BBQ Sauce

Nothing says “Summer Time” like cooking out. Mention the words Cookout, or Barbecue to someone, and their mind will instantly go to when they were only a child, when they would be spending time with family in their parent’s backyard, having fun with siblings while Dad controlled the grill.

What would be a BBQ without a great BBQ Sauce? Some would say that BBQ ribs are simply a delivery system for BBQ Sauce. The first Barbecue Sauces date back many centuries. When sometimes honey would be added to pork meat prior to cooking over a fire to give it a crispy and very tasty coating. Later, herbs were added for to broaden the flavours, and sometimes vinegar was added to make the syrups less sweet.

Today, Sauces are usually based in Molasses, or sometimes brown sugar as opposed to honey, while some even add the flavour of liquors to give it a flavour all its own. It would seem that the U.S version of BBQ Sauce was created in the Carolinas, and started out with nothing more than vinegar and pepper, but later grew into what we know these days.

It’s not known who truly invented BBQ Sauce; some say it was the German settlers in the mid-1700s, when they would use mustard sauce. Others say it was the Taino Indians, as their word, “Barbacoa” literally means “meat-smoking apparatus.” Some even like to think that is was Christopher Columbus who discovered the culinary creation in Hispaniola. But in the end, it really doesn’t matter where or when it was created. It only matter that its darn good with just about anything, whether it be chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, pork chops, ribs, Heck, even potato chips taste magnificent with the added flavour of this wonderful little sauce. So, when the weather finally breaks, and the snow is melted, and the sunshine is plentiful, grab a few neighbours, dust off the old barbecue grill, and enjoy some delicious food with the entire family. And whatever you do, don’t forget the BBQ Sauce!