The Quest for Sauce, Part 2
I gave my signature sauce another try, using many of the same ingredients (peaches, chilies, rum, etc.), but took a much different approach. I wanted the flavors to be much bolder and more concentrated as I continue my continuing Quest for Sauce.
As a vehicle for my sauce, I chose country ribs. They can vary widely in quality, so I selected the best i could find. If none look good at the store, I get something different. When relying on likes of Publix for every day shopping, be flexible in the meat and produce departments.
I used a very similar rub as last time, 2 teaspoons each of brown sugar and hot paprika, 1 tsp each of coarse salt, black pepper, white pepper, onion powder, ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp ground cardamom. The cardamom brings a fresh, aromatic quality to the rub.
Now for the sauce. I created my hot and sweet sides of the sauce separately. For the hot stuff, I roasted tomatoes, onions, jalapeno and serrano chilies after rolling in olive oil and seasoning with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and a touch of salt. I added about a quarter of the seeds from the chilies. Pureed, the vegetables turned into an excellent salsa. To make a more concentrated sauce, this mixture would have to be cooked down. On this occasion, I left it in its salsa consistency.
For the sweet side, I began with fresh peaches, peach preserves, diced onion, sugar, rum (Mount Gay this time— Barbados), a little cinnamon and salt. I reduced it and pureed it, leaving a thick sauce.
Hot and sweet simmered side by side, leering at one another suspiciously. Would they get along?
To accompany our ribs, I sauteed carrots and cabbage and made some corn fritters, cooking them in a skillet with a little butter like pancakes rather than deep frying them. They came out golden brown and tender.
Green onions and a little garlic powder sure taste nice in Jiffy cornbread mix.
The hot and sweet got along famously, but was more a salsa than a traditional sauce. It delivered a deep heat and peachy sweet to our aromatic ribs. I drizzled the fritters with a rum and honey butter, and the vegetables rounded out the plate perfectly. This attempt at the sauce yielded a wonderful salsa that I would make again. But I want something even more concentrated and spicy. I have a few ideas for my next Quest for Sauce.