal pictures, delectable recipes, and great writing, it is a joy to check on a regular basis. Thank you!!!

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  7. I am loving my grill even more than usual - have waited 6 weeks to get a new stove/cooktop - still grilling nearly every meal.

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  8. Pulled pork, mmm! I do mine in the crock pot - start a cheap roast with a little orange juice poured over, drain and pull when cooked, add tons of bbq sauce, and pig out!

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  9. I live with a couple of reformed vegetarians and this would make me a very popular person. We are grilling fools!

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  10. I LOVE good BBQ but have never had the courage to try it myself. Luckily even in Eastern PA there are passable BBQ restaurants.

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  11. MMMmmmmm. Nothing says 4th of July like BBQ. Your picture made me drool!

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  12. I'm usually a Carolina style BBQer. I like mine sweet with cole slaw on the side! Just tried a slab or pork ribs with a coffee dry rub and a mop sauce with coffee in it- Soooo good! I'm ready to expand my horizons a little :)

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  13. I've always felt grilling and BBQ was a mans job, and I do everything in the kitchen but the other day I had some amazing grass fed beef steaks and got up the courage to ask my hunky firefighter how to use the grill. He just laughed, until he realized I was serious, taught me the basics and sent me on my way. I rubbed the steaks with some seasonings and grilled them up. Needless to say they were the best steaks either of us have ever eaten. Now I am ready to take the grilling and BBQ into my own hands, and very excited to do so!

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  14. Oh Yum. We love BBQ too. Our's is wood fired, and we specially like Barbequed crayfish, I'd love to read about more barbeque sauce recipes. (and those ribs look divine!)

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  15. Mmmmmmm...was just saying today how I needed a good BBQ sauce that I could make! Thank you!! Can't wait to try it. We don't have any BBQ places here in NorCal but when we lived in TX for a few years we loved a good dinner at Rudy's. YuM!!

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  16. I have been without a BBQ grill for almost two years now. My parents gave me one just a week or so ago. I have been in heaven! It is so good to grill again.

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  17. Best barbecue in Kansas City is at LC's on Blue Pkwy (the not-so-nice part of town). Get the burnt ends.

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  18. I love BBQ, too, especially pulled pork sandwiches! I LOVE ribs, too, but we just don't buy them often, so when I get some at a restaurant, I'm in hog heaven, too!! I love your photos and will definitely try making your homemade BBQ sauce...AND I would love to win the cook book!! :)

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  19. We're originally from Massachusetts and always thought bbq was a verb, not a noun. When we first moved south to Virginia, I saw Barbecue on a resturant menu, and asked the waitress "barbecue'd what?!?" I learned!

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  20. I remember the summer when I was seven years old. My Grampa had a big cookout and roasted a pig. A neighbor who owned a farm gave it to him. My Uncle and his friends dug a pit and set up a spit. Then they seasoned the pig and roasted it for most of the day. It was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted! From that day on I fell in love with pork bbq. Lucky for me my Husband is a "Grill Master". He can bbq any kind of meat and it comes out fantastic. I tell him that's one of the many reasons why he's a keeper, hahaha. My email is DawnsEbb at hotmail dot com.

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  21. I grew up in South Carolina on a proper mustard BBQ sauce...my grandma didn't even make it herself, you could buy it at any local grocer! Little did I know how exotic it was...A lifetime of moving around the country has left me an aficionado on sauces, rubs, smoking/grilling techniques.

    Quite simply, I love it all. But geez do I miss the good stuff of my childhood that can't be found *any*where else! The past couple years has me experimenting with every mustard style sauce recipe I can find...I haven't perfected my own version of my girlhood dream sauce, but am having a happy time trying!

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  22. I live in a house divided when it comes to BBQ. My husband is from SC and enjoys the mustard BBQ typical of the area. I grew up on dry rubs with a tomato based sauce served at the table. We recently started using brining before putting our meat in the wood smoker and I swear it has been some of the best turkey breasts we have ever made.

