Sauces for Grilling: Info & Tips
A sauce often defines great grilling. For a superior grilled dish and to get the most mileage from a grilling sauce, follow these tips.
Many grilling sauces use a combination of savory and sweet ingredients for their unique taste. Sweet ingredients add a fabulous depth to sauces. Be sure to put them on near the end of grilling -- sugar burns easily and may impart a bitter flavor to a sauce.
Sauce Safety
- If you wish to serve the sauce at the table, divide it before you brush part of it onto raw meat.
- Or if you've brushed a sauce on, boil the remainder in a pan before serving to ensure its safety.
When and How to Apply Sauce
- Sauces high in sugar can cause a sauce to burn on the meat's exterior before the meat is fully cooked.
- Wait until the last five or 10 minutes of grilling to brush on sweet sauces.
- Apply layers of sauce evenly to build up a glaze.
Common Sugars and Sauce Ingredients High in Sugar
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Honey
- Molasses: light, dark, blackstrap
- Corn syrup: light, dark
- Fructose
- Jam and preserves
- Spreadable fruit
- Fruit
- Fruit juice and concentrate
- Catsup and prepared barbecue sauce
Other Uses for Grilling Sauces
- Use as pizza or spaghetti sauce
- Use in place of catsup for burgers, fries, and meat loaf
- Mix with ground meats, cheese, and sour cream to use as a taco or potato filling
- Spice up tomato juice or Bloody Marys
- Blend with sour cream or cream cheese to use as a vegetable or chip dip
- Use as a dressing for potato, corn, and bean salad
- Enliven baked beans or bean dip
- Add a smoky flavor to chili
Find Great Grilling Sauces Here
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