From one perspective, most store-bought barbecue sauce is lowest-common-denominator stuff: sweet, bland, insipid. But why take such a bottle-half-empty view? Think of it instead as a blank slate, a reddish-brown canvas onto which you can project all sorts of funky—or smoky, spicy, or boozy—ideas. Here's where to go looking for inspiration in your kitchen.
Take a tip from North Carolina and look to vinegar—white vinegar, apple cider vinegar—as the key to great barbecue sauce, cutting its sweetness and lending a little tang. Or take a tip from South Carolina barbecue (we're not picking sides) and achieve the same effect with a generous dose of yellow mustard. You know what else adds acidity? Hot sauce. Add a few glugs of Frank's RedHot or Louisiana-style Crystal. Orany other spicy condiment, really: swirl in some sambal oelek,gochujang, orharissa。玩的烟notes found in a can of adobo sauce, or the citrus flavors inCuban mojo。
Another source of smoky flavor: smoked paprika. Or try hot paprika, if that's more your thing, or chile powder or ground cayenne pepper. If you're not into heat but still want to add a little spice, try stirring in a couple dashes of curry powder.
Add fizz and malt by thinning your sauce with a light-bodied lager; go completely in another direction—a rich, complex direction—by adding a splash of red wine instead. Into the hard stuff? No judgment—bourbon barbecue sauce is just about perfect.
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Just spitballing, but hear me out: What if you added diced kimchiandcooked, crumbled bacon to barbecue sauce? There's no reason it can't be a little chunky. Or cooked bacon and sautéed diced onions, or—if you must—you can lose the bacon and add just the onions, which by themselves will really lend a helping hand. Think about fresh herbs like thyme or oregano, or chopped fresh jalapeño pepper, or sweet crushed fruit like pineapple. Your imagination, and/or the bottom of the crisper drawer, is the limit.
