The second stage of outdoor seasoning, offered with the food when it’s served, is more familiar than the first to most cooks. Everybody knows the glories of a good barbecue sauce, popular in every corner of the country as a crowning complement for grilled and smoked food. That’s where we start here, with a range of classic and creative sauces to cap your finest outdoor efforts.
They’re so good they can fool you. Just because you love a particular sauce, or even a dozen different sauces, don’t use them on every thing. To be an all-around outdoor cook and an all-star party host or hostess, you need an appreciation of the full range of appropriate table seasonings. For many dishes, a chunky salsa makes a better topping than a conventional sauce, and in other cases a treat such as Black Olive and Lemon Relish provides a perfect foil for the food. For grilled fish tacos, you probably want a Chipotle-Lime Mayonnaise in your repertory, and for grilled chicken breasts, surely a Worcestershire Pecan Butter. The more you branch out in this area, the larger your presence will loom in your outdoor kitchen.
When Americans think about barbecue sauce, what they usually envision first is a sweet, spicy elixir like this one, thick with tomatoes. Kansas City pitmasters perfected the model over the course of the twentieth century in some of the country’s best Bar-B-Q joints. Those places still serve their versions with justifiable pride, but most of the commercial imitations lack the original verve and balance, often being sugary enough to use as icing on a cake. To get it right, you need to make it in your own kitchen, just like the creators did.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2¼ cups
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced 1½ cups tomato sauce
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons cider vinegar cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar ¼ cup tomato paste 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons chili powder 2 tablespoons yellow mustard 1 tablespoon celery salt 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons pure liquid hickory smoke (optional)
Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in the remaining ingredients and ¾ cup water, reduce the heat to low, and cook the mixture for about 30 minutes, so the flavors get good and friendly and the sauce gets thick enough to coat the spoon heavily. Stir frequently. If the consistency is thicker than you prefer, add a little more water. Use the sauce warm or chilled. It keeps, refrigerated, for at least several weeks.
Tangy Kansas City Barbecue Sauce
Some of our favorite Kansas City sauces feature additional pepper and vinegar zing. Reduce the brown sugar to ¼ cup. Add an extra 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, and 1 or 2 teaspoons black pepper.
Brushing a thick, sticky sauce over food in the last minutes of grilling can lead to great results, gooey in spots, lightly charred and crunchy in others. It’s not so appealing on the cooking grate afterward. The easiest and quickest way to get rid of the gunk is to attack it just after you remove the food from the fire. Dunk your grill brush in water and scrape the grate while it’s still hot. The steam you create will help loosen stubborn cooked-on food.
Kansas City Fire This is another personal favorite, though not as truly typical of the city. Double or even triple the amount of chili powder.
Kansas City Sweet Sauce If you’re attuned to the sweeter styles, replace 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar with molasses and increase the corn syrup by 2 tablespoons.
Texas Ranch
Barbecue Sauce
Texans often eat their renowned barbecued brisket without sauce, but even so, they make some sauces worth bragging about. Of the various styles you find in the state, this is among the most inspired. In original versions, it relies on drippings from barbecued meat, but in the absence of those, bacon drippings make a good substitute. We usually take our brisket naked, but we love this sauce on hamburgers, flank steak, pork, and baked potatoes.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2½ cups
¼ cup bacon drippings, barbecued brisket or other meat drippings, or vegetable oil
1½ cups chopped onion
2 fresh or pickled jalapeños or serranos,
chopped 1 cup ketchup ¾ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup brewed coffee ¼ cup molasses
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons yellow mustard 1 to 2 teaspoons salt or more to taste
Warm the drippings in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and jalapeños and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Mix in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Cool briefly.
Puree the sauce in a blender, in batches if needed. Use immediately or, even better, cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to several days. Reheat before serving.
Texas Ranchero Sauce The closer you get to the border, geographically or spiritually, the more a Texas sauce may resemble a Mexican salsa. Eliminate all the ingredients from the Worcestershire sauce on down. Start with the bacon drippings, onion, and jalapeños, as directed. Add the ketchup and 2 cups tomato-based salsa and heat through. Puree and store as instructed.
Texas Dr P. ‘Cue Sauce Add Waco’s pride, Dr Pepper, to the sauce. Eliminate ½ cup of the coffee and 2 tablespoons of the molasses, and pour in a 12-ounce bottle or can of Dr Pepper.
When planning menus, think through not only what you and your guests like but also how to keep last-minute work minimal and organized If you want to concentrate on a grilled pièce de résistance, fill out the rest of the menu with the kind of prepare-ahead dishes you’ll find in our side dishes chapter. Look for a good mixture of flavors, textures, and colors. Lots of outdoor-cooked food, especially smoked dishes, are starkly brown. Consider how you can enliven their presentation with colorful platters or eye-catching accompaniments. Grilled foods can work for several courses, but generally we wouldn’t serve multiple courses of smoked or deep-fried foods. They’d overwhelm each other as well as the diners.
