Who doesn’t enjoy a good barbecue? I always associate it with good food, great weather, and spending time with family and friends. To enjoy that time to the fullest, I set out to make the best bbq sauce recipe possible. And after starting with a basic recipe, I’ve turned it up to make this black cherry bbq sauce.

There are a ton of store-bought bottled options for bbq sauce. And some of them are quite tasty. My preferred brand is Stubb’s sauces in any flavor – though Stubb’s Sweet Heat is my go-to. But to get the best you sometimes have to buckle down and make it homemade. If I am aiming for a full-on homemade barbecue, then only this sauce will do.

The first few times I tried making my own barbecue sauce did not go well. I acheived some vaguely sweet and overly seasoned sauce that just didn’t quite hit the mark. But I was determined. I love sauces in all shapes and forms, so I kept trying and trying. For my first attempts, I think I was trying too hard to add too much into the sauce.

So I backed up and went to basics and started from there.

Making the Best BBQ Sauce

Do not be intimidated by the long list of ingredients. Most of it just gets dumped into the pot, stirred together, and simmered until it is cooked. It is easy.

To start off a bbq sauce, many recipes call for ketchup. But I don’t like ketchup. Plus the tomatoes are really the base of this dish, so I didn’t want to start off the recipe with an ingredient that is already processed and altered. Straight crushed tomatoes for me.

But very first is sauteing the onion and garlic in butter. Both because it smells divine and because it adds flavor to the sauce. Once those have cooked, pour in the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste to let it simmer with the butter a bit. After simmering, thoroughly stir in all other ingredients.

Now comes the trickiest part – blending it together. You can try to use a stick blender if you want, but I recommend a full-size blender for the smoothest sauce possible. I used my Oster blender to get the job done. Note – I had to blend it in two batches to fit everything into the blender.

Pour the sauce back into the pot once it is blended up. Then just let it cook on low heat for about 30 minutes. This will help let all the flavors mesh together. It also gets the sauce to thicken up a bit for a the perfect consistency.

Even though I think that this is the best bbq sauce recipe, it can be modified. Make it hotter with more of each ground pepper. Try sweetening it with a bit of honey instead of some of the brown sugar. Or even test out switching the red wine vinegar for apple cider or white wine vinegar.

Using Homemade Sauce

This recipe makes a whole lot of bbq sauce. So you’ll probably need more than just one meal to use it up. Or decide on your favorite way to store it for later. In the fridge it keeps for about a week while in the freezer it keeps for around 2 months. Try canning it for extra long storage.

The best way to use this barbecue sauce is to glaze or mop it over something you are cooking on the smoker or grill. Make sure to use a long mop to reach all parts of the meat without burning yourself. I use it on pork ribs during the last hour of the smoke to let it sit on the surface, dry out a little, and become a little like a glaze. Or I will just throw some chicken breast on the grill and start basting it with sauce about halfway through cooking.

When you’ve eaten ribs with this sauce you realize that it is finger-licking good. So you know that it is also good for dipping. Chicken nuggets, fries, chicken strips, burgers, pizza crust. You name it, you can dip it.

There are even bbq chicken salads that would be amazing with this sauce as a dressing.

Whatever you make alongside this bbq sauce, make sure to pair it with some frozen mint lemonade to round out the perfect meal. Because I sense some outdoor cooking in your future, and there’s no better way than to make a homemade bbq sauce.