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  23. LindainStLouis7/04/2010 5:32 AM

    My dad used to BBQ every weekend when I was growing up; he taught me to make the sauce. I don't make it as often any more (only me to cook for these days.) I would like to try your recipe--thanks for posting it.

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  24. It is 7am here and my mouth is watering after reading your post! And we just had ribs last night!! I really need to try your recipe; I am so over BBQ in a bottle ;)

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  25. I'm a mid-western girl transplanted in New York City. Now you'd think New York City would have ALL culinary bases covered-- well not so.

    Not long ago there was a SERIOUS bbq crisis!!!

    until NYC got DAISY MAY'S BBQ USA! It started with street carts (bbq on street carts? i thought..)

    oh my goodness... all i can say is the food is so good, it ACTUALLY makes you delirious. (my favorites are the kansas city sweet and sticky pork ribs w/ mac n' cheese and cole slaw--AND the ginormous oklahoma beef rib--but if you're there with friends-- order the BIG PIG GIG--whole or half a whole pig with all the fixins!!! ) i am now drooling on my keyboard...

    long live chef adam perry lang...who's bbq is the best i've ever tasted--in SPITE of his now bbq celebrity!!

    Next time you're in nyc--tell you airport cab driver that you're going to DAISY MAY's BBQ, the corner of 11th ave and 46th st in manhattan-- and STEP ON IT!

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  26. Yummy lookin' ribs and sauce you and Joe cooked up!! When I get back home I will have to try the homemade sauce w/ the lamb ribs I have in my freezer. Dessert will be the blueberry gelato w/ dark chocolate and tarragon that I churned up before I left town (recipe will be posted next week).

    Happy 4th of July!!

    Bruno

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  27. I am a north carolinian born and raise. I daresay we have some things to say about BBQ! even within north carolina there are regional variations, and lots of arguing about which is superior. As for me, I prefer pulled pork with a vinegar sauce, red slaw, hushpuppies, and a very large, cold, sweet tea!

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  28. I am the Barbecue guru of the household here. My dh is the mechanic and does like to cook, but he fears the grill. No worries! I don't "love" grilling (*aka- smoke hurts) - but I will tackle it and grill up lots of goodies.

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  29. That sauce sounds awesome, and i don't usually like bbq sauce. Living in Austin TX i'm surrounded by 'the best bbq ever' and don't like any of it. My favorite barbecue joint has apparently gone out of business: Sweetleaf Smokehouse in Savannah GA. My preference is definitely for rubbed and smoked meat versus the sauce slathered sweet stuff i usually find in these parts. I'd like to try your recipe though, doesn't sound too sweet.

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  30. I think technically barbecuing involves long, slow cooking over indirect heat. Which means we grill. On a really cheap kettle charcoal grill that now rests on a big clay flower pot because the legs rusted off. Classy, yes. But it still works--two huge and DELICIOUS sirloin steaks cooked on it last night will attest to that.

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  31. I've always loved all types of BBQ, but the hubby didn't fall in love with it until our honeymoon when we road-tripped through appalacia and he realized that there were many, many alternatives to KC Masterpiece!

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  32. We have a bbq recipe where we cook ours overnight in the oven at a very low temperature. When we wake up in the morning, the house smells divine.

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  33. I wish I'd seen this recipe yesterday! We just butchered our first rooster on Friday night (such trauma!), and he's the main course for our July 4th celebration this afternoon. Half of him is getting the barbecue treatment (from a bottle, unfortunately). My other half insisted that his other half get roasted up with an herb butter treatment so that we can taste the meat better. Cross your fingers I don't burn the little guy!

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  34. Growing up in the midwest (at least Michigan midwest), barbeque just meant an event you went to. It wasn't until I moved to the east coast (of all places) that I realized that "barbeque" was a particular type of food, ribs, sauce, etc. And it had to be accompanied with strongly held opinions about where the *best* bbq house was, what the *best* sauce was, and what the best *region* was. Ai yi yi. It's all good. And I love my burnt ends I tell ya.

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  35. In Alabama, the hallmark of barbecue seems to be Dreamland. They serve only pork - ribs, sliced, pulled and also a sausage they make. Dreamland originated in Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama, but they now have franchises in several other Alabama cities. Their ribs are cooked with a rub, then slathered with a fairly thin red sauce - that has some authority!!

