Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Texans love to get sauced!

Beer, our State Beverage, is a Texan's favorite sauce, poured onto grilling meats for flavor and juiciness and into our men for the same reasons.

Bar-b-que sauce is a close second to beer. Slightly sweet and very tangy, it's soaked into our meats before we cook, slopped onto them while we grill, and dunked into during our meal. We douse it on our beans and wipe it off our plates with our biscuits.



Texas bar-b-que sauce doesn't come from bottles or stores. We make it at home from cherished family recipes. Needless to say, it will be featured as a dipping sauce this Thanksgiving at many a Texas table, giving the family turkey considerable flavor.

Silver and hair-on leather napkin rings
bought at Primitiques 'n Poetry.


Family recipes aren't given out lightly. We Texans have to feel a closeness with you and, if I may be so bold to say, love you.

With that said, here is my family's bar-b-que sauce recipe. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does.

Mary Lou’s Bar-b-que Sauce

Makes about a pint. (You'll be surprised how far that goes but if in doubt about how much you'll be using as a mop sauce when you're grilling your meat or if you're having a bunch of people at dinner, double the recipe. It will be good in the fridge for several days.)

1c catsup
1T mustard
2T Worchestershire
¼c vinegar
¼c sugar
1t chili powder
½t paprika
¼ stick oleo
½t salt
½t pepper
¼c onions chopped

Heat until bubbles first appear, stirring occasionally. Add water for desired consistency (I don’t. We like it fairly thick).

Happy Thanksgiving cooking!

10 comments:

  1. I've never made homemade bar-b-que sause. After seeing how easy it looks I'm wondering why? Can't wait to make it....
    Thanks for sharing, Cheryl

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  2. The napkin rings look marvelous! Lovely table setting, Cher! And we do love our BBQ sauce, don't we? Yum! ~Mindy

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  3. I guess this means you Texans don't have a bottle of Bulleye Bar-b-que in the fridge?? thanks for sharing the secet sauce:)can't wait to make it......Debra

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  4. I'd love to replace the bottle of "Bulleye Bar-b-que" in the fridge! Thanks for sharing the love and secet sauce:)can't wait to make it......Debra

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  5. BBQ sauce was not going to be one of things sitting on my Thanksgiving table, but hey, I'm open to new things. Besides, we could use a little Texas sauce up here in NY. I think I'll try this recipe out and serve it on Thanksgiving and we'll all think of you, Cher and be thankful for Texas.

    By the way, is that a real hide on your table? I'm just wondering. The table looks great!

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  6. Yep, it's a real hide but we don't use it when we eat at that table. It gets rolled up and put in the office closet. That cow wasn't as messy as we can be! In case you're wondering, the table is set at all times. I just think it looks cozier. But when we do eat in there, we get clean, non-dusty plates and silverware!

    The Texas Woman

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  7. Cher, where did you get the bull carving in the middle of the table? It looks so much like one my honey carved YEARS ago. He doesn't think he signed them. He carved one, then other breeds. hmmm... sure looks familar.
    Now I want Bar-B-Que! Pork ribs, huge pile of potato salad, hunk of bread... don't be talking about food anymore. I just gained 5lbs. ~PJ

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  8. If you throw some beer in the sauce while it's cooking, you can kill 2 Texas birds at one time. Just a -hic- suggestion. Tn'T

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  9. Wanna hear something pathetic? Well, I guess you have no choice...I had to google "oleo". Ya, totally at a loss. I only googled it after I went to the grocery store and wandered through each and every oil, lard, and dairy product on the shelves.

    I'm making this BBQ sauce as we speak!

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  10. OLEO! That sure dates this recipe. Older and it would be butter; newer, margarine! I've never used butter in it, just margarine. I'm starting my cooking today too. Have a good Thanksgiving!

    The Texas Woman

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