North Carolina-style BBQ Sauce

Name: North Carolina-style BBQ Sauce
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American South
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon mustard powder; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 small brown onion, very finely chopped; Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 clove garlic; 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar; 1/4 cup water; 2 teaspoons tomato paste; 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard; 1 teaspoon brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano; Pinch ground cayenne

In the American South, barbecue sauce is as controversial a subject as the barbecue itself, perhaps even more so with regional variations being fiercely defended as the best, the original and the only sauce worth having. My North Carolina-style BBQ sauce is inspired by the mustard-based sauces of North Carolina. This is very much a ‘season to taste’ sauce, it’s quite sharp and a little spicy, feel free to add more heat if you like, more sugar or tomato paste to sweeten it up a touch, or more mustard if that’s your preference. I like to use wholegrain mustard, but Dijon or American mustard work just as well. I blitz the sauce with a stick blender to thicken it up a little as I find it glazes the meat or seafood better that way, this isn’t traditional, so leave it loose and chunky if you prefer.

Makes about ¾ cup

Ingredients

1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small brown onion, very finely chopped
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup water
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon crushed chilli flakes
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch ground cayenne powder

Method

Mix mustard powder with a tablespoon of cold water to form a paste and set aside.
Heat oil in a saucepan, add onion and a good pinch of salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, until it starts to colour.
Stir in garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds or so, until you can smell it.
Add remaining ingredients except for the mustard and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir a little of the sauce into the mustard, then stir the mustard into the sauce.
Remove from heat and blitz with a stick blender.
Set aside to cool.