Thin, vinegary sauces are as indigenous to the Southeast as sweetened iced tea, and they taste much better with the local barbecued pork than any concoction from farther west. The sauces probably developed out of colonial-period English ketchups, which were made with vinegar in combination with mushrooms, oysters, and other ingredients, but never with tomatoes. Because of the lack of tomatoes, which burn when exposed too long to heat, the sauce doubles as a mop.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2½ cups
2 cups white or cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes or cayenne
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan with ½ cup water and bring just to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Use warm, at room temperature, or chilled. The sauce keeps indefinitely.
Smokin’ Southern Pig-Pickin’ Sauce
For pork that isn’t smoked for hours, gain some of that old-time barbecue flavor by adding 1 tablespoon liquid smoke, 2 to 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, and 2 teaspoons onion powder.
Thai Hot, Sweet, and Sour Sauce Halfway around the world geographically, but akin in spirit. Double the amount of sugar. Replace the red pepper flakes with 1 tablespoon Asian chile or chile-garlic paste. Add 1 thinly sliced garlic clove if the chile paste lacks garlic. As good on smoked pork as its southern cousins, but equally fine on grilled beef tenderloin or chicken satay.
This thin Worcestershire-stained sauce hails originally from western Kentucky, where it’s spread traditionally on barbecued mutton. We like it just as well on smoked chicken and trout, on jerk pork, and with grilled lamb.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2½ cups
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
½ to 1 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground allspice
Combine the ingredients with ½ cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Spirited Sauces
One of the fastest ways to customize a store-bought sauce or add extra spark to one of your own is to lace it with a little liquor. Bourbon and rum, our overall favorites, contribute a sharp sweetness, mellowed with smoky flavor in the case of bourbon. Dry white or red wines supply a nice acidity as well as their varietal character. Generally we add spirits in the last few minutes of cooking, when the sauce is hot enough to evaporate the majority of the alcohol but not diminish its signature taste.
Kentucky Derby Afternoon
Mint Juleps
Smoked Salmon Stuffed Eggs (page 87)
Grilled Lamb with Black Magic
Picnic Pea Salad (page 480)
Grand fruit Salad (page 485)
Cornbread (page 499)
Chocolate pecan pie
Our favorite all-purpose grilling sauce, this is a snap to make, and it sasses up everything from chicken breasts to skirt steak. We generally spike it with a little bourbon, which gives the sauce a sweet, smoky edge. You can also substitute rum if you like or leave out the spirits completely.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2½ cups
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup molasses
2 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder
3 to 4 tablespoons bourbon or light or dark rum
Salt, optional
Combine the ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, butter, mustard, onion powder, pepper, and chili powder in a saucepan with ½ cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until thickened lightly. Stir in the bourbon and simmer for another couple of minutes. Taste and add a bit of salt if needed, then cook for another minute or two, stirring, to distribute the salt in the sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for at least a couple of weeks.
Frigid Mates
Cold egg yolks and mustard right out of the fridge won’t blend properly in this sauce. If you want to mix them sooner rather than later, place the unshelled eggs in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes before separating and zap the mustard for a few seconds in a microwave.
You find mustard-based barbecue sauces in some areas of the South, but this luxurious mayo-style version takes off in different directions from those. It’s stellar in pork sandwiches, like its distant cousins, but also on poultry and smoked fish. Try brushing it over hot dogs for a haute dog experience.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 1½ cups
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, at room temperature
1½ teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons white vinegar
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Pinch of cayenne
½ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons mild-flavored honey
Combine the egg yolks, mustard, salt, vinegar, white pepper, and cayenne in a food processor. With the processor running, drizzle in the oil in a very slow, steady stream. When done, the sauce should have the consistency of mayonnaise. Stop the processor and add the honey. Whir a time or two to combine. If the mixture is too thick to spoon easily, thin with warm water, added 1 teaspoon at a time. Serve immediately or chill and use within several days.
Provençal Mustard and Honey Sauce
Make the honey lavender scented. Cut the cayenne and white pepper. Add a teaspoon or two of Herbes de Grillade (page 30) or herbes de Provence. Brush over grilled lamb, duck, or pork. Thin, if desired, with olive oil.
Making Your Own Brand of Barbecue Sauce
Tasting is the key to developing a great barbecue sauce of your own. Make some of our recipes and taste those sauces. Go to a store with a big selection of sauces, load up a shopping basket, go home, and taste them all critically, noting the ingredients they contain and what you like and don’t like about each one. Then it’s time to try one of your own. Consider each of these elements as you experiment, taste, and adjust the sauce:
* Start with a strong foundation: in the United States typically either vinegar, meat drippings or stock, mustard, or a tomato product such as sauce, puree, paste, or ketchup.
* Almost always include an acid such as vinegar, citrus juice, or pickling liquid.
* To balance the acid, you probably want some sweetness from sugar, honey, molasses, or maybe cane, corn, or maple syrup.
* Salt helps with the balancing act, either in granular form or as soy sauce, anchovies, or other sodium-rich ingredients.
* Many people, including us, like some heat, from fresh or dried chiles, Tabasco or another hot sauce, freshly ground black pepper, or perhaps horseradish.
