You read food labels to check for calorie content, fat content, sugar, and even sodium. You feel pretty sure about what ingredients you put in your body. Still, very few people focus on the ingredients that go in their favorite foods. These ingredients are the reason behind the number of calories, fat, sugar, and sodium in foods in the first place! All this being said, have you ever wondered what’s in your barbecue sauces?
The making of a barbecue sauce
The pairing of meat and sauce dates back to the 17th century, where public houses that sold smoked meats would also offer a separate serving of sauce, whether wet or creamy, to moisten the bite. Eventually, cooks everywhere became more sophisticated and worked on flavors to create their own signature sauces to add to meats.
In the United States, barbecue sauces are regionally different. The ingredients change from one state to the next, and the flavors and colors of each sauce are as unique as the patrons who consume them.
Therefore, making a barbecue sauce is not a matter of mixing ingredients together; it could also be a historical and culinary art form.
What goes inside?
Even though sauces are different from one location to another, some ingredients are universally used as the basic sources of flavor. They are, in no particular order:
- water- the basic combiner of all ingredients
- vinegar- adds tartness, which contrasts with all the other flavors. It also penetrates the meat and adds even more punch to all ingredients. Vinegar is either left in its pure form or used as apple vinegar, balsamic, etc.
- sugar and salt- the combination, along with vinegar, amalgamate the taste of the food and makes it more adventurous to the palate.
Cooks may also choose to add the following ingredients:
- Ketchup or tomato paste for the thickness and base flavor of the sauce
- molasses
- paprika
- lemon juice
- dry mustard
- meat drippings
- pineapple juice
- pepper seeds or hot sauce
- olive oil
- cornstarch
Essentially, you can create your own version of a barbecue sauce, but here are the keywords for success: fresh and natural ingredients.
What about Mild to Wild sauces?
A traditional Mild to Wild sauce will contain no more than 6 natural ingredients. We combine them perfectly to bring out the best flavor possible. Our Chipotle barbecue sauce, for example, contains the following seasonings:
- vinegar
- brown sugar
- Chipotle pepper
- tomato paste
- spices
- cornstarch
If you can pronounce it, you can digest it. These simple addends make up for an amazing punch!
We make our barbecue sauces with natural stuff found on earth. Our products are not processed, naturally gluten-free, and will never become allergens. This is because we do not add any preservatives or artificial flavors to any of our sauces. What you taste is nature itself, with a perfect combination of tasty mixes that will make you the next king or queen of the grill.