This is the thin, vinegar sauce in the tradition of Eastern North Carolina. For a rough idea of the Western sauce, add 1 cup catsup, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to this recipe. This is served over smoked pork in any form–sliced or pulled.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

• 3 teaspoons salt

• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cayenne chile

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, mix well, and let stand for a couple hours to blend the flavors.

In South Carolina, barbecue is flavored with mustard as a dominant ingredient rather than just an incidental spice. Vinegar makes an appearance here as well.

Ingredients

Yellow Mustard, Cider Vinegar, Sugar, Margarine, Worcestershire Sauce, Louisiana-style Hot Sauce

Instructions

In South Carolina, barbecue is flavored with mustard as a dominant ingredient rather than just an incidental spice. But vinegar makes its appearance here as well, plus some hot sauce. As in North Carolina, the sauce is primarily used over smoked pork. But you could serve this over grilled pork chops.

• 3/4 cup yellow “ballpark” mustard

• 3/4 cup cider vinegar

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 ½ tablespoons margarine

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

• 2 teaspoons Louisana-style hot sauce, or more to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, stirring to blend, and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

Yield: 1 3/4 cups

Heat Scale: Mild

After a brisket has been smoked, it is basted in this sauce for a couple of hours before being sliced and served. Some cooks, however, slather the sauce on during the smoking.

Ingredients

Chili Powder, Cayenne, Margarine, Beer, Lemons, Parsley, Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions

This recipe is from Red Caldwell, who revealed the secrets of Texas barbecue to us when we were editors of Chile Pepper magazine. After a beef brisket has been smoked, it is basted in this sauce for a couple of hours before it is sliced and served. Some cooks slather the sauce on during the smoking. It can also be used with smoked lamb or pork.

• 2 tablespoons commercial chili powder

• ½ teaspoon ground cayenne chile (or more to taste)

• 1 pound butter or margarine

• 2 onions, chopped fine

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 ½ cups beer, such as Shiner Bock

• 4 lemons, quartered

• 1 bunch parsley tops, minced

• 2 cups vegetable oil

• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

• 2 bay leaves

In a pot, melt the butter, add the onions and garlic, and saute for 4 to 5 minutes to soften. Add the beer, squeeze in the lemon juice, and add the lemon rinds to the pot. When the foam subsides, add all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Yield: About 5 cups

Heat Scale: Medium

Excerpt from Barbecue Inferno, (Ten Speed Press, 2001), and available from

Gorgeous insists that his sauce is secret, but if he wanted to keep it that way, he should never have told me the ingredients. We experimented in Dave’s and Mary Jane’s kitchen until we got the sauce right. It can also be used on chicken. It is a grill sauce, designed to be brushed on during the grilling process, but it has a lot of sugar in it, so take care that it does not burn. The sauce yield is about 1 cup.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ cup orange marmalade
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon ground dry roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons Scotch bonnet or habanero hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 thick fish steaks, such as shark or tuna

Instructions

In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate if not using it immediately.

Add wood chips (such as pecan or mesquite) to the grill fire. Brush the sauce over the steaks and place them on the grill. Keep brushing the steaks with the sauce until they are done. The time will vary according to the heat of the fire, the thickness of the steaks, and their proximity to the fire. Try not to turn the steaks more than twice.