Jazzy Hog Competition Barbecue Glaze

If you are a fan of Blues Hog barbecue sauce then you are sure to love this nod to the much beloved original!

One of my all-time favorite commercial barbecue sauces is the Blues Hog Sauce by Bill Arnold of Perry, MO. He makes several sauces, but the original is still my fave. And I am not alone. It is widely used on the competition circuit, and, more and more, it can be found in grocery stores. It’s a sweet stickly shiny glaze with loads of flavor from at least a dozen ingredients.

So I set out to pay homage to it in my own way. Rather than try to reverse engineer it, I took inspiration from it and let it teach me. What I ended up with is most definitely not Blues Hog, but it has a familiar flavor profile and it’s pretty good. So I named it Jazzy Hog Competition Barbecue Glaze in honor of the original.

I call it a glaze because it is shinier than most sauces and it puts a lovely glow on ribs. That’s because it contains corn syrup and brown sugar. For the wary, corn syrup in the kitchen is not the same as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) used by industry. Click here to read more about corn syrups as well as my take on the HFCS controversy before you decide to leave it out. If you are unconvinced by facts, feel free to substitute something else like maple syrup, cane syrup, sorghum, honey, or even light molasses, but that will create a different flavor profile. Heck, you might like it better!

Jazzy Hog Glaze Recipe

3.94 from 65 votes

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A sweet spicy glaze that will jazz up your barbecue similar to the style of sauce favored by competiton cooks across the nation.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 1 quart

Course: Sauces and Condiments

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

 

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• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 3/4 cups ketchup
• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons tamarind paste
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons American chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons Morton Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Method

 

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1. Prep. Mix together all the ingredients in a saucepan with a whisk.
2. Heat. Warm the ingredients over a medium low heat. Don't let it come to a hard boil, just a few occasional light bubbles. Cook for 15 to 30 minutes. Then pour into a very clean bottle.
3. Serve. Use the sauce as you would any barbecue sauce or refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.

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