* Go from here into signature components, which include such diverse possibilities as oil, butter, herbs, spices, garlic, onions, Worcestershire sauce, and wine.
The bracing sourness of tropical tamarind is the perfect foil to a double dose of sweet orange. Lavish on chicken wings throughout their grilling for ooey-gooey goodness, or brush lightly over dry-rubbed pork chops, lamb chops, or boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the last few minutes of grilling for charred richness. Reserve enough to serve at the table. If you don’t see tamarind paste or concentrate at the supermarket, check an Asian or Latin market It keeps virtually forever.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2 cups
¾ cup fresh orange juice
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon chipotle ketchup, chipotle barbecue sauce, or regular ketchup or barbecue sauce mixed with 1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles, minced
½ cup chicken stock
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons tamarind paste or concentrate
1 tablespoon butter, salted or unsalted Coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
Stir the ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a bare simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally so that the lumpy tamarind paste melts into the sauce. When done, it should be tacky enough to coat the spoon. The sauce can be made up to several days ahead, refrigerated, and then reheated.
The first tidal wave of American grill enthusiasm, in the 1950s, coincided with the country’s initial tentative steps toward embracing Asian food. It was a time of teriyaki and Trader Vic’s, rumaki and simple satays. Ensuing decades have brought us a tsunami of more diverse and authentic Asian flavors-Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, and now Korean, with its emphasis on grilling. Korean cooks developed this signature sauce for beef, beef, and more beef, but it’s just as good on chicken, pork, and even ail-American rumaki.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes 1½ cups
¾ cup soy sauce, Korean if available
cup packed dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
¼ cup minced scallion 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, then mix in the scallion and remove from the heat. Stir in the sesame oil. Use warm or at room temperature.
Spicy Korean Barbecue Sauce Add 1 to 2tablespoons of Korean red pepper paste or Asian chile or chile-garlic paste to the other ingredients.
Korean Smearing Sauce Eliminate the ginger. Instead of the soy sauce and brown sugar, combine the same amounts of Korean bean paste and Korean red pepper paste, available at Asian groceries. Stir in the remaining ingredients, no cooking required. Smear onto lettuce leaves and roll around grilled beef, pork, or chicken.
Crazy About Chipotles
One-pod arsenals of smoke and spice, Mexican chipotle chiles deserve a place in every outdoor cook’s pantry. Generally, growers air-dry chiles for preservation, but the method didn’t work for meaty jalapeños in their original home near humid Veracruz.
So they dried the pods over low smoky wood fires, adding a heady complexity to their flavor with undertones of chocolate, coffee, and tobacco. We always keep chipotles on hand in two forms, canned en adobo and as a dried powder. The tangy adobo sauce that comes with the chiles in the can makes a great
seasoning on its own, with the distinctive chipotle flavor but not the heat. We use the powder mainly to bolster rubs and sauces.
Glossy Korean Sesame Glaze Add ¼ cup water to the ingredients to be cooked. Mix 3 more tablespoons dark sesame oil into the sauce when it’s removed from the stove. Scatter toasted white sesame seeds over the dish, too, if you wish.
Plum-Hoisin Sauce This spicy sweet Asian-inspired sauce enhances many simply grilled foods, including chicken breasts, pork chops, duck, tilapia, and other flaky white fish. Tea-smoked duck never comes to our table without it. The blend is something akin to commercial Chinese duck and plum sauces, but it comes out more complex and aromatic with very little effort.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2 cups
One 14- to 16-ounce can plums in heavy syrup, uiidraiiicd
½cup soy sauce
¼cup plus 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon dark, sesame oil or peanut oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Puree the plums with the hoisin sauce in a blender or food processor. Spoon into a saucepan and stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a quick boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook the sauce until thick, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Serve the sauce warm or chilled. It keeps, covered and refrigerated, for at least several weeks.
Party-Time Tip
Present dishes and plates for a party in ways that feel comfortable to you. You’re cooking outdoors, so anything simple goes. You might want to serve the food on platters, perhaps inexpensive ones in a neutral color from Target, Pier 1, Crate & Barrel, or Cost Plus World Market. Neatly mound everything on the serving ware and garnish with a big plume of a compatible herb on the side of each. If the group is small and everyone’s sitting at the same table, pass the platters family style. If you’re hosting a bigger group, opt for a buffet. The sauces, salsas, and relishes in this chapter, with their multitude of hues and textures, will enhance the presentation of any dish.
The blistering habanero chile features remarkable flavor if you can figure out how to taste it before searing your mouth. Mixing the chile with tropical fruit is one of the best ways to tame its wilder side. By starting with a bottled habanero sauce, such as the widely distributed Melinda’s, you can avoid the hassle of getting the fiery oil of a fresh chile on your hands. Look for guava paste with Latin foods. Give this sauce as much firepower as you wish, but be sure to offer a milder option for any timid guests. Great with fried seafood, grilled or smoked fish or pork, or even fried turkey.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about ¼ cup
½ cup guava paste
1 tablespoon tomato-based barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or more to taste
1 teaspoon habanero hot sauce, or more, even much more, to taste
Puree the ingredients with 2 tablespoons warm water in a blender, starting with the smaller amounts of lime juice and hot sauce. Add more lime juice and hot sauce as needed to create a sweet, sour, spicy blend. Serve at room temperature, but keep stored in the refrigerator for up to several weeks.
