It's good stuff and it has a unique taste that you're familiar with but don't know what it is. Well, I can tell you what it is and it's thyme, crazy as that sounds! As a matter of fact, buddies of the guys that make Blues Hog make a similar sauce of their own and it tastes REAL close to BH. It's called I-Que Sauce, it's from the book Wicked Good Barbecue
IQUE BBQ Sauce
Makes about 2 quarts
(From Wicked Good Barbecue)
4 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns, freshly ground*
1 1/2 teaspoons long peppercorns, freshly ground*
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle powder or cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon tomato powder**, optional
1/2 tablespoon hickory powder**, optional (we used liquid smoke, instead)
4 cups ketchup
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons IQUE Dry Rub (recipe follows)
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, make a gastrique by bringing the brown sugar, cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce to a gentle boil.
Remove from the heat and add the thyme, mustard, garlic powder, cumin, ground Szechuan peppercorns, ground long peppercorns, chipotle powder, and tomato powder and hickory powder, if using. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Stir in the ketchup and corn syrup, return to stove, and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add IQUE Dry Rub. Let cool and store in refrigerator, preferably in squeeze bottles, for up to 1 month.
*A blend of mixed peppercorns can be substituted for the Szechuan and long peppercorns, but in our opinion the sauce won't be nearly as wicked. (We just used black peppercorns and the world didn't end, so I think you're okay).
**Tomato powder and hickory powder are available by mail order or at specialty food stores.
IQUE Dry Rub
Makes about 3 cups
(From Wicked Good Barbecue)
1 cup turbinado sugar (we used light brown sugar)
3/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup high-quality paprika, such as Spanish paprika
6 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin seeds, freshly ground
4 teaspoons mixed peppercorns, freshly ground (we used black peppercorns)
4 teaspoons garlic granules (we used garlic powder)
3 teaspoons onion granules (we used onion powder)
2 teaspoons MSG (or Accent), optional
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
Place all ingredients in a large spice blender and pulse until it becomes a fine powder (we just mixed it by hand). Refrigerate in an airtight container. This rub will keep indefinitely, but try to use within 1 month to ensure freshest flavor.
It won't be as thick as BH but you could add cornstarch to thicken if you like. You could also add caramel color if you want to darken it. I usually just let it sit on the stove and thicken for a bit. When it comes time to serve it, I add red wine vinegar to a squirt bottle, about a 50/50 mix with the I-Que sauce and it will make you slap yo mama, yo daddy, maybe even yourself when you add some to some nice smokey pulled pork. Gives a nice ZING!
