We live in Missouri, one of the barbecue capitals of the world. We have access to every kind of barbecue, whether Kansas City-style, St. Louis-style or a few in between.
Most barbecue sauces contain the primary ingredient of tomatoes. However, there are people who are allergic to tomatoes or those who choose not to eat them due to dietary restrictions. What should they put on that beautiful pile of meat on the grill?
There are a few non-tomato options, especially mustard-based, but they're sometimes hard to find in Mid-Missouri. Today's column includes a couple of barbecue sauces that contain no tomatoes, but are thick, rich and delicious all the same.
Now that it's barbecue season, you'll have plenty of opportunities to utilize these sauces.
For the non-adventurous types, I've included a recipe for a mustard-based sauce - and for the more adventurous, a blueberry-based barbecue sauce.
All you need are a few ingredients, a saucepan and about 15-20 minutes of stir time. I used both sauces as a marinade for kebabs - chicken with the mustard sauce and sirloin with the blueberry sauce.
I cut up chicken and sirloin into kebab-sized pieces.
I put the chicken in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and covered it with the mustard sauce, then massaged the meat in the sauce and refrigerated overnight. I did the same with the sirloin and the blueberry sauce.
After cutting up various vegetables - I used zucchini, red and Vidalia onions, cherry tomatoes and baby bella mushrooms - I assembled the kebabs.
Place them on the grill, being careful not to overcook the meat.
The blueberry sauce turns the sirloin a rich, dark shade, and the chicken has a light mustard taste. Neither is overpowering, but both were delicious!
Give these non-tomato-based sauces a try at your next barbecue. You won't be disappointed!
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Mustard Barbecue Sauce
Makes: 1 cup
1/2 cup prepared stone-ground mustard
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3 tablespoons agave nectar or other sweetener (or more, to taste)
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teapsoon Aleppo chili flakes, or to taste
Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened. Store in the refrigerator.
Adapted from Fat Free Vegan.
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Blueberry balsamic barbecue sauce
Makes: 1 cup
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (omit for AIP diet)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste (omit for AIP diet)
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Place all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer at least one hour, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking. Sauce will thicken and reduce some while simmering. Remove from heat and process sauce in a blender until smooth.
When ready to use, baste sauce several times on grilled pork or chicken toward the end of the grilling process, or until meat is lightly caramelized with barbecue sauce. Serve additional sauce on the side if desired.