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  36. BBQ. Yum. I had BBQ pork ribs at my wedding. As I sat to eat one, in a white dress, I did have a moment of "what the heck was I thinking", but the ribs were excellent. I'd love a copy of the book.

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  37. I had some Thai barbecued chicken for lunch on Wednesday. It was amazing. I just got a barbecue after many years without one and have been coking like crazy! My usual plan is some sort of spice rub rather than sauce, base ingredients being bacon fat, paprika, salt, pepper, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.

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  38. The best non-homemade Bar-B-Q suace I've ever found is: Bubba's B-B-Q from Hattera's Island, NC.

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  39. Pork ribs are the reason I'm no longer a vegetarian!

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  40. I love BBQ. I still remember my first BBQ eaten as a child when I visited my GA grandparents. Back then BBQ restaurants had sawdust floors and GREAT BBQ!

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  41. I love BBQ pork. Had an interesting rendition at a local joint yesterday - BBQ Pork Nachos - very tasty !!
    quiltlady59 at fuse dot net

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  42. Southern food - which just naturally includes BBQ - is undergoing a major revival and that's a good thing! If only it will come to our podunk part of the Central Coast of Cali before I have to do it myself! LOL. We have Santa Maria style BBQ here and it is good, just not the same thing. We'r emaking sauce today though - woo hoo!

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  43. We like homemade ribs the best. A good rub is key - some rosemary, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, salt.....you get the idea. I usually freeze the ribs after being rubbed down, then thaw and slow bake or grill depending on the season.

    Your cue sauce recipe sounds delicious, I must give it a try!

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  44. Dear Susan,

    Thank you a thousand times over for your wonderful blog. I'll have to send you a separate message to tell you how much I appreciate all of the work that you have put into this site.

    Just to keep this on the barbecue topic, I have to ask: have you ever tried pork steaks? I know that you mention them in the list of recipes, but if you haven't had the chance to make them, I urge you to try the recipe out, especially since you are clearing out the freezer for another pig. I grew up eating pork steaks in St. Louis, and they are to die for. Pork steaks are simply pork butts sliced into steaks and grilled with the sauce, but the rich flavor of the meat (and the fat) always remind me of summer. Think of ribs with extra richness and no bones; that will come close to a good pork steak.

    Best,
    Matt

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  45. Omg - that rack of ribs looks delicious. Joe is so modest!! We love barbeque....pork or beef, racks of ribs or a big 'ole brisket...sausage, doesn't matter what it is, we're ready to try it! The book sounds great, as we are always ready to try something new. My husband is from Kansas, but he's converted to the superior Texas sytle now! PLEASE SEND US THE BOOK! Susan aka supersnoop57@gmail.com

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  46. I went to visit my sister in May, and she took me to Green River BBQ in Saluda, NC. It was sooooo good. Saluda is a small town, and we enjoyed walking the quaint street famous for its train depot. I'd love to be entered to win.

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  47. My husband is the BBQer here because he Mans the BBQ by starting the briquet's, watching the glow, adding the food, flipping the food (or whatever) and removing the food when it's time. It's my job to prepare the food for the BBQ. When we have BBQ burgers, he always asks me to put 'things' in the burgers. By that he means chopped garlic, onions,mushrooms and green or red peppers, not necessarily all of those items but a combination of some. I spread out the meat on my chopping board, spread the chopped veggies over the meat and then begin folding and kneading. When it seems evenly distributed, I make the patties. By adding 'things' to the meat, you get more flavor and the meat is juicier. Oh, yes, and he adds BBQ sauce to the top after flipping. I sure am going to try Susan's sauce. It sounds divine.

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  48. Often when I tell people I'm from St. Louis, they say "ohhh great Barbecue in STL!". Until recently, I felt compelled to correct and direct them 300 miles West to Kansas City. KC is still way ahead of STL, but we're coming on strong with Pappy's and a couple other joints.

