More Spicy than Sweet

December 21, 2014 9:32 AM

Another Christmas gift question! My older brother loves to BBQ – and since we live in the Southwest, it’s grilling season. Last year I gave him a box of spices from Penzey’s, so this year I’d like to give him a nice set of BBQ sauces.

I don’t have Amazon Prime, so it needs to be something I can buy in a store. Target is selling a BBQ sauce kit – but how good could it be? My brother is a bit of a BBQ snob, and I’d like to give him a sauce that he’ll want to use. Suggestions?

posted by kbar1 to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

If you mean low-and-slow smoked meats, I'm a BBQ snob as well. If he's anything like me, nothing you can get locally will really do the trick. I'd suggest either ingredients (fancy canned chilis or hot sauces?) or gift certificates/IOUs for a place like BPS. Or rush shipping.
posted by supercres at 9:39 AM on December 21, 2014

There are so many different kinds of sauce for barbeque, tomato based, vinegar based, soy, etc.

Trader Joes will have a few to pick from, Carolina Gold (should be vinegar/mustard based and tangy), Kansas City (should be tomato/molassas based)

It doesn't look like you have an Hmart in Phoenix, but there's something called Seoul Market:

8935 N 43rd Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85051

Go there for a Korean Barbeque sauce, the kimchi is supposed to be pretty good too.

Fujiya Market in Tempe should have a nice imported Terikayi sauce.

Then head over to World Market for a basket and other things to round it out, an apron, tools, a little pig hibachi...

To go over the top, get a barbecue book with lots of cook recipes.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:34 AM on December 21, 2014

As someone who grew up the southwest and thanks that style of food is the best ever invented (low, slow heat on tough cuts of beef) who does not live in the southwest, a couple of chile reistas (sp?-those strings of dried chile's that hang in the corners/eaves) would be most welcome. You might be able to get at a mexican grocery store, or a big box of hatch green chiles would be most excellent also.

(BTW the way I was taught, BBQ sauce is almost sacrilege to put on beef bbq-unless it is a sandwich made from leftovers)
posted by bartonlong at 11:05 AM on December 21, 2014

Seems like BBQ sauces are polarizing! What about wood chips? There are lots of different varieties, so maybe an assortment of different woods? You should be able to get them at Home Depot.
posted by cecic at 11:18 AM on December 21, 2014

What's your budget? Maybe you could get friends from towns famous for BBQ styles to send a couple bottles of local sauce. St. Louis, KC, the Carolinas, etc...
posted by notsnot at 11:28 AM on December 21, 2014

My go-to is any version of Stubb's. So why not get them all?
posted by Splunge at 1:23 PM on December 21, 2014

Pride of Malabar black pepper. I had no idea black pepper could be so good. Srsly.
posted by sexyrobot at 3:42 PM on December 21, 2014

But what and how does he like to BBQ? You mention grilling in the same sentence as BBQ, and to a lot of people, those are separate cooking techniques.

Does he cook BBQ-flavored meat on a grill heated by charcoal or gas from below? Or does he do it low-and-slow with an offset smoker? Does he prefer thick, tomato- and molasses-based Kansas City/Memphis sauce, or spicier Texas-style sauce, or mustard-based South Carolina sauce? If he doesn't have a definite preference for a region's style, it might be hard to recommend sauces he'd like.
posted by WasabiFlux at 5:58 PM on December 21, 2014