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Rodney Scott’s BBQ Sauce Recipe

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Comments

  • TechsasJim
    TechsasJim Posts: 2,179
    I was hoping for pearls of wisdom but got a sh*t sandwich after reading through this.  What could have been nice and helpful turned to the opposite 🤦‍♂️

    Regardless I’ll try the recipe and add/sub/delete what I feel like.  
    LBGE, 28” BS, Weber Kettle, HCI 7.8 SE Texas
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 20,690
    HeavyG said:
    I have a copy of Rodneys bbq cookbook and I was curious what he wrote in that regarding his sauce. Here it is from page 211...

    BACK in Hemingway we used to make barbecue sauce right next to the pit. The pots we used were too big to really fit on a kitchen stove, plus it was more efficient to use hot coals from the pit as our heat source. We'd put a piece of roofing tin down on the floor and then set some hot coals on top of that, and then we would put the pot right on top of the hot coals. When I was a kid, it was mostly men making the sauce-but I was always the designated stirrer.
    You can still do it that way if you want to do all the cooking outside, but these days at the restaurant, we make sauce on the stove.
    The two main ingredients are vinegar and pepper, so you have to balance them right. You don't want the vinegar to be overwhelming. Distilled white vinegar has less acid than other white vinegars, so it helps keep the bite in balance. Also, heating the vinegar takes away some of its sharpness.
    When it comes to the pepper, you want a little spice, but you don't want it so overwhelming that you can't take it. The goal is to get an immediate heat that goes away just as fast as it started. If it lingers too long, you added too much pepper. You know you have it right when you taste a few drops of the finished sauce and, after you taste it, your mouth forms a kiss.
    If you are cooking a whole hog, you'll need a gallon of sauce. But if you're using it for any of the other recipes, you can make only half a gallon.

    MAKES 1 GALLON

    1 gallon distilled white vinegar
    1 lemon, thinly sliced
    ½ cup ground black pepper
    ⅓ cup cayenne pepper
    1¼ tablespoons red pepper flakes
    2 cups sugar

    In a small stockpot, warm the vinegar over medium-high heat. After about 5 minutes, when the vinegar reaches 150°F on an instant-read thermometer, just before it starts to simmer, add the lemon slices and continue to cook until the lemon peels begin to soften and wilt, about 10 minutes more.

    Whisk in the black pepper, cayenne, pepper flakes, and sugar. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and the sauce reaches 190°F, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to completely cool before using. Once the lemon is removed, the sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 8 weeks.

    ****

    I've never made it as I don't like sugary sauces on pulled pork (I stick with just the basic eastern NC/VA type of sauce - usually just the well known "Shack Attack" sauce which I always keep a big bottle of at hand).

    It is obvious that Rodney seems to play/tweak his recipe as he sees fit and that's a good thing. Maybe in his next cookbook "Rodney Sauce 2.0" will include some or all of the possible things mentioned earlier.

    He sounds like Kenji Alt-Lopez.  Even when he videos making his recipe, he does it different than what is in his books.

    That is what taught me it was okay to change things and substitute items.  I see recipes as guidelines/recommendations.

    Also, are you only using them lemon peel, the flesh, or both?


    Maybe your purpose in life is only to serve as an example for others? - LPL


  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,265
    Just don't try to put your name on it.


    Love you bro!
  • dstearn
    dstearn Posts: 1,702
    HeavyG said:
    I have a copy of Rodneys bbq cookbook and I was curious what he wrote in that regarding his sauce. Here it is from page 211...

    BACK in Hemingway we used to make barbecue sauce right next to the pit. The pots we used were too big to really fit on a kitchen stove, plus it was more efficient to use hot coals from the pit as our heat source. We'd put a piece of roofing tin down on the floor and then set some hot coals on top of that, and then we would put the pot right on top of the hot coals. When I was a kid, it was mostly men making the sauce-but I was always the designated stirrer.
    You can still do it that way if you want to do all the cooking outside, but these days at the restaurant, we make sauce on the stove.
    The two main ingredients are vinegar and pepper, so you have to balance them right. You don't want the vinegar to be overwhelming. Distilled white vinegar has less acid than other white vinegars, so it helps keep the bite in balance. Also, heating the vinegar takes away some of its sharpness.
    When it comes to the pepper, you want a little spice, but you don't want it so overwhelming that you can't take it. The goal is to get an immediate heat that goes away just as fast as it started. If it lingers too long, you added too much pepper. You know you have it right when you taste a few drops of the finished sauce and, after you taste it, your mouth forms a kiss.
    If you are cooking a whole hog, you'll need a gallon of sauce. But if you're using it for any of the other recipes, you can make only half a gallon.

