summers on the way so its bbq time and you will need a sauce

like any other food item bbq sauce is personal and something that everyone has something to say about it. fact is, there is no right or wrong bbq sauce, only what you prefer. some like mop sauces and other like dipping sauces. mop sauces goes on while you are cooking the food, and dipping sauces are used after the fact. further, the sauce has nothing to do with what you will rub, marinate, or season the food with first.

i have tried a lot of sauces, both homemade and store bought. here is the recipe that i have developed to my taste and i use it for many applications. in concept it is a dipping sauce or condiment, but it can also be used to moisten sliced/roasted or smoked/pulled meats.

you can substitute some of the ingredients for others of you choosing. for example: dijon mustard instead of yellow mustard, or margarine instead of butter. but the one ingredient that i think is imperative is the apple cider vinegar. without, this sauce is like any other tomato based american style bbq sauce.


NOTES: 

1. this makes a lot of sauce, so if you want, you can reduce all quantities proportionately and make less of the same. but if you don't, you will have some to give to friends. :-)
2. the slower and longer you cook this the thicker it will become and the more intense the flavor, too.
3. printable version is here.

THE ULTIMATE AMERICAN STYLE BARBECUE SAUCE
STEP ONE
USE A HEAVY BOTTOMED NON-REACTIVE POT ~ MEANING NOT ALUMINUM. SWEAT TILL CLEAR:
UNSALTED BUTTER	2 CUPS
VEGETABLE OIL	¾ CUP
ONION, CHOPPED	5 LARGE
GARLIC	6 PIECES OR MORE - UP2U
STEP TWO
ADD AND SIMMER UNTIL THICKENED / REDUCED:
KETCHUP	6 CUPS
CIDER VINEGAR	½ CUP
YELLOW  MUSTARD	½ CUP
CHILLI SAUCE or TOBASCO	¼ CUP
WATER	½ GALLON
BROWN or PALM SUGAR	4 CUPS
BLACK PEPPER	TO TASTE
HUNGARIAN PAPRIKA	TO TASTE
WATCH POINTS: 1.    DO NOT BOIL, SIMMER. THIS WILL PREVENT SCORCHING AND BURNING OF BOTH THE SAUCE AND THE COOK!   DO NOT COVER, IT WILL NOT THICKEN OR REDUCE. USE A SPATTER SCREEN IF YOU HAVE ONE. 2.    STORE IN NON-REACTIVE CONTAINERS, EITHER GLASS OR PLASTIC. RECYCLED WATER BOTTLES ARE VERY GOOD FOR THIS PURPOSE. 3.    IF YOU INSIST ON PUTTING THIS SAUCE ON FOOD WHILE IT IS COOKING, USE SMALL AMOUNTS, AVOID DIRECT FLAME, AND COOK LOW AND SLOW. THE SUGAR WILL CARMELIZE AND THEN BLACKEN IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL. 4.    ALSO GOOD ON ANYTHING YOU WOULD PUT KETCHUP ON. GREAT WITH FRIES, HOT DOGS AND HAMBURGERS, STEAK, GRILLED CHICKEN, ETC.

crafty vendor sells solar-roasted chickens ...

this truly appeals to me for many reasons.

As posted by Mark Wilson at 12:00 AM on April 23, 2008 on www.gizmodo.com.au

Happy Earth Day everyone! Instead of urging you to recycle all those gadgets that will otherwise leak poison into our planet, we'd rather offer you a more positive, less obvious story to whet your Earth Day appetite. Sila Sutharat runs a Thai chicken stand outside of Bangkok. He roasts 50 chickens a day. And he does it completely through the sun.

Apparently Sutharat uses a complex array of mirrors and glass to focus the sun's rays into one spot a la magnifying glass. As you can see, he wears big goggles and covers himself in white clothing. On a sunny day, the light is so intense that it can cook a 1.6kg chicken in 10 minutes. On an overcast day that number jumps to 20. But on a rainy day, that number drops to never.

He sells the chickens for $5 a pop.

While it's an amazing story, we can't help but consider the amount of time it takes to cook whole chickens on our grill—over the sun's flames. We're guessing that Sutharat's marinade is heavy in acids, allowing him to almost precook the chickens a bit before roasting them like ants, leaves or your buddy's pants when he's not looking.

In the meantime, if anyone would like to try this at home, feel free to send pics of your failed contraptions, but we're having nothing to do with your burns—on the arms or in the intestines.

here's a link to more info.
and be aware of the food safety you need to follow when emulating sutharat's genius.