i made this bbq sauce to go with the pulled pork i was making last week, and along with the pork, it’s quite a winner. it’s mild in your mouth with a bit of a fiery kick at the end, and pairs well with pulled pork and other things you might want to barbecue (chicken wings, etc). it mellows as you let it stand, so try to make this a day before using it.

i’ve adapted the recipe a little bit, as the original recipe called for liquid smoke. according to wikipedia, liquid smoke is “a substance produced from smoke passed through water,” and apparently, carcinogenic compounds such as tar and ash are removed in processing the liquid. however, i just can’t get on board with semi-artificial ingredients like this – who knows what went into this stuff, anyway? also, the EU version of the FDA, which has higher standards, is currently investigating liquid smoke, so that’s good enough for me – no liquid smoke. instead, i swapped in smoked salt that i got from the whole foods bulk section in tribeca. you’ll get a bit of smoky flavor from the chipotle peppers, too; i found that this sauce was plenty smoky enough. (more…)