    I travel to a lot for business and good Q is always one of my quests! Happy Independence Day!

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  49. I first realized how delicious BBQ could be when I ordered burnt ends at Arthur Bryant's in KC--original location.

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  50. i LOVE barbecue--the saucier, the better. that vinegar-based stuff? not for me. give me the tomato-y stuff and lots of it. :)

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  51. I've recently been able to successfully use the charcoal grill, proving a Y chromosome isn't required. My next step is to attempt the challenge of barbecue ribs. Thanks for the sauce recipe, I do prefer a tangy sauce. And it doesn't have high fructose corn syrup, so that's definitely a plus!

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  52. I live down the street from a total hole in the wall bbq joint. It makes me crazy smelling it every time I drive past. The guy that owns it is a passionate bbq-er and quite eccentric. He has some great stories about cooking bbq and growing up here in a city where so many people come and go for the university. When you go for a sandwich you get a whole lot more!

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  53. We love a good dry rub when we make pork ribs and then have the sauce like a gravy at the table. Almost anything you barbecue (barbacoa, bbq or grillin - so many words for same things!) is better with some seasoning rubbed on it ahead of time! If I don't win the cookbook - PUHLEEZE do the root beer cake and blog abou it sometime for me!

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  54. My favorite bbq restaurant is Santa Maria bbq in Culver City, California. I love their tri-tip sirloin!

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  55. Oh MAN! That cookbook sounds heavenly! I grew up in Texas where BBQ was almost ritualistic. Everyone has their own style but for some reason I always remember the BBQs that included crawdads from the creeks. LOL It's harder to find really good BBQ now that I live in NM but Rudy's comes pretty close and we constantly eat that for family dinners, and naturally we make fun of anyone who can only handle the aptly named "Sissy sauce" ;) my email is amberlilynm@yahoo.com

    P.S. I just LOVE your blog, I love seeing all the animals and babies and being able to live out my farm fantasies vicariously through you :)

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  56. I actually BBQ bacon, it is to die for!

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  57. We live in Dallas, home to Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse, featured everywhere locally and even on Rachel Ray's $40 a Day. While the beef brisket sandwiches are divine, it's the Big Meat Tater that I dream about - picture an entire ladle of melted butter on a huge baked potato, topped with enough brisket for an entire family, grated cheese, sour cream, chives, jalapenos, and more ladles full of their rich, spicy BBQ sauce. You can buy the sauce online at www.sonnybryans.com.

    We don't eat it often though, preferring organic, local and homemade ourselves, too. I'm really looking forward to trying your sauce recipe! Thanks!

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  58. Thanks Susan for posting this delicious sounding recipe. Our new craze is grilled corn after slathering with olive oil, S&P. Thanks to you@@@, I just gave my corn cob to my 7 3-month-old chickens to enjoy. You really have inspired me to keep chickens for the first time and at 53-years-old, I am having a hoot of a time. Also have 2 Toulouse geese that crack us up all the time. Thank you Susan! Happy early birthday to you!!! Cary

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  59. BBQ/grilling is awesome! We do pulled beef in our slow cooker, and smoke ribs on the "smokin grill" in the back yard. I NEEDED your sauce recipe. :)

    Love your blog, for some reason it always makes me cry!

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  60. hyI grilled on a Gas grill for most of my life but hubby just ordered up a Char-griller and smoker and I am looking forward to some great ribs!

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  61. HELP! My husband's idea of having a "barbecue" is to buy frozen burger patties and hot dogs, and store-bought potato salad, invite his friends and coworkers with "we're having a cook-out and pool party Saturday, come if you'd like"…which means we have no idea of who or how many will show. Uuuughhh!

    I'm a self-proclaimed "foodie", and would love to serve real, homemade food that actually tastes good to our guests, but not have to slave in the kitchen for hours in preparation.

    Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

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  62. Yum! Thank you for the great recipe!

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  63. Kelly Harris7/06/2010 12:28 PM

    BBQ is the best! Nothing beats home grilled, but Smokey Bones has a passible BBQ. However, I suggest home grilling your BBQ and getting the Buffalo Burgers from Smokey Bones. They are to die for!

