Founders Justin and Diane Fourton share their recipe—and some history.
In someTexas BBQcircles , adding sauce to like an expert smoke meats has been — and will always be — totally taboo . trusted , keen BBQ should be lovesome , juicy , and tasty enough to be enjoyed in its purest kind , but a lusciously crafted barbecue sauce can really take something already perfect to new high of saporous pleasures ( like spread dressing on a slice of pizza ) .
So , we turn to Justin and Diane Fourton , founders of the wildly popularPecan LodgeinDallas ’s Deep Ellum neighborhood where client wait in lines around the block on the regular , for a little insight into the various types of Texas BBQ sauce . Then we asked them to share the formula for their restaurant ’s signature sauce , a delectable mixture so high tinted it deserves its own spot on the Pantone Color Palette — Pecan Lodge Saucy Red , perhaps ?
To understand everything that hold out into nonplus that fertile burgundy hue in their sauce , we must first turn over into the different types of sauce common in different parts of the state .
Photo courtesy of Pecan Lodge
“ Texas has several regional variation of BBQ sauce . East Texas sauce is tomato ketchup - based and typically runs a little more on the sweet side of things . In Central Texas , it ’s not uncommon for the sauce to be something as simple as the drippings from the meat mixed with a little vinegar , common salt , and capsicum pepper plant , ” Justin says . “ South Texas is more heavily influenced by its proximity to Mexico and Louisiana , where you ’ll find out the utilization of dried chiles and the sauce take on a more piquant feel profile . "
In other parts of the land , sauce sometimes take on a more significant office .
“ Kansas City - style sauce tends to be on the sweeter side and , in that culture , the BBQ sauce is as crucial as the meat , where many joints are sleep together primarily by their sauce , ” Diane says . “ In the Carolinas , you have vinegar - base sauce , mustard - based sauce , and a Lexington - style sauce that is ketchup - based , but it is a thinner , more dilute adaptation of what you might get hold in Texas . In Memphis , they typically shun sauce , in position of a dry rub that ’s utilise after the meat has been cooked . ”
Then comes the root of much debate .
“ Overall , I would consider Texas BBQ sauce to have a catsup base and it ’s usually used more as an afterthought , as oppose to a necessity . purist in Texas insist that groovy BBQ needs no sauce , ” Justin say .
But that does n’t mean that great BBQ and peachy sauce ca n’t exist in perfect concordance , as it does at Pecan Lodge .
Photo courtesy of Travel Texas
“ Our BBQ sauce is closer to what you might find in South Texas . We habituate a ketchup base and a blend of dried chilly for heat and flavor . While there is sugar in our sauce , it ’s used to help balance the spiciness as oppose to being the prevailing flavor . The ruined sauce has complex flavour with a bit of a spicy charge , ” Diane says .
The sauce that exists today is a little scrap of an sure-enough family recipe with a elan of modern-day craft .
“ While I did n’t have a formal family unit recipe that was write down , our sauce is free-base on my memories of the BBQ my grandpa cook , ” Justin tell . “ While he lived in East Texas , his stylus of BBQ was more influenced by the Cajun and Creole cuisine in Louisiana , with flavors that were dominated by heat and spice , as opposed to sweetness . ”
To taste it for yourself , jaw Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum . Or make the same version right at home with the following formula , which has been scaled down for home cook .
Partner Content From
From finger - licking good intellectual nourishment to the capital outdoors , Texasis a vacation destination unto itself . Breathtakingly diverse landscape , like Big Bend National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park in West Texas , offer a natural respite for outdoor enthusiasts while the San Antonio River Walk is a 15 - mile oasis for the urban explorer . No matter your interests , the Lone Star State is waitress to be explored , so , plan consequently .
Pecan Lodge BBQ Sauce
Yield:6 - 8 cups of sauce
element :
Directions:1.Remove stems and seeds from guajillo peppers and hit it up chiles in hot water for about 30 - 45 minutes.2 . Heat petroleum over average heat and add onion and garlic . Saute until translucent.3 . tot up tomato ketchup and chili pepper , and saute for 4 minutes.4 . Add remaining ingredients and simmer mildly for 30 minutes.5 . Remove from heat , cool , puree , and add water to thin .
