You won’t find 15 varieties of barbecue sauce vying for your taste buds at Back Country Bar-B-Que. The 23-year-old restaurant (on Greenville Avenue for 10 years) stands by the original thick, ketchup-based sauce it developed over the years.
A barbecue tip: The restaurant serves its smoked meats with the sauce on the side, allowing customers to get as much or as little as they want.
“With real barbecue, you don’t have to sauce your products,” says restaurant owner Frank Hart. “When the meat doesn’t have the flavor already, some people try to disguise it with the sauce.
“That’s a big difference between really true barbecue and meat with barbecue sauce.” Hart experimented with the spices and proportions to cut his recipe down to a more manageable size.
“I don’t think anyone wants 10 gallons of sauce at home.”
Back Country Barbecue Sauce
- 16 oz. Heinz ketchup
- 12 oz. Water
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Cayene pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Granulated garlic
- 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
- 1 tsp. Mustard (French’s)
- 2 tbl. Brown sugar
- 2 tbl. Worstershire sauce
- 1 tbl. Lemon juice
- 1 tbl. Liquid smoke
Combine ingredients in a sauce pan. While stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 15-20 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes approximately 3 1/2 cups.