Every time we buy guava paste, it seems to come in a different-size package. If you end up with extra paste, serve it for dessert or breakfast with an aged cheese such as manchego or with a creamy soft cheese, like quark or farmers’ cheese. With water mixed into the paste, you can also use it as a grilling glaze. The paste keeps for weeksin the refrigerator.
This simple but incendiary Portuguese sauce most traditionally accents grilled bone-in chicken parts, but it also works great on boiled shrimp and barbecued pork. If you like the sauce as much as we do, you might wanttry it with the hard-to-find piri piri chiles, which can be ordered in small bottles from the Spanish Table (spanishtable.com, 505-986-0243). Start with half the amount of chile called for and work up from there.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 1½ cups
¾ cup olive oil
½ cup fresh lemon juice
2 to 3 tablespoons hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Scotch or Irish whiskey or water
1 tablespoon minced red onion
2 plump garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
½ teaspoon coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt, or more to taste
Combine the ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Let sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature for the flavors to blend before serving. Use at room temperature or chilled. Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for up to several weeks.
Just toss this together in the food processor and you’re ready to go, without cooking a lick. Grand on grilled turkey or lamb burgers, accompanying a rotisserie leg of lamb, or poured over grilled mango slices.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 1 cup
1½ cups fresh mint leaves
½ cup raspberry or other fruity vinegar
3 to 4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pulse the mint leaves a few times in a food processor until uniformly chopped. Add the vinegar and sugar and pulse until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Hold at room temperature and serve within an hour or two.
Latin cooking is rich with flavors that meld with fire and smoke. Mojo, another tangy herb mixture, makes an excellent table sauce for small cuts of pork, chicken breasts, and vegetables. If you like, blend an extra batch to marinate the same foods before cooking. We sometimes add several tablespoons of light or dark rum to the sauce.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2½ cups
¾ cup flavorful olive oil
¾ cup fresh orange juice, plus 2 tablespoons minced orange zest
¾ cup fresh lime juice
¾ up chopped fresh cilantro leaves
4 to 6 plump garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
Whisk the ingredients together in a bowl. Use within a few hours for best flavor.
We panic if we somehow run out of Spanish romesco, which we put on everything short of pie. Serve it with simply grilled shrimp or skewers laced with shrimp and chorizo chunks or dolloped on grilled clams or white fish. Slather over grilled garlic bread or dunk grilled green onions into it. Smear it over smoked or grilled lamb slices piled on a crusty roll or just eat it from the bowl with a spoon.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 1½ cups
One 4-ounce jar piquillo peppers, with their juice, or pimientos, preferably fire-roasted, with their juice, plus V\ to V2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 red-ripe plum tomato
1 slice chewy country bread, about 1 ounce, toasted or grilled and torn into several pieces
cup slivered salted almonds, Marcona if available
1tablespoon hot paprika, preferably
Spanish
2 plump garlic cloves
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
¾ teaspoon coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt, or more to taste
6 to 8 tablespoons flavorful olive oil
Open-Face Turkey Burgers with Fresh Mint Sauce (page 154)
Sweet potato chips
Creamy Coleslaw (page 476)
Papaya halves with lime wedges
a Costa Brava Celebration
Toasted almonds, preferably Marrona
Grilled Spanish chorizo
Grilled Calamari (cooked as in Party Paella, page 262) with Saffron Mayonnaise (page 65)
Peppers with Romesco Sauce (page 414) and Grilled Leeks Topped with Romesco (page 451)
Fennel and Pears with Sherry-Orange Drizzle (page 108)
Dry sherry
Plop the piquillos and juice, tomato, bread, almonds, paprika, garlic, vinegars, and salt into a food processor. Add 1 tablespoon warm water and process until a thick puree forms. With the motor running, pour in enough oil to make a smooth and easily spoonable sauce. Let the sauce sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour or cover and refrigerate for up to several weeks.
Dribble this appealingly assertive sauce in small quantities over grilled tuna tidbits, other smoked or grilled seafood, potatoes, or fennel slices, hot or chilled. Italians developed the blend as a dunk for uncooked vegetables, and it’s still mighty good that way as well.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 1 cup
¾ cup flavorful olive oil
2 tablespoons slivered garlic
2 teaspoons minced lemon zest
2 to 4 tablespoons chopped anchovy fillets
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, or more to taste
Pour half of the oil into a small skillet and add the garlic and lemon zest. Warm over low heat for about 5 minutes. If the garlic begins to sizzle, the sauce is getting hotter than you want, so remove the skillet from the heat for a few seconds and then return it after it has cooled a little. Stir in the rest of the oil, the anchovies, and the pepper, and heat for a minute or two, just until the sauce is warm to the touch. Serve immediately.
