BBQ Sauce

Let's talk about BBQ sauce, and let's be honest about what it is. It's a cooked-down mix of tomato, sugar and vinegar, sometimes smoke, sometimes mustard. Brush it on the grill and watch it, because it will tell you everything. It darkens fast, and if you leave it too long it goes black and bitter, and the smell turns with it, from sweet and smoky to sharp and burnt. Trust your nose and your eyes, not the clock.

Choosing one is simple. Tip the bottle and watch how it moves: it should pour slowly and cling to a spoon, not run like water. Smell it — you want tomato and smoke in balance, some tang underneath, not a flat wall of sweetness. A hundred grams gives you 172 kcal, mostly from 40.77 grams of carbs, almost no fat or protein. This is a sauce built for flavor, not for nutrition, so use it with a light hand.

Now, the misconception. Some people say you should brush it on early, right when the meat goes on the fire. No! Any cook who has done it knows what happens: a black, bitter crust forms before the inside is anywhere near ready. Brush it on at the end, in the last few minutes, and let the fire finish the work the sauce started.