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The Best Black Cherry BBQ Sauce

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SauceDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

20

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

55

minutes

Black cherry juice and ground smoky peppers make this the best bbq sauce recipe that you can make for grilling, drizzling, or dipping

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion

• 5 cloves garlic

• 4 tbsp butter

• 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

• 6 ounce can of tomato paste

• 1 cup black cherry juice

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 3 tablespoons molasses

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder

• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder

Directions

• Chop the onion and mince the garlic
• Melt the butter on low heat in a pot with high sides to avoid splatters
• Add the onion and garlic to the pot and saute for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant
• Pour the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste into the pot and stir to combine, cooking for 3 to 5 minutes
• Stir in all remaining ingredients until thoroughly combined and let it cook for 5 minutes
• Pour the sauce into a blender and blend on high until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes – note that this may need to be done in two batches
• When it is smoothly blended, pour it back into the pot and keep it over low heat, simmering for about 30 minutes until it has thickened, stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn’t burn
• Remove it from the heat, let it cool, and use or store immediately

Notes

• Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for up to 2 months
• For longer storage, try canning the sauce in glass jars

The post The Best Black Cherry BBQ Sauce Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

The beauty of caprese salad is in its simplicity. It is a basic dish comprised mostly of mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar help add more depth of flavor. When combined together, they become a bright, fresh, flavorful mouthful.

But because it is a simple dish, the quality of your ingredients makes a big difference in the final flavor. So make certain that you source excellent components so that every part can shine through.

This is an easy dish to make for a crowd. Just build and layer until there is enough for everyone to snack on. So don’t be afraid to grab a stack with your fingers and take a bite of juicy flavor.

An Italian Dish

The salad was named for the island Capri in Italy, where it likely originated. It also looks distinctly like the Italian flag, depending upon the order in which you layer it. So of course it had to be Italian with those kinds of colors.

You can make a caprese salad without the balsamic reduction. But it just sounds fancier. Try saying it out loud – balsamic reduction. Nice. And all it is is balsamic vinegar put over heat until it loses water and thickens up. Oh, it also imparts a ton of unique flavor.

So there’s that.

Ingredients::

• Fresh Mozzarella – A soft southern Italian cheese that has a very mild flavor.
• Basil – Delicious, peppery herb that packs a punch of flavor.
• Tomatoes – Fresh from the garden are the best, but some large store-bought work well.
• Balsamic Vinegar – A dark, concentrated vinegar made from aged, mashed grapes.
• Olive Oil – Extra virgin olive oil will have a lot more flavor than any other variety.
• Salt – Essential food flavoring ingredient. I recommend getting a quality finishing salt for this dish.
• Pepper – Just grind some fresh stuff.

All-In on Caprese Salad

Though it is called a salad, this dish is typically served as an appetizer – an aperetivo in Italian. But it can easily be served as a side dish, salad, or appetizer, depending upon your needs.

The chocolate syrup-looking thing in the photo below is actually the balsamic glaze. You could buy a balsamic reduction instead of making one to help speed things up slightly. But it does not save much time. It also is not very difficult to make a homemade balsamic reduction. Just start with a quality balsamic vinegar, put it on the heat, and let it simmer until it is thickened.

Bonus because it also spreads warm, slightly acidic aromas through the air as it reduces on the stove. I also recommend trying out a balsamic glaze on a watermelon feta salad instead of the original dressing I paired with it. So test that out if you have any extra glaze.

As you can see from the photos, it really is a simple dish. It is easy to make and comes together in about 15 to 20 minutes depending on how long you simmer the vinegar. In my opinion, the most difficult part is getting and using the basil at the right time before any of it has a chance to discolor.

So grab the ingredients, and make this quickly to enjoy a fresh appetizer that can be dressed up or down depending on what you serve with it.

Caprese Salad Platter with Balsamic Reduction

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Appetizers, SaladsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

This bright, fresh, flavorful caprese salad is a perfectly stacked appetizer of mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil topped with balsamic vinegar glaze

Ingredients

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar

• 4 medium tomatoes

• 18 ounces fresh mozzarella

• 18 large basil leaves

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• Pinch of flaky salt

• Dash of pepper

Directions

• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer the balsamic vinegar and reduce until it has thickened by half, about 15 minutes
• While the vinegar is reducing, slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into approximately 18 thick (around 1/4 inch) rounds
• When the vinegar has reduced by half, remove it from the heat and let it cool
• On a large plate or platter, layer alternating slices of mozzarella, tomato, and basil leaves until all slices are used up
• Use two small spoons to drizzle the balsamic reduction and the olive oil over all layers of the arranged slices
• Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the dish and serve

The post Caprese Salad Platter with Simple Balsamic Reduction appeared first on Do You Roux?.