A true egg-rich béarnaise sauce can seriously mask the essence of grilled or smoked foods. To get some of the same flavors in a more summery vein, we opt for this variation, not exactly light itself but certainly delightful on a grilled tuna or ribeye steak.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 1¼ cups
¼ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar 5 tablespoons minced shallot
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1½ tablespoons dried
1 cup crème fraiche Salt
Combine the wine, vinegar, shallot, and tarragon in a small saucepan and reduce over medium heat until just about 2 tablespoons of the liquid remain. Set aside briefly to cool.
Mix the wine reduction into the crème fraîche. Season with a bit of salt to taste. Serve chilled or just slightly warmed.
Horseradish stands stout with the beefiest dishes-from prime rib to burgers-but doesn’t overwhelm smoked fish or grilled shrimp. For the full experience, start with a fresh horseradish root. If you can’t scare one up in a produce department, buy a fresh jar of prepared horseradish, which loses potency as it ages, and use ⅓ cup. Then reduce the vinegar to about 1 tablespoon or eliminate it entirely. If this sauce is too potent for you or your friends, add extra sour cream to tame the heat.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 1¼ cups
One 6-ounce horseradish root
3 tablespoons white vinegar, or more to taste
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
Coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, optional
Peel the horseradish with a vegetable peeler and cut the root into about 6 chunks. Put the horseradish and vinegar in a food processor and process until evenly minced. Stop and scrape down the sides as needed, but avoid taking a deep whiff of the fumes.
Add the sour cream and mayonnaise to the processor and pulse until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper to taste, if you wish, and serve lightly chilled.
A simple vinaigrette made with a quality oil and a complementary acid can make a sparkling replacement for a heavier sauce. This and its numerous variations pair with a cornucopia of outdoor foods, from smoked trout to barbecued brisket, from grilled chicken breasts to deep-fried turkey.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 1 cup
1 plump garlic clove, peeled
½ teaspoon coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt, or more to taste
¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ cup fruity olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Crush the garlic into the salt with the side of a large knife until mashed. Whisk the garlic mixture, orange juice concentrate, and lime juice together in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil and add more salt, if you wish, and pepper to taste.
Garlic-Orange Barbecue Vinaigrette Add 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato-based barbecue sauce, such as Genuine Kansas City Barbecue Sauce (page 50) or Serendipity Sauce (page 54). Depending on the sauce’s acidity, you may want to whisk in a bit more oil to balance the vinaigrette. Terrific on pork tenderloin and chops.
When you want to fire up, you’re only as ready as your pantry. These are the bare essentials at our place, but modify them according to your own interests and whims:
* Coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
* Flaky salt, such as Maldon or French fleur de sel
* Black peppercorns and a peppermill
* Dried chiles (mild or hot)
* Chili powder
* A couple of favorite dry-rub seasonings
* Sugar and brown sugar
* Paprika, preferably sweet, hot, and smoked
* Tabasco, Mexican, and Pickapeppa hot sauces
* Pickled jalapeños
* Canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
* Soy and hoisin sauce
* Worcestershire sauce
* Dijon and yellow mustard
* Ketchup and tomato-based barbecue sauce
* Red wine vinegar and cider or white vinegar
* Olive oil, both an inexpensive variety and a top-of-the-line extra virgin
* Vegetable oil spray
* Heads of fresh garlic or garlic-flavored oil or, preferably, both
* Canned crushed tomatoes
Garlic-Orange Sherry Vinaigrette Replace the lime juice with sherry vinegar. Slather over grilled white fish and shrimp.
Tabasco Vinaigrette Reduce the lime juice by 1 teaspoon and replace it with the same amount of Tabasco or Tabasco Chipotle sauce. Spices up anything.
Orange-Cumin Vinaigrette Toast 1 teaspoon cumin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant. Grind and add to the dressing after mashing the garlic and salt together. Fabulous on fajitas.
Mango Vinaigrette Eliminate the garlic and orange juice concentrate. Instead, add ½ cup mango juice (made by pureeing the fruit, not the much thinner mango nectar). Try the vinaigrette on pork or seafood.
Flavored butters make splendid sauces for a wide range of grilled dishes. Try these in the suggested ways or in ways of your own, adjusting the ingredients as you see fit for your food.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about ¼ cup each
Starting with 8 tablespoons (1 stick) softened salted butter, add the following.
Worcestershire Pecan Butter Toast ½ cup chopped pecans and mix them with 2 to 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and a pinch or two of cayenne. A favorite of ours on chicken, but also a fine choice for smoked trout or a grilled pork tenderloin.
Mustard-Lemon Butter Add 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard and a squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice. Shrimp swoon over it.
Curried Mango Chutney Butter Mix in 2 tablespoons mango chutney (any large fruit chunks chopped) and ½ teaspoon curry powder. A squeeze of lime juice can balance the sweetness. Pour over ham steaks, other pork cuts, chicken rôti, or grilled onions.
