Fiery foods, forgive my bad pun, are hot right now.
A few years ago nobody north of Texas had heard of chipotle. Now it’s on everyone’s spice rack and there’s even a restaurant chain named after the smoked jalapeno.
But in Bayou country, hot stuff has always been big. The first bottled hot sauces came out of Louisiana, home of Tabasco Sauce. Today there are lots of great hot and spicy barbecue sauces on the market. Some just burn from capsaicin (the active ingredient in spicy chile peppers), but the best are complex blends and the heat is tempered with sweetness and savory.
Bayou Bite, my version of a great Louisiana Barbecue Sauce, is a wonderful blend of sweet and hot peppers. Even if you don’t like hot stuff, you really should try this one. It is a finishing and dipping sauce. It loses much of its fresh, bright goodness when cooked. So paint it on your meats near the end and serve it in a bowl for dipping ribs, and chicken, or spoon a few dollops on steaks and chops. The recipe below is medium hot. If you want it hotter, add 1 more tablespoon of Chipotle Tabasco Sauce. Go ahead, add more. I dare you.
Bayou Bite is especially good on shellfish, especially shrimp and oysters. I’ve even been known to dump it on top of a brick of cream cheese and serve it with crackers.
Louisiana BBQ Dipping Sauce Recipe
Makes:
Takes:
Ingredients
- 2 large grill roasted or smoked red bell peppers
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons Chipotle Tabasco Sauce or your favorite hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons Steen's 100% Pure Cane Syrup or molasses
- 4 tablespoons distilled vinegar
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 pinches Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page
Method
- Prep. Prepare the red peppers if you don't have them in the freezer. Blacken the skins so they peel easily. When they come off the grill toss them in a bowl and cover it with a plate. This allows them to steam and further loosens the skin. With a serrated knife, scrape off the skin. Don't worry if some remains.
- Cook. Turn the heat on the grill down to medium. Peel the garlic cloves and wrap them in foil. Put them on the grill for about 15 minutes or until they are tender.
- Prep again. Put the pepper and garlic in a blender and puree. You should get about 1/2 cup (118.3mL) of liquid per serving. If you have more or less pepper juice, adjust the rest of the ingredients accordingly.
- Add the remaining ingredients and liquefy. Taste and adjust the flavors to your preferences. Add more Tabasco if you want it hotter or more syrup if you want it sweeter. Bottle it in a clean jar and refrigerate. It will lose some of its freshness after a month or so.
- Serve. Use the sauce to spice up countless dishes.
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