Barbecue Sauce
It seems like every cook who has ever lit a lump charcoal has some bbq sauce that they swear is the best sauce known to human kind. And they get pretty uppity about it, too. Like, if you don’t adopt their particular brand of sauce, you must be some sort of knucklehead.
And these amazing sauces all have names like “Backwater Bob’s World Famous Sauce,” or “Bayou Bay Alligator Juice,” or “Cockroach Creek Sludge Sauce,” and so on. It’s embarrassing! If I ever brand a barbecue sauce it’s going to be called “Good Sauce,” and that’s it.
Meanwhile, there’s this whole other group of people who claim any sauce is crime against meat, and unless you use good rub, and ONLY a good rub, then you’re an even bigger knucklehead. They look down their paprika stained noses at the sauce eaters, like they’re some evolutionary mistake.
It’s weird. The whole thing. Hasn’t everybody read about the Sneetches? Still, I think we can all agree on one thing: We’re dealing with a lot of really nerdy people, myself included.
The taste is more impressive than the packaging.
And like all the other zealots, I too have a monogamous relationship with a barbecue sauce, and it too has one of those ridiculous names. For almost 20 years, I’ve been loyal to a brand made by a veterinary pathologist in Missouri who makes barbecue sauce as a backyard business. It’s called Show-Me Liquid Smoke, and I love it. While I’ve certainly tried hundreds of sauces, I still haven’t found one I like better.
I do try to keep a balanced point of view. I don’t think you’re a TOTAL moron if you don’t like it. Here’s my wacky theory:
I think when it comes to sauce, there are three forces at work: Hot, Salty and Sweet, and you can plot any sauce somewhere on that grid. (Seems like there’s also a weird bunch of herby sauces, kind of like salsa, but blech.)
I figure the preferences people have for sauce comes from a pull in one those three directions. If you’re a hot sauce person, you’re never going to truly love a sweet sauce, and if you’re a sweet sauce person, you’re not going to truly love a hot sauce, and so on. And from that point, it’s just a matter of degree. Some hot sauce people like their hot sauce REALLY hot, right?
So, with that …. Show-Me is on the sweet end of the spectrum. To me, it’s the best I’ve had in that category. It’s got a lot of brown sugar in it, a rich smoky flavor, and I highly recommend it to the people who like maple cured bacon, and/or donuts I suppose. But if you’re one of those people into hot sauces or salty “tangy” sauces, you’re not going to like it. Don’t bother.
Here’s the info. Don’t be surprised when you call the number and they just say “hello.” It’s not like you’re calling Amazon Fresh.
Show-Me BAR-B-Q-SAUCE [sic]
573-442-5309
c/o Harry H. Berrier
1250 Cedar Grove Blvd. S
Columbia, MO 65201
Tell Harry I sent ya! He won’t care.
I just ordered a pint-sized case. They don’t take credit cards…just send you a bill?!
Yup, that’s right. You’ll get a receipt and envelope, and you just send them a check. Old school, eh?
Adam,
I think you need to make a ternary diagram with the sauces you have tried through the ages. Though, to be honest, I’ve found a lot of sauces have a certain degree of “acid” to them, so then you would need a pyramid.
Nice use of “ternary diagram.” I’m going to guess Blue State BBQ is the only barbecue blog that makes mention of such a thing.
Saucy!
“and I highly recommend it to people who like maple cured bacon, and/or donuts I suppose.”
Well you’ve certainly got MY attention now. Doubly so. You’ve also just solved my internal bbq sauce debate that’s raged–maybe raged is a bit strong, simmered?–in my head/stomach for decades. I do not prefer tangy or spicy but sweet. I’ll eat them and like them, but I am now officially in the sweet bbq sauce camp. Thank you.
Could you, would you, in a box? Oh, wait….that’s maple cured green ham.