Caramelized Shallot Butter Sauté ¾ cup chopped shallots in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in ½ teaspoon sugar and continue cooking for about 10 more minutes, until the shallots are soft and toasty golden-brown. Slather on steaks.
Anchovy Butter Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet and sauté 1 minced large shallot until soft, about 3 minutes. Scrape into the remaining butter and mix in 4 to 6 finely chopped anchovy fillets and 1 tablespoon minced parsley. Great on fish or beef.
Peppery Garlic Butter Sauté 2 teaspoons minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of the butter just until soft and very lightly colored, about 3 minutes. Mix into the rest of the butter with at least 1½ teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper. Perks up chicken and turkey perfectly.
Herb Butter Mince ¼ cup of a single herb or a compatible combo and mix into the butter. Good choices include fresh thyme, cilantro, tarragon, dill, lovage, and parsley. Use on any meat from pork chops to skirt steak.
Honey-Sage Butter Stir in 3 tablespoons honey (a deeply flavored one like chestnut is really nice) and 3 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves. A favorite on grilled or smoked pork.
Chile Butter Mix in 1 to 2 minced fresh or pickled jalapeños or serranos or about 1 tablespoon ground dried mild red chile, with a dash of ground coriander if you like. Super on salmon and shrimp.
Porcini Butter Rehydrate ½ cup dried porcini mushrooms in warm water for about 20 minutes. Drain and mince. Place all the butter in a skillet and sauté the mushrooms over medium heat until well softened, about 5 minutes. Use warm or refrigerate for later use. Nothing’s finer rubbed under the skin of a rotisserie turkey or grill-roasted chicken.
A dressing, a spread, a sauce, mayonnaise takes on more guises than a pop diva. Always special on fish and seafood.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 1 cup each
Starting with 1 cup mayonnaise, add the following ingredients. If the mayonnaise is homemade, use it within a couple of days. Even when prepared with store-bought mayo, most of these are best made in small amounts and eaten soon, because their flavors begin to fade. Store covered in the refrigerator until they are gone.
Rich Mayonnaise Mix in 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil and a pinch of coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt. Use it like regular mayo or, for something different, smear it over grilled corn on the cob and then sprinkle the top with Mexican-style cotija cheese.
Saffron Mayonnaise Combine a good pinch of saffron threads with 2 teaspoons olive oil and let soften for 5 minutes before stirring in. Perfect for a chicken salad with grapes.
Basil Mayonnaise Add 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil. Super over a chilled smoked salmon fillet.
Dill Mayonnaise Blend in 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried and ¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice or white vinegar. The sidekick for smoked mussels.
Gribiche Mayonnaise Add 2 tablespoons chopped capers, 1 tablespoon chopped shallot, 1 tablespoon minced chives, 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon or 1½ teaspoons dried, and a splash of red wine vinegar. Apply liberally to smoked chicken and fish.
Chipotle-Lime Mayonnaise Mix in 1 or 2 minced canned chipotle chiles and 1 to 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can, plus 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice. Add a tablespoon of minced cilantro, too, if you like. A lofty topping for fajitas or tacos.
Wasabi-Scallion Mayonnaise Stir in 3 to 4 tablespoons minced scallion and 2 to 3 teaspoons wasabi paste. Mighty tasty with tuna.
Tabasco Mayonnaise Add 2 to 4 teaspoons Tabasco sauce, original or one of the other flavors. Use with any smoky ham or other pork.
Garlic Mayonnaise Mix in 1 to 4 mashed garlic cloves and a pinch of salt. Grand with grilled lobster tails.
Lemongrass Mayonnaise Add in 1 tablespoon minced tender lemongrass stems. If you, like us, have trouble finding fresh lemongrass dependably, look instead for a tube of lemongrass herb paste in your supermarket produce section. Try the mayo on chilled grilled shrimp.
Avocado Mayonnaise Stir in 1 small mashed avocado and 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice. Adds voluptuousness to burgers, beef, or salmon.
Old Bay Mayo Mix in 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning. Any crabs, any way.
Since outdoor cooking doesn’t produce pan drippings, there’s nothing to deglaze and reduce for gravy or classic European sauces. Salsas and similar relishes based on fresh vegetables and fruits provide an ideal outdoor substitute, particularly in the prime summer season. For broad versatility with a range of grilled and smoked foods, few salsas match the tangy verve of this tomatillo version.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2 cups
1 pound whole fresh tomatillos, husks removed
1 small red or sweet onion, cut into chunks
2 jalapeños or serranos, seeded
½ cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon flavorful olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano, preferably Mexican
½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
Heat the broiler or fire up the grill, bringing the temperature to medium-high (3 seconds with the hand test).
If using the broiler, cover a baking sheet with foil. Top with the tomatillos. Broil for 16 to 18 minutes, turning occasionally to roast evenly. If using a grill, place the tomatillos directly on the cooking grate. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning to roast evenly. The tomatillos are ready when soft with plentiful black blotches.
Mince the onion, jalapeños, and cilantro together in a food processor. Add the tomatillos and remaining ingredients and process until you have a rough puree.
