Greetings fellow culinary enthusiasts! I am re visiting the soups, salads and sauces section of the Port O’ Connor Community Service Club cookbook. A few months ago, I attended a luncheon and quite innocently inquired about a recipe. The inquiry was mostly meant as a compliment but somehow became a big deal. The inquiry was passed through several people and after two months of email replies I learned that the person who prepared the dish was unwilling to share the information because it was a “family” recipe. I found this humorous, maybe because I am an educator and I share all information with anybody who wants to listen.

My husband is not so adept in the kitchen but he is the “bomb” in outdoor cooking, in fact he is known in his circle of outdoor cookers for his homemade barbecue sauce. When I found a recipe in the Port O’ Connor Community Service Club cookbook for barbecue sauce, I asked him for input. It was a big surprise to me when he said it was a secret! The following is a barbecue sauce recipe from Leona Baker with a few hints for additions from my husband’s prize winning recipe.

BARBECUE SAUCE

Cook one onion and one clove of garlic in one half cup butter slowly until tender. Then add one and one half teaspoons prepared mustard, two tablespoons chili powder, one cup ketchup, one half cup vinegar, one half cup water, one tablespoon sugar and one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and simmer until thick.

Homemade sauce can be a great way to explore new flavors and to teach yourself how to enhance or reduce different ends of the flavor spectrum. To take a traditional Barbecue sauce and make it sweeter consider adding honey, brown sugar, corn syrup, or even molasses in lieu of sugar. Some people prefer the spicier side of life don’t be scared to try salsas, dried peppers or blends of pepper powders. Finding the balance that you and your dining party enjoy can be a rewarding culinary challenge. Don’t be afraid of ruining the sauce, you can always even flavors by adding an opposite to whatever you have in excess (sweet to spicy).

Thank you to Leona Baker and her family for their contribution. Enjoy!