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  64. I've only made homemade bbq sauce once a few years ago. I think I'll try again since it's so yummy!

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  65. I would love to win the BBQ book as my new hubby and I have entered a BBQ competition "Pork off and dine" and we are totally in to win! Your sauce looks really good though so we may have to give it a try as well.

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  66. Thanks so much for the recipe; I'll be trying it soon! Believe it or not, I LOVE BBQ sauce even though I'm a vegetarian. It's good on lots of stuff (and I'd enjoy the cookbook even though I'm sure meat plays the starring role).

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  67. Love ribs! Love BBQ! My husband make some awesome ribs. His own rub, cooked in the oven real slow, finished on the grill with homemade sauce. YUMMY! Thanks for the chance to win. The book sounds great!
    Blessings, Elizabeth

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  68. How do we sign up for the drawing for the recipe book? Thanks
    Judith

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  69. That looks like a good recipe, though maybe a bit more chili-flavored than I like. A little more vinegar, less chili powder and add some black pepper.
    Of course, the dry rub is the real key; good ribs are good even without sauce!

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  70. To my fellow Canadian: If you live on the West Coast you can check out Memphis Blues on Broadway. Their pulled pork is pretty good.

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  71. I love good barbecue, especially if it's meat from a smoker that is all tender & juicy after cooking for HOURS. I have a recipe for BBQ sauce that uses ketchup, which is pretty darned expensive to buy in organic form (b/c they use actual sugar instead of HFCS ick). I'll have to try your recipe, it sounds yummy.

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  72. Happy Birthday! I love this blog and reading this post on BBQ this morning is making me hungry! I think some pulled pork is up for dinner some time this week.

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  73. I grew up eating Bo's BBQ in Angleton, Texas. They had the most amazing sauce I have ever eaten. It is the gold standard to which I hold any other sauce and I have yet to find an equal. I could eat it by itself.

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  74. I'm a born & bred North Carolina bbq girl. On Saturday mornings in the summer, I remember checking to see if the "Rib Man" had pulled his smoker into the Food Lion parking lot. We'd get a slab, put our feet on the deck, and lick our fingers till the sun set. Best memories ever. And he still comes!

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  75. Thank you for the recipe, I love the smell of the the bbq around this time of year and am always ready to try out another new sauce and spices.

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  76. We tried to bbq ribs just this weekend. Oven baked them. I know, I know. It's not REAL bbq unless you use the grill. I'm grill challenged. They were ok. Still looking for that great bbq tip. On another note, we DO have a great BBQ place, The Brick Pit. Yum!

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  77. We love to BBQ so Im going to try this recipe....it sounds scrumptious!! The book would be perfect!

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  78. I love ribs and your homemade sauce will be a must try!

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  79. Happy Birthday early!

    The best barbecue is just outside Lexington, NC at Speedy's. You need to geta chopped barbecue sandwich with extra dip on the side and an order of hushpuppies! So good!

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  80. Open pit barbecue sauce and white rice. May sound peculiar to many, but I love it!

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  81. My favorite BBQ is grilled lamb chops - the miniature T-bone kind - just barely seared over hickory wood with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper...I let the lamb itself do the seasoning.......my mouth is watering just thinking about it. :)

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  82. A few years ago I realized why I love barbeque chicken the best. That was what my parents cooked when they had big parties and they were always on their best behavior when we had guests. The chicken was sublime and the happy, drunken guests were quite funny to observe.
    I'd love a copy of this book to improve my skills.

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  83. Susan,

    I admire you for practising what you preach about food choices, so I really like your blog, full of stories and recipes. I'm from Canada, so barbecue season is not a year long affair, but we manage to have a few months of good grilling weather. We barbecue anything from vegetables and meats to grilled pizzas. Happy early Birthday, hope you have a great one.

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  84. P.S.
    In the pure chance that I would be one of the lucky winners of the delicious bbq recipe book, my e-mail is: girolamo@sympatico.ca
    Thanks again for your heart warming blog.