The salsa can be used warm immediately or refrigerated for later.
Coaches are fond of exclaiming “There is no 1 in teamwork!” Enlist available family members (including kids) and friends in the planning, preparation, and cleanup for your party. Discuss assignments in advance, without preconceptions of what’s a guy thing or the mom’s job. Kids often love to help serve, especially when they had a role in making the food.
The first time Cheryl saw an avocado salsa, as a teenager in the Midwest, she was afraid to eat it, suspicious of the green color. Since then she’s become such an avocado fan that friends once threw her an all-avocado dinner party. We think you will enjoy this simple departure from guacamole with similar enthusiasm. A bit of cucumber makes the mixture less rich and adds an appealing crunch.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2 cups
⅔ cup diced peeled and seeded cucumber
3 tablespoons minced red onion
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 large ripe large avocados, diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro, epazote, or tarragon leaves, optional
Coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
Stir the cucumber and red onion together with the lime juice in a medium bowl. Gently fold in the avocados and add an herb if you wish. Salt and serve.
Called a pebre, this bright tomato salsa is served on the side in Chile with a variety of dishes. We like it particularly with grilled, grill-roasted, or smoked pork or cabrito (kid).
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2 cups
¾ pound red-ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced
1 to 2 fresh jalapeños, minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1½ tablespoons flavorful olive oil
1½ teaspoons red wine vinegar, or more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
Coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
Stir together the tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, jalapeños, and garlic. Mix with the remaining ingredients and let sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. The salsa is best the day it’s made.
If you need more places for guests to sit, bales of straw make great cheap extra outdoor seating. We pick them up at a feed store. To make them more comfortable, drape them with fabric, small rugs, or an attractive throw or a few pillows from indoors. When you’re done with the seating, use the bales to compost your garden.
Celebrate the height of summer with this Italian-style relish. We provide a recipe but encourage you to ignore it Begin with great tomatoes and try not to mess them up. A grilled tuna steak, garlic-rubbed bruschetta, or a smoked portobello mushroom cap couldn’t have a rosier finish.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes 1½ to 2 cups
2 large red-ripe tomatoes, chopped
About 1 tablespoon flavorful olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons drained and rinsed capers, chopped if large
Coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
Balsamic vinegar, optional
3 tablespoons torn fresh basil
Halve the tomatoes and squeeze out the watery liquid. Chop the tomatoes and place them a medium bowl. Stir in enough oil just to make them glisten. Stir in the capers, taste, and add salt as needed. If the tomatoes don’t have much acid, a dribble or two of vinegar may be in order. Stir in the basil and serve.
The French Caribbean offers many delights, but few as spectacular to us as sauce chien, a lively Creole relish-cum-vinaigrette. Shrimp, crawfish, lobsters, oysters, or any other creature of the deep thrives in the potion, even if its literal translation is “dog sauce.” We also spoon the relish over grilled or smoked chicken breasts and slices of pork tenderloin. The treat requires a little work in the slicing and dicing department, but you won’t fault the reward.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 1½ cups
⅓ cup light-flavored olive oil
Juice of 2 medium limes
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 medium onion, very finely chopped by hand
1 medium carrot, very finely chopped by hand
3 or 4 scallions, very finely chopped by hand
½ to 1½ teaspoons Caribbean-style habanero hot sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
¾ teaspoon coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Whisk the oil, lime juice, and vinegar together in a medium bowl. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Let sit for about 30 minutes at room temperature for the flavors to mingle, then serve. Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for up to a week.
a Wight of Tropical Heat
Tequila Mojitos (page 80)
lcy Oysters in Sangrita (page 90)
Grilled Whole Red Snapper with lien Creole Relish
Black beans and yellow rice
Piña Colada Flan (page 520)
Stores today stock loads of decent commercial chutneys, but this home-crafted southwestern version speaks in an accent of its own. It provides perfect heft for a sandwich stacked with smoked turkey or chicken, or serve it on the side with grilled shrimp or salmon.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2 cups
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons cider or cane vinegar
¾ cup chopped roasted mild green chile, such as New Mexican or poblano
6 ounces fresh tomatillos, chopped (¾ cup)
1 medium onion, minced
½ teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
½ teaspoon salt
Combine the ingredients with ¼ cup water in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture boils, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes, until thick, stirring occasionally in the last 10 minutes or so. When ready, small bits of chile and tomatillo will be suspended in a thick syrup. The chutney can be used warm or cooled and keeps, covered and refrigerated, for up to several weeks.
Uncooked relishes can add a fresh, bright note to outdoor foods. This tasty and versatile cucumber version is easily assembled with ingredients available year-round.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2 cups
1 cup white or rice vinegar
⅔ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
Scant ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
2 cucumbers, about ¾ pound each, preferably English or European, peeled, seeded, and diced
½ cup diced red or green bell pepper, optional
¼ cup chopped fresh mint, cilantro, or tarragon leaves, optional
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño, optional
1 or 2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce, optional
1 or 2 dashes Tabasco or other hot sauce, optional
Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, and white pepper in a medium bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. The mixture will be quite syrupy. Mix in the cucumbers and any additional ingredients and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled, with a slotted spoon.
