What is the purpose of vinegar in a barbecue sauce recipe?

By Bethany. Filed in Cooking & Recipes  |  
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Is it for tanginess, or is there another purpose? I tried a new barbecue sauce recipe last night – and it turned out that the recipe called for way too much vinegar. It still smells like the night before Easter in my house. Is there something else I can substitute and still get the same apparent flavor? Or, can I reduce it without compromising the sauce?
gojenni: You asked how much vinegar the recipe calls for — for one batch, the total amount of liquid in the recipe (including the ketchup) is 1 1/2 cups, with 1/2 of THAT being cider vinegar. I doubled the recipe and there was WAY too much vinegar. Thanks for your help!

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6 comments to “What is the purpose of vinegar in a barbecue sauce recipe?”

  1. Comment by zena1129:

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    It moistness the meat so it wont be so tuff.

  2. Comment by norm:

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    It adds a little tang and allows more sugar without being overly sweet.

    Try this recipe. I developed it after years of trial and error.

    Norm’s Sweet & Sour BBQ Sauce

    1-40 Oz Bottle Catsup
    1-Cup White Vinegar
    1-Cup Water
    2-Cups White Sugar
    1-Cup Brown Sugar
    4-Tsp Onion Salt
    2-Tsp Celery Salt
    1-Tsp Ground Cinnamon
    1-Tsp Ground Cloves
    1-Tsp Ground Allspice
    1/4-Cup Liquid Smoke

    Mix all together in saucepan and heat to boiling. Reduce heat & simmer 1 hour.

    Yield about 7 cups.

  3. Comment by gojenni714:

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    Vinegar adds acidity to the sauce, which ultimately helps tenderize. What type of vinegar are you using? I would suggest an apple cider vinegar as it will add a little bit more flavor instead of the harshness of ordinary vinegar. Also, how much are you putting in? You shouldn’t need more than a few tablespoons at the most.

  4. Comment by jaimestar64cross:

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    Taste and another thing is that vinegar can tenderize the meat as it cooks, marinates or however you are using vinegar(sauce it is in)

  5. Comment by mopo:

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    It gives it a tang and it helps to tenderize the meat too.

  6. Comment by frostyprune:

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    the acid in it helps to make the meat tender. Just cut the vinegar back to a couple tablespoons. It will not taste right if you don’t put it in.