Sometimes you just need that quick weeknight meal that is also delicious. One of the easiest things to do is make a sauce that can easily top pasta, rice, or quinoa. And this tomato cream sauce fits the bill perfectly. It comes together quickly and can source different things from the pantry. It will also easily pair with nearly anything else for a full meal.

A simple, straightforward sauce that you can simmer on the stovetop and keep on there until the pasta and the rest of the meal is done. This is a creamy, savory sauce with a tiny kick of heat at the end.

My wife absolutely loves this sauce – it is one of her favorites. So I have made it many times in a lot of subtly different ways. This version is the best combination of herbs and flavors to make a quick sauce that can top almost anything. It also smells so amazing while cooking.

Pair this sauce with some of your own homemade pasta for a meal that is truly fresh and scratch-made.

From the Pantry?

This is one of those recipes for which I typically have everything on hand in the pantry or fridge. Because not everything needs to be fresh to make the recipe. Use the fresh stuff you have, and mix in some dried or canned items to finish it off. Whatever is on hand will work.

The basic steps are sautéing garlic, shallot, and tomato. Then adding in the herbs and continuing the sauté. And finally, pouring in the milk and cream and letting it simmer to perfection.

For the tomatoes, you can just as easily use fresh tomatoes as canned, diced ones. In fact, I have often made this with a can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes. It adds a bit of a different flavor. And it is actually faster to use canned tomatoes because you don’t have to cut the tomatoes yourself. Fresh tomatoes will give you a brighter, fresher flavor.

The same goes for all of the herbs. Use dried herbs if you don’t have any fresh ones on hand. But, when substituting dried herbs, use only half of the amount of what the recipe calls for. Dried herbs are typically more powerful and concentrated in flavor, so putting in too much could overpower other flavors.

It is easiest to have everything chopped and ready to add to the sauce before you start cooking it. Then you can just dump things in at the right time and stir.

Using the Tomato Cream Sauce

Not only is this tomato cream sauce easy, it also gives you lots of options. Mix and match this sauce with any of the following – or anything else you think up. It’ll make a tasty combo to round out a whole meal.

Proteins:

• Shrimp – Quickly pan-fry some salted and peppered shrimp for a super-fast protein addition. I love pouring the finished sauce out into a serving bowl and then using that pan to fry the shrimp. It helps add a bit of the sauce’s flavor into everything.
• Chicken – I recommend marinating and cooking some whole chicken breasts to top the pasta, rice, or quinoa. Grilled chicken is especially delicious with some of that added flame-grilled flavor.
• Chickpeas – Use canned chickpeas for an ultra-fast preparation, otherwise make sure you soak and boil the dry chickpeas well in advance. Then just toss them together with the sauce – or even simmer them with the sauce for the last few minutes of cooking.

Base:

• Pasta – Any kind and any variety will do, but a shape that has some nooks and crannies to catch the sauce makes for a more delicious meal in my opinion.
• Rice – White or brown rice will almost soak up the sauce – so you may need to make a double-batch to be prepared for that.
• Quinoa – Rice’s healthier big brother.

Sides:

• Garlic Bread – Garlic, butter, parsley, bread. Cheese optional. Toast it in the oven.
• Caesar Salad – A versatile side for many dishes, but here it works great as a contrast to the tomato-based sauce.
• Sautéed Zucchini – Basically slice up some zucchini and toss it in a pan with some fat and a few herbs or spices to amp up the flavor. Here’s a good baseline sauteed zucchini recipe.

So go ahead and pair this sauce with all your favorites for a delicious weeknight meal.

