My dad managed to weasel this recipe out of a woman he was doing business with in Johnson City, Tennessee, long before Tennessee was on my radar. He took to making it in giant batches, bottling it up in Mason jars to keep for an entire summer. Summers full of magical spare ribs and grilled chicken followed, all treated to a good Texas-sized dousing of the sweet, tangy sauce. I crave it by the spoonful (but I refrain).
For some reason it had long intimidated me, so I never gave it a shot. In fact, though I had begged my dad for the recipe, it sat in my email inbox for almost 2 years before I decided to just go for it. On what better occasion than Memorial Day, when I had 8 hungry people to feed?
Here's the original recipe, scanned (thanks Dad!), plus some possible substitutions.
Here's the original recipe, scanned (thanks Dad!), plus some possible substitutions.
If you don't have: Kitchen Bouquet
Substitute: Additional Worcestershire sauce or equal amount of Liquid Smoke
If you don't have: Molasses
Substitute: 1/3 cup honey plus 1/3 cup brown sugar
The "vinegar" is pretty generic. My dad uses red wine vinegar, I used apple cider.
Then, just as it says, mix and refrigerate. Go ahead...dump it all in a bowl.
Taste and adjust to your liking. I know for a fact that I splashed in extra Worcestershire, garlic powder and honey, so make it your own!
Store as you see fit. As I said, my dad cans his in Mason jars, but I just repurposed the empty ketchup bottle.
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