    MAKES 1 GALLON

    1 gallon distilled white vinegar
    1 lemon, thinly sliced
    ½ cup ground black pepper
    ⅓ cup cayenne pepper
    1¼ tablespoons red pepper flakes
    2 cups sugar

    In a small stockpot, warm the vinegar over medium-high heat. After about 5 minutes, when the vinegar reaches 150°F on an instant-read thermometer, just before it starts to simmer, add the lemon slices and continue to cook until the lemon peels begin to soften and wilt, about 10 minutes more.

    Whisk in the black pepper, cayenne, pepper flakes, and sugar. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and the sauce reaches 190°F, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to completely cool before using. Once the lemon is removed, the sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 8 weeks.

    ****

    I've never made it as I don't like sugary sauces on pulled pork (I stick with just the basic eastern NC/VA type of sauce - usually just the well known "Shack Attack" sauce which I always keep a big bottle of at hand).

    It is obvious that Rodney seems to play/tweak his recipe as he sees fit and that's a good thing. Maybe in his next cookbook "Rodney Sauce 2.0" will include some or all of the possible things mentioned earlier.

    He sounds like Kenji Alt-Lopez.  Even when he videos making his recipe, he does it different than what is in his books.

    That is what taught me it was okay to change things and substitute items.  I see recipes as guidelines/recommendations.

    Also, are you only using them lemon peel, the flesh, or both?


    It’s lemon slices without the seeds. You are supposed to remove the lemon after the ingredients have dissolved. 
  • dstearn
    dstearn Posts: 1,702
    rekameohs said:
    dstearn said:
    plus I avoid adding MSG to any recipe. 
    Why ?  There is no proof that it causes issues for people, and it actually adds taste.

    https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/monosodium-glutamate/faq-20058196  

    https://foodinsight.org/the-umami-factor-4-surprising-facts-about-msg/
    Here is another good explanation of why MSG is wrongly villified.

    https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4706
    My wife gets headaches when she eats food that contains MSG.

  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,265
    @dstearn I'm curious, what did you find offensive about the cartoon?
    Love you bro!
  • FrostyEgg
    FrostyEgg Posts: 605
    MSG: makes sh*t good.
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    dstearn said:
    rekameohs said:
    dstearn said:
    plus I avoid adding MSG to any recipe. 
    Why ?  There is no proof that it causes issues for people, and it actually adds taste.

    https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/monosodium-glutamate/faq-20058196  

    https://foodinsight.org/the-umami-factor-4-surprising-facts-about-msg/
    Here is another good explanation of why MSG is wrongly villified.

    https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4706
    My wife gets headaches when she eats food that contains MSG.

    Same.  I love msg, but I can’t keep on sleeping on the couch forever.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • dstearn
    dstearn Posts: 1,702
    edited January 2023
    I was hoping for pearls of wisdom but got a sh*t sandwich after reading through this.  What could have been nice and helpful turned to the opposite 🤦‍♂️

    Regardless I’ll try the recipe and add/sub/delete what I feel like.  
    You can thank RRP for that. This forum use to be a wealth of information but going forward I will just use the search engine.
    Just don’t post a recipe and mention that you left an optional ingredient  out otherwise RRP will talk about how they used to handle things back in the good old days of this forum when there were 3 members. LOL

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,068
    dstearn said:
    I was hoping for pearls of wisdom but got a sh*t sandwich after reading through this.  What could have been nice and helpful turned to the opposite 🤦‍♂️

    Regardless I’ll try the recipe and add/sub/delete what I feel like.  
    You can thank RRP for that. This forum use to be a wealth of information but going forward I will just use the search engine.
    Just don’t post a recipe and mention that you left an optional ingredient  out otherwise RRP will talk about how they used to handle things back in the good old days of this forum when there were 3 members. LOL

    Not sure why you are wanting to prolong this pissin contest! If you would just go back and re-read my comment last night which even started out with "LOL" and ended with humorous emoji then I think you really got your shorts in a knot last night over NOTHING!!! 