Nothing comes to our table accompanying more kinds of food than this easy condiment. The mixture is best after at least a few hours in the fridge but then keeps for days longer. Serve with tacos or sandwiches, fajitas, a nicely charred flank steak, or Cochinita Pibil (page 330).
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 1½ cups
1 medium to large red onion, halved lengthwise and sliced into very thin half-moons
½ cup red wine vinegar
Half 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate
Pinch or 2 of coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
Place the onion in a medium bowl. Pour in enough hot water to cover the onion by 1 inch. Let sit for 10 minutes, then pour off the water, eliminating some of the sharp flavor.
Combine the remaining ingredients with the onion. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and preferably 24 hours. Any leftovers will keep for up to a couple of weeks.
This relish enlivens many dishes, but we like it best of all with grilled vegetables, particularly eggplant slices. If you’ve got leg of lamb leftovers for a sandwich, it makes a terrific topping.
COOKING METHOD | GRILLING AND INDOOR KITCHEN PREPARATION
Makes about 2 cups
2 large green bell peppers
2 large red bell peppers
2 large yellow or orange bell peppers
2 tablespoons flavorful olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or balsamic or sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, optional
Fire up the grill, bringing the temperature to medium (4 to 5 seconds with the hand test).
Coat the peppers with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Grill the peppers uncovered over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, turning on all sides, until tender.
Transfer the peppers to a plastic bag and close it to let them steam, which loosens the skin. When cool enough to handle, pull off any loose, charred pieces of skin. Slice the peppers into thin strips, removing the seeds, and then chop them into neat dice. Stir them with the remaining ingredients in a bowl and serve.
Grilled Pepper Tangle Leave the peppers in strips rather than cutting them into dice. Toss with the remaining ingredients and use as a bed for other grilled dishes such as fish or chicken.
Mediterranean Grilled Pepper Relish Leave the parsley out. Mix in 1 or 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 to 3 minced anchovy fillets. Add a little olive oil if needed to balance the flavors. Marvelous with grilled white fish or calamari. Spoon leftovers over an omelet.
Grilled Vegetable Salsa Add corn shaved from a grilled ear or two, a couple of chopped grilled onion slices, and a minced jalapeño or two. Replace the lemon juice with lime juice and the parsley with cilantro. Use this salsa to brighten chicken breasts or pork tenderloin, or to top any kind of taco.
Sour and tangy, this relish complements a variety of robust flavors but can also bring sparkle to something as elementary as garlic bread. For a different twist, use a commercial Moroccan-style preserved lemon and the oil from the container in place of the fresh lemon and olive oil.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2 cups
1½ cups pitted briny black olives, such as Kalamata, coarsely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1 tablespoon flavorful olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
¼ cup capers, drained and rinsed
Stir the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Refrigerate covered if not using shortly.
An all-American relish, almost a side dish, this goes great with traditional American barbecue meats, such as sliced brisket and pulled pork shoulder. Try it also with a grill-roasted chicken, grilled pork chops, or fried seafood.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 3 cups
1½ cups fresh corn kernels
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ cups cooked black-eyed peas, drained
3 tablespoons finely diced green bell pepper or a combination of green and red
3 tablespoons finely diced red onion
¼ teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
2 teaspoons cider vinegar, or more to taste
Several dashes of Tabasco sauce
Salt to taste
Combine the corn and oil in a shallow saucepan. Cover and sweat the mixture over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the corn is just tender.
Spoon into a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and lightly toss together. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Yes, you can make a relish from nuts, in this case crunchy, buttery, and salty cashews. Serve it with grilled rather than smoked foods. The relish perks up the plainest of fish fillets, lamb chops, or chicken breasts and can hold its own with almost any tropically seasoned dish.
COOKING METHOD | INDOOR KITCHEN
PREPARATION
Makes about 2 cups
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons diced onion
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
¾ teaspoon sugar
1½ cups coarsely chopped salted cashews
2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh mint
If cutting the onion made your eyes water, cover the onion with hot water, let it sit for about 10 minutes, and drain off the water. Otherwise, simply mix the onion with the bell pepper, vinegar, curry powder, and sugar in a medium bowl. Just before serving, stir in the cashews and mint.
Curried Pistachio Relish You can vary the preparation if you like by using pistachios in place of cashews. Most are small enough that they won’t need any chopping. Serve on the side with the same dishes.
Almond Relish Eliminate the curry powder. Use toasted slivered almonds in place of the cashews. Keep the mint or replace it with a tablespoon or so of grated orange zest. Serve with any grilled seafood or lamb preparation.
There aren’t many canned goods in our pantry, but beans are one exception. To keep preparation times down, nearly all our recipes that would traditionally start with dried peas or beans are made with canned. Their texture is often too soft when used alone, but not when tossed with crunchy ingredients. Just remember to rinse the beans well and avoid stirring them around too much so they still look attractive when served.