Easy Tomato Cream Sauce for Pasta

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SauceDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

A simmering tomato cream sauce with a hint of spice that pairs with everything you have on hand

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1/3 cup chopped shallot (or red onion)

• 1 and 3/4 cup diced tomatoes

• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, minced

• 1 teaspoon basil, minced

• 1 tablespoon parsley, minced

• 1/2 teaspoon thyme, minced

• 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

• Chop, mince and measure everything to have ready before getting started with the cooking
• Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat
• Add the garlic and shallot to the pan and sauté about 3 minutes until fragrant
• Mix in the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Add the white wine vinegar, rosemary, basil, parsley, thyme, and red pepper flakes to the sauce, stir to combine and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Pour in the cream and milk, thoroughly stir to combine, and bring it to a simmer
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer to the desired thickness of the sauce with infrequent stirring, about 10 minutes

Notes

• If using dried herbs, half the amount that the recipe calls for

The post Easy Tomato Cream Sauce for Pasta appeared first on Do You Roux?.

This chicken parm burger is one of my wife’s favorite meals. Any time I ask her what I should make, this dish is always mentioned. This recipe is the definition of fresh. The chicken becomes the backdrop for the bright herbs, creamy cheese, and tangy tomato sauce.

My mom originally found the inspiration for this recipe when I was in high school. While searching for new recipes, she happened across a chicken parmesan burger recipe on Epicurious. She had wanted something new to try and so she gave it a shot.

The whole family enjoyed it, as far as I recall.

Classic chicken parmesan is a crispy chicken coated with tomato sauce and mozzarella then baked until the cheese is golden brown. This one takes that concept and instead turns it into a pan-fried burger – still topped with mozzarella and marinara.

But now it is in a convenient hand-held package.

Chicken Parm Burgers?

For making my version of the chicken parm burger, I made a few adjustments to that original inspiration recipe.

I treated the patties more like a beef burger or even more like meatballs. Instead of using breadcrumbs and breading the outside of the patty, I make a panade and mix it all inside the burger. I discuss the finer details of a panade in my meatball recipe. But it is basically soaking bread in milk and mixing it in with the meat and seasonings to help keep the burger moist.

This is especially helpful with chicken burgers because chicken does not have a lot of natural fat and will have a tendency to dry out in the cooking process.

Only one ingredient needs to be pre-prepared: the marinara. I highly recommend following this Serious Eats pizza sauce recipe to make your own. But a jar from the store will work in a pinch.

So get to mixing, forming, cooking, and topping.

Chicken Parm Burger Recipe

Course: EntréeDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

45

minutes

Herb-filled chicken burgers topped with mozzarella and marinara

Ingredients

• 2 cups cubed white bread

• 1/3 cup milk

• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

• 1/2 tablespoon oregano (1/2 tsp dried)

• 1/2 tablespoon rosemary (1/2 tsp dried)

• 1/2 tablespoon thyme (1/2 tsp dried)

• 25 medium basil leaves, divided

• 2 pounds ground chicken

• 1/4 cup grated white onion

• 2 large eggs

• 1 and 1/4 cup marinara, divided

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 8 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1 ounce slices

• 8 large leaves of butter lettuce

• 8 large leaves of radicchio

• 8 large buns or rolls

Directions

• In a small bowl, soak the cubed bread in the milk and mash it with a fork to make sure it is fully saturated
• Pulse the parmesan, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and 5 of the basil leaves in a food processor for 20 seconds until fully combined and it looks like breadcrumbs
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk-soaked bread, herbed parmesan, ground chicken, grated onion, eggs, and 1/4 cup marinara
• Mix it all until everything is evenly distributed
• Form 8 patties from the mixture
• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium until hot
• Cook the patties on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway through – cook in batches if needed so as not to overcrowd the pan
• When the patties are about a minute from finishing, add a slice of fresh mozzarella to the top of each chicken burger
• Assemble the burger with buns, lettuce, radicchio, burger, marinara, and basil

The post Chicken Parm Burger Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.