"Georgia Gold" BBQ Sauce

[UWFSAE]

Here's one I've been playing around with for a while and have posted previously on the smokinitforums.com site.  I made a fresh batch today and I thought I'd bounce it off all of you.

For anyone from central Georgia, you may have heard of a product called Foy's BBQ Sauce out of Columbus (where I grew up).  This is a thicker version of that theme ... this is NOT a Carolina style mustard/vinegar sauce, though it shares some of the same components.  For those Carolinians who I offend with this riff on your birthright sauce, I apologize but this is the flavor profile I remember from childhood and have put my own spin on after a bit of reverse engineering.  For you purists, the liquid smoke is purely optional.  Comments and advice, as always, are welcome:

"Georgia Gold" BBQ Sauce
1  cup French's Yellow Mustard
2/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup clover honey
2 tbsp melted salted butter or bacon drippings
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp liquid smoke, hickory flavor (optional)
1/2 Tsp   Lawry's Seasoning Salt

Make a paste with the dry ingredients and some of the vinegar and butter/bacon drippings.  Lightly toast this over medium heat until slightly bubbling and then combine the remaining ingredients.   Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a slow simmer.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Refrigerate and it should keep for several weeks.   

This will make 22-24 oz. depending on how much you reduce the sauce over heat.

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[veryolddog]

That recipe is very creative. You deserve positive praise for this endeavor.

I am impressed.

I will try this theme, as my wife is a big fan of mustard.

Thank you very much.

Ed

[Keymaster]

Looks Good, Same color as Carolina treat. Does it taste similar?

[Rummm]

Looks almost like "Maurice's" from SC, but for PC reasons we cannot get it anymore down here in Fl.

Your's looks great

[UWFSAE]

@Keymaster:  This is a much thicker sauce than the typical mustard/vinegar style sauce, but that's because I do simmer/reduce it quite a bit.   I served this to a friend of mine who graduated from Clemson and he spent hours explaining how it was an abomination while eating second and third helpings of pulled pork with this sauce.   

I do have a homemade South Carolina style sauce that is definitely thinner and has a heavier vinegar profile and is much less sweet (no molasses, replace the honey with demerara sugar) and puts in a crushed red pepper kick.  I'll post that for comparison/contrast once I make a batch and have some photos.

@Rummm:  Dare I ask the reason?  I grew up in Panama City and went to grad school in Pensacola and I know I never saw a Maurice's sauce over in that area.  Was that the joint that had the Confederate flag/racism scandal back in the late '90's?

[Pappymn]

Looks like the original sauce from The Salt Lick. Any chance you have tried that sauce? I love it.

[UWFSAE]

Heh, I try to hit Salt Lick every time I'm up in Austin for meetings ... even the airport branch was killer.   

[Rummm]

@Rummm:  Dare I ask the reason?  I grew up in Panama City and went to grad school in Pensacola and I know I never saw a Maurice's sauce over in that area.  Was that the joint that had the Confederate flag/racism scandal back in the late '90's?

Yes and Publix (others followed) stopped carrying his products. He was a stubborn old fart southerner, but a great sauce.

[Pappymn]

Heh, I try to hit Salt Lick every time I'm up in Austin for meetings ... even the airport branch was killer.   

I liked it too. Is your sauce similar to their original sauce?

[UWFSAE]

Hmmm ... I think there are some very definite similarities between the two ... both are mustard-based, thicker than a Carolina-style, and have a very light heat to them from cayenne, and both have a sweetness to offset that heat.  In my opinion, the Salt Lick mild (I actually prefer their hot version but the mild is very good as well) has a sugar-based sweetness, a chili powder kick, some cumin, and a more pronounced salt flavor and a sharper vinegar tone.  Their sauce, I think, is probably superior for dipping with bread and is actually quite good on beef.

The one that I posted has a more pronounced sweetness that comes more from the molasses and omits the chili powder and cumin tones completely in favor of a very slight herb-y background, and I think the cider vinegar I used was a bit milder than what I recall their sauce taste profile to be.  My sauce is a bit thicker (but I do reduce mine quite a bit), has a stronger bite from coarsely ground black pepper, and I think mine fares better on smoked ribs or chicken and not as smooth when charred on a grill; I do finish the sauced meat quickly on the grill or under the broiler but I don't really grill with this sauce per se.

Despite the long winded response, I think the Salt Lick sauce is pleasantly tart while mine is pleasantly sweet?  Now you've got my wheels turning to try to recreate the Salt Lick sauce ... 

[Pappymn]

I'm sold. Gonna give yours a try. Thanks!

[deestafford]

UWFSAE,  Looks like a good sauce.  Do you remember Pritchard's Kitchen in Columbus?  I ate there a lot when stationed at Benning.  The first time we went there in the 60's it was $2 a head for all the catfish and chicken you could eat.

As far as Maurice's goes, in his Columbia restaurant he has numerous books and pamphlets on the Confederacy for sale and some of the PC crowd didn't like it (ain't it amazing how tolerant the tolerant are?) and complained.  The result was Publix and other retailers pulled his products off their shelves.  Did it bother him?  Not a bit.  He still has all the material available for purchase.  Dee

[UWFSAE]

@Dee:  Pritchard's doesn't ring a bell (we moved down to Panama City, FL when I was 10) but I'm sure you remember Dinglewood Pharmacy when Lieutenant was still running the show?  That's where I always stop on the few occasions I've been back for a scrambled dog.   

[deestafford]

It may have closed down 25 or so years ago.Dee

[Sam3]

Looks real interesting to me. Thanks for the recipe!