Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Grillin’ sauce, rub, marinade
Doctor Sauce Pure Magic Beer marinade for chicken
Barbecue may be our one true American food and a reminder of the power of patient smoke, with no need to fan the flames of raging fire. Whatever the focus, whether wild or farmed, from land or sea, low and slow barbecue can render our toughest to tenderness.
We are in the middle of barbecue season now, and some of the best-selling authors of the craft have released new books offering essential yet customizable recipes for sauces, rubs and marinades. We’ve drawn one recipe each from three of them.
Steven Raichlen, perhaps best known for “The Barbecue Bible,” shares Doctor Sauce in his new book “Barbecue Sauces, Rubs and Marinades — Bastes, Butters, and Glazes, Too.” The recipe shows how to doctor your favorite store-bought sauce with just three main ingredients: honey, orange marmalade and lemon juice.
Known as “The Legend,” Mike Mills and daughter Amy Mills made their bones at the barbecue shrine called 17th Street in southern Illinois. Their release, “Praise the Lard: Recipes and Revelations From a Legendary Life in Barbecue,” reveals Pure Magic, their favorite rub, which they recommend not only for meats, but vegetables and even popcorn.
Weber’s master griller Jamie Purviance rose to the challenge of choosing the best recipes for users of not only the iconic grill but all home pitmasters for “Weber’s Greatest Hits: 125 Recipes for Every Grill.” While his recipe for beer-marinated chicken tacos had fast grilling in mind, when Purviance visited the Tribune test kitchen recently, he said it could be adapted for lower and slower barbecue too.
“What I might do is spatchcock or butterfly a whole chicken, so you’re laying it out flat,” said Purviance, “Then you could put the marinade down in a baking dish and put the skin side down so the breasts and the legs get a nice soak.” Prep: 10 minutes 5 minutes 2 cups From “Barbecue Sauces, Rubs and Marinades” by Steven Raichlen (Workman, $17.95), who writes, “Most of the sauces in this book are built and simmered from scratch. This “doctor” sauce lets you customize your favorite commercial barbecue sauce . ... If using apricot jam, add teaspoon lemon zest and 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice to offset the sweetness.” cup commercial tomato-based barbecue sauce cup honey cup orange marmalade or apricot jam to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste, optional Combine all the ingredients in a heavy nonreactive saucepan, and stir or whisk to mix. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat; simmer, stirring, until the marmalade is melted and the sauce is richly flavored, 5 minutes. If desired, add the lemon juice to offset the sweetness. Use right away, or transfer to a large jar, cover, cool to room temperature and refrigerate. The sauce will keep for several weeks. With all barbecued meats. Prep: 15 minutes about 2 cups From “Praise the Lard” by Mike Mills and Amy Mills. (Rux Martin Books / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), who write. “For our favorite rub, the spices are ground to a fine powder . ... Spice particles that are all the same size create a rub that melts when used on meat. No one flavor will predominate, and you won’t feel gritty spice particles when you’re eating.” cup sweet Hungarian paprika cup kosher salt cup sugar cup granulated garlic cup chili powder cup ground cumin tablespoon dry mustard tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper teaspoon cayenne pepper Mix all the ingredients. Using a spice mill or coffee grinder, blend ¼ cup at a time to a powderlike consistency so that all of the spice particles are relatively the same size. Store in a tightly covered container in a cool, dark place. The rub keeps for about 6 months or until the color or pungent aroma fades.
To make this rub a little spicier, increase the mustard and black pepper to 2 tablespoons each. With all kinds of meat, plus fish, vegetables, french fries and popcorn. Prep: 15 minutes 4 to 6 servings From “Weber’s Greatest Hits,” by Jamie Purviance (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $24.99). “We have concocted marinades with twice as many ingredients, and have fussed with spice rubs that are much more complicated, yet none works quite as well for chicken tacos as this magic combination of flavors,” Purviance writes. cup dark Mexican beer tablespoons toasted sesame oil tablespoon finely chopped garlic teaspoon dried oregano teaspoon kosher salt teaspoon freshly ground black pepper teaspoon ground cayenne pepper In a small bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients. To marinate chicken for tacos.