By Kent Whitaker
One of the questions I’m often asked when signing books or just chatting around the grill during a demo is about favorite marinades, sauces, and rubs. People are often shocked when I start talking because I’m a big fan of something I call “cheater” or “junk” sauces when it comes to saving time and money.
Don’t get me wrong as I love making my two secret barbecue sauces from scratch. But over the years I’ve realized that more and more people don’t have the time to dedicate half a day to making sauce. That’s not even mentioning spending a bunch of money on special ingredients.
So what’s my time and cost saving solution? Cheater sauces – my barbecue worlds version of “break glass in emergency” but don’t break any glass… just use simple ingredients. More on that below.
Does Marinade Make Meat Tender?
Yes and no… it depends on the meat, the ingredients in the marinade and the time the meat stays in the marinade. All of which takes to much space to properly explain here as there are chemical reactions taking place between sodium, acids, and oils in the marinade and the fiber and fat of the meat. Aside from the acid and the oil in the marinade, the rest is actually equal to your favorite dry rub added for flavor.
The basic rule of thumb is that if you want tender meat then start with buying tender cuts. And, if you want to make tough meat tender, use a combination of long marinade times and the low and slow cooking method – aka; overnight marinated slow smoked pork ribs… slow smoked beef brisket.
Then there’s the flip side. Liquids such as apple juice, colas, citrus juice, beer, and even whiskey can be used as a marinade. Flavored yogurt is a perfect marinade for fish fillets. Remember, marinades can make tough meat tender over time, infuse flavor quickly, but it can also be overpowering if not paired properly. Heavy and sodium loaded marinades work great for beef, pork, etc, while fish and other seafoods require a lighter touch.
What’s a Barbecue Sauce?
Barbecue sauce can vary from any city in North Carolina as well as from state to state, region to region, and from one side of the country to the other. There’s Alabama white sauce, Carolina Gold style Mustard Sauce, Carolina Finishing sauce, and many others. That does not even include various versions of mop sauces!
Pick the sauce you like for topping your grilled burger, steak, chicken, or dipping your nuggets in. That’s a personal preference. But when it comes to using a sauce during the cooking process avoid sugary versions. If cooked to fast the sugar will break down, burn, and cause a bitter taste. Mop sauces, used to keep adding moisture to meat, is often light in color and ingredients. It could be a simple combination of apple juice and beer with a few spices thrown in for good measure.
A Word About Rubs!
Rubs are spice combinations that are applied, as in rubbed, or sprinkled onto the meat. Salt an Pepper is a rub. Or, you can have a Tex-Mex rub with southwest spices, or a Creole or Cajun-inspired blackening rub, maybe a Italian, Oriental, or Greek-style rub. The sky is the limit.
Think of a rub as a dry marinade. The flavor of the spices seep into the meat before and during the cooking process. Add some oil and acid and you have a seasoned marinade. Add some juice, tomato paste, minced onion and more and you have a barbecue sauce. Add a few drops of oil and you have a seasoning paste
Kent’s Cheater and Junk Sauces
Here’s how a “cheater” or ‘Junk” sauce works. Grab some of your favorite store bought sauce and cheat by adding some additional junk. That’s it – done! Actually, do some preplanning before using you cheater or junk sauce on a nice piece of meat and then tossing it on your pellet grill.
Barbecue sauce and orange juice with minced onion and garlic simmered over low heat make for a fantastic sauce. Fruit marmalade or preserves, such as orange or apricot, simmered with barbecue sauce is perfect for pork and chicken. Yogurt with citrus flavored rum for seafood grilling and even steak sauce with a two or three spoonfuls of raspberry jelly is amazing when simmered, stirred and served with a steak topped with garlic butter.
Author Bio: Kent Whitaker, also known as “The Deck Chef,” is an award-winning culinary writer and cookbook author. He’s also penned Young Reader, NASCAR and History titles. The former winner of the Emeril Live Food Network Barbecue Contest also covers football, motorsports, and bass fishing. Kent currently lives in East Tennessee with his wife, son, and a couple of dogs that love when he fires up the smoker or grill. You can reach out to Kent at thedeckchef.com, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.