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  85. My FIL's birthday is July 9! Your BBQ sauce sounds rather tasty. I'm in Michigan, and for us, BBQ means the red sauce that you put on while it's cooking. I don't usually make my own sauce. I don't think of it far enough in advance honestly. We like Sweet Baby Ray's sauce. I will admit that I add brown sugar or honey to it when I use it.

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  86. My BBQ meter went off the charts when I went to the Salt Lick in the hills outside Austin, TX. Everything they serve is delicious, down to the fresh, perfect coleslaw. j

    Currently I'm plotting to get a pork butt in the slo cooker and have pulled pork.

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  87. The best barbecue is always in the same place: a hole in the wall joint with a long line outside. Just follow your nose, you'll find it. :)

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  88. Good bbq is hard to find where i live...and that is one of life's great tragedies!
    cthom19 at alumni.lsu.edu

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  89. Those ribs looks awesome! We make our own BBQ sauce too, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Lol, love this post!

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  90. Oh delightful!!! Thank you for the barbeque sauce recipe! Yours are the only recipes that I don't alter before making them, I've tried enough of yours to know that they really are delicious just as they are! Thank you for many happy delicious meals in my home! I can not WAIT to try this sauce. Dinner tomorrow is definitely planned.

    With much appreciation,
    Elizabeth F.
    Laie, Hawaii
    emferrin@gmail.com

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  91. Happy birthday!

    I love barbeque - oh my! My sister has a giant Fourth of July party every year that she has dubbed "Fourth-a-palooza," and this year her friend Matt smoked a pork shoulder and then pulled it apart and we slathered homemade bbq sauce over the top for pulled-pork sandwiches. They were unreal - I think I ate three.

    If I do not win this giveaway, this book is definitely going on my wishlist. Your post was a great endorsement - it sounds fun! (Cook books that tell stories, are the best in my opinion!)

    P.S. my e-mail is sarah at geekxnerd dot com.

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  92. we have BBQ wagons popping up as roadside stands up here in Alaska and they are very very good! they come up in the summer, and then hightail it back down to the lower 48 for the winters. good stuff, and my grill puts out some great fresh grilled salmon.

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  93. If you are ever in Colorado, go to Loveland. They have a great joint called Nordy's. Smoked meat and a variety of sauces make it irresistable!

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  94. Oooh, my husband is a bbq maniac (he is famous for his smoked ribs) and his birthday is coming up, so I hope I'm not too late to enter this contest!

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  95. Funny thing happened to me on the way to the table. I've never been much on ribs. They just weren't part of our family cooking. Then as our pastured pig farm grew we discovered that since we ate the left overs each week that meant in the winter it was ribs. Bony but there is some meat on them after all! Come summer they all sell out and it's back to ground.

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  96. Your sauce recipe has reminded me that I used to make my own BBQ sauces years ago but have fallen out of practice. I'm going to start again, wih your recipe, and a slab of ribs, and just maybe that 'que book. Have a wonderful, hopefully cool, 4th, Susan!

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  97. I apologize if this question has been asked already....can you use this recipe to can BBQ sauce?

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    1. Good question! :) The amount of vinegar should be enough to safely acidify the onions for water bath canning, but I don't know for sure. I do know you can freeze it. And it will last for at least a couple of weeks in the fridge.

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  98. Wonderful recipe... I was looking for something like this.Thank you!

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  99. Nothing beats good BBQ -- especially if it's KC style BBQ! My favorite is a pulled pork sammich with creamy cole slaw (YUM). Soooo -- if you ever find yourself traveling through the KCMO area, it is a must to stop off at Jack Stack BBQ in Martin City (south KC). There sauce is excellent for a 'commercial' BBQ sauce. They don't use HFCS or MSG, and their Cheese Corn? OMG! It's FABULOUS!

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December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I especially love hearing about your experiences with my recipes. Comments on older posts are always welcome!

Please note that I moderate comments, so if I'm away from the computer it may be a while before yours appears.

I try my best to answer all questions, though sometimes it takes me a few days. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, they fall through the cracks, and for that I sincerely apologize.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy your e-visits to our farm!