To many people, BBQ sauce is pretty much just one flavor – a sweet sauce, minimal spice, comes from a bottle and inspired by Kansas City style BBQ. However if you frequent BBQ joints you know that BBQ sauce is a regional thing with all sorts of various flavors.
Region | Sauce Type | Characteristics |
South Carolina | Mustard BBQ Sauce | A sweet mustardy flavor influenced by German flavors |
North Carolina | Hot Pepper | A thin / watery consistency, heavy on salt and vinegar |
St. Louis | Tomato and Vinegar | Runny, sweet and sour flavor |
Texas | “Texas Style” | Tomato based, enhanced with meat drippings, beef stock, cumin and pepper |
Kentucky | Black BBQ Sauce | Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, butter, allspice – this is a flavor cornucopia! |
Alabama | White BBQ Sauce | Mayonnaise, vinegar, horseradish and some dashes of spice. Need I say more? |
Memphis | Dry Rub | Sauce? We don’t need no sauce! Dry rub, or “naked”, is the way to go here. |
Kansas City | Sweet! | This is the sauce you know and love at home. |
There are other numerous styles internationally as well that I won’t cover here. But the point is that BBQ sauce can come in many different flavor combinations.
One style not mentioned here is a fruit based sauce, like this recipe. I’m not sure the true origins of these style of sauces – I know I first encountered them at Token BBQ in Mapleton MN. Tony (head pit master at Token BBQ) made a great peach salsa that I couldn’t get enough of.
Everyone has their own mentality of how BBQ sauce should be used. At times BBQ sauce is used as a marinate, letting the meat soak in it for hours before serving to really incorporate the flavor throughout the meats. Some feel that the meat should be swimming in the sauce. Some like a thin coating that simply enhances the flavor of the meat. Others, such as our friends in Memphis, prefer to go “naked” and let the flavors of the meat and the dry rub complete the taste experience. There’s no right answer, yet you’ll still hear debates about “how to sauce” all across the country.
Regardless of how you like to sauce, you’re doing the right thing – enjoying some great meats! And keep in mind that BBQ sauce is a great accompaniment to most any meat – beef, pork, chicken, lamb, etc. Fish… I wouldn’t recommend it as much… for that you might want to turn to more of a fruit salsa. But that’s for another day…
What is AIP?
AIP (as you may have noticed in the title of this post) stands for Auto Immune Protocol. If you’ve never heard of this term, don’t worry – it’s not something that will hurt you, the flavors of your food, or your preparation time. Simply put, AIP is a specific way of eating that is followed by some with auto immune diseases in an effort to reverse symptoms. In essence it’s a more limited diet.
That said, for those not following AIP I guarantee you that you’ll still find this to be a simple and great recipe for your cooking.
I should point out however, that many of the BBQ sauces from the various regions mentioned above are NOT AIP friendly. That is the point of this post however – offering those that follow AIP an alternative option for an amazingly good sauce!
Peach Mango BBQ Sauce (AIP)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Coconut Oil Or other fat such as olive oil, animal fat, etc.
- 1 Onion Finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic Crushed
- 1 Peach (Fresh or Frozen) Chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 Mango Chopped
- 1/4 cup Coconut Aminos
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tbsp Grated Root Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
- Melt the Coconut Oil in a pan.
- Add the Onions and cook until softened.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant – about 1 minute.
- Add to Peaches, Mango, Honey, Apple Cider Vinegar, Salt, Ginger and Cinnamon to the pan. Simmer for about 20 minutes – until the fruit starts to break down and a somewhat thick sauce starts to come together.
- Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Serve warm or allow to cool and transfer to a food storage container.
Notes
- If you aren’t familiar with Coconut Aminos, it is a healthier more natural version of Soy Sauce. If you don’t have Coconut Aminos on hand (it isn’t the easiest ingredient to find) and you are not concerned about sticking to AIP, you could substitute it with Soy Sauce – I’d suggest using about 1/2 the amount.
- Some people enjoy a vinegar based BBQ sauce. If so, feel free to up the Apple Cider Vinegar to a 1/2 cup or so.
- Keep refrigerated in a sealed jar. Good for up to two weeks.
- Freezes well for longer time periods.