    Here is what I said...
    LOL - then if your excluded 2 of his ingredients then it REALLY wasn't Rodney Scott's recipe - was it? Some here used to say just change one more thing then it becomes YOURS...BUT expect a fist fight from him if you try to post it as "YOUR" recipe! 
  • HogFather
    HogFather Posts: 261
    Don’t let him get to you @RRP. The guys a snowflake and you aren’t the first one to experience this from him. 
    Fighting off the trolls 1 by 1
    Large Egg

    Pig, KY 
  • dstearn
    dstearn Posts: 1,702
    RRP said:
    dstearn said:
    I was hoping for pearls of wisdom but got a sh*t sandwich after reading through this.  What could have been nice and helpful turned to the opposite 🤦‍♂️

    Regardless I’ll try the recipe and add/sub/delete what I feel like.  
    You can thank RRP for that. This forum use to be a wealth of information but going forward I will just use the search engine.
    Just don’t post a recipe and mention that you left an optional ingredient  out otherwise RRP will talk about how they used to handle things back in the good old days of this forum when there were 3 members. LOL

    Not sure why you are wanting to prolong this pissin contest! If you would just go back and re-read my comment last night which even started out with "LOL" and ended with humorous emoji then I think you really got your shorts in a knot last night over NOTHING!!! 

    Here is what I said...
    LOL - then if you’re excluded 2 of his ingredients then it REALLY wasn't Rodney Scott's recipe - was it? Some here used to say just change one more thing then it becomes YOURS...BUT expect a fist fight from him if you try to post it as "YOUR" recipe! 
    If you would have bothered to have read the recipe you would have known that three of the ingredients were suggested but not in the base recipe. Nothing was excluded from the base recipe and it tasted great. 





  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 34,080
    And the beat goes on!  ???
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • dstearn
    dstearn Posts: 1,702
    lousubcap said:
    And the beat goes on!  ???
    I’m done. No more posts. 
  • Stuck in the gray.  It never fails.  
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,265
    Stuck in the gray.  It never fails.  

    That's not cool, man.

    Love you bro!
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,943
    dstearn said:
    I was hoping for pearls of wisdom but got a sh*t sandwich after reading through this.  What could have been nice and helpful turned to the opposite 🤦‍♂️

    Regardless I’ll try the recipe and add/sub/delete what I feel like.  
    You can thank RRP for that. This forum use to be a wealth of information but going forward I will just use the search engine.
    Just don’t post a recipe and mention that you left an optional ingredient  out otherwise RRP will talk about how they used to handle things back in the good old days of this forum when there were 3 members. LOL

    Good grief, man. Don't be so salty. it's just a bbq forum.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 16,291
    edited January 2023
    caliking said:
    Don't be so salty. it's just a bbq forum.
    Oh,  nooo...  
    ___________

    "When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set."

    - Lin Yutang


  • ryantt
    ryantt Posts: 2,545
    ColtsFan said:
    Well this is a nice Sunday morning gem. 

    This use to be a much friendlier place….I’m devastated 


    XL BGE, KJ classic, Joe Jr, UDS x2 


  • Wtf happened? This place is nuts. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • saluki2007
    saluki2007 Posts: 6,354
    caliking said:
    dstearn said:
    I was hoping for pearls of wisdom but got a sh*t sandwich after reading through this.  What could have been nice and helpful turned to the opposite 🤦‍♂️

    Regardless I’ll try the recipe and add/sub/delete what I feel like.  
    You can thank RRP for that. This forum use to be a wealth of information but going forward I will just use the search engine.
    Just don’t post a recipe and mention that you left an optional ingredient  out otherwise RRP will talk about how they used to handle things back in the good old days of this forum when there were 3 members. LOL

    Good grief, man. Don't be so salty. it's just a bbq forum.
    I feel like there could have been a reference to MSGs somewhere here.
    Large and Small BGE
    Central, IL

  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,265