Reed Hearon's Barbecue Sauce

Recipe Ingredients

1/2 lb	227g / 8oz	Smoked bacon - sliced or cubed
1 1/2 cups	297g / 10oz	Bacon fat - lard, or drippings , [see note]
2		Onions - sliced (medium)
6		Garlic - lightly roasted and minced
1 teaspoon	5ml	Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml	Ground cloves
2 teaspoons	10ml	Ground allspice
1/4 cup	59ml	Ground coriander seed
1 1/2 cups	240g / 8.5oz	Brown sugar
1/2 cup	118ml	Molasses
3 cups	711ml	Malt or cider vinegar
1		Chipotle chiles in adobo - (to taste)
1 lb	454g / 16oz	Ham hocks or smoked bones
1		Ketchup
2 tablespoons	30ml	Worcestershire sauce

Recipe Instructions

Method:

1. In a large sauce pot render the bacon on low to medium heat until it is lightly browned all over. Add the bacon fat or drippings and onions (see notes) and continue cooking until the onions begin to brown. Add in the garlic, pepper, clove, allspice and coriander and cook for one minute. Add the brown sugar and molasses and simmer for one hour (see notes).

2. Add the vinegar, chipotles and ham hocks, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the volume is reduced by half.

3. Add the ketchup and Worcestershire and slowly simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally (see notes). Strain.

Note (added by Tony from notes taken while watching Reed make this sauce):

1. Drippings from a smoked brisket can (should?) be used in place of or in addition to the bacon fat.

2. Use white onions if possible instead of yellow onions.

3. Use a vinegar that will complement whatever beverage you're serving: malt vinegar with beer, wine vinegar with wine, cider vinegar with hard cider, and so on.

4. Have the butcher split the bones. They should be added to the bacon while rendering. Reed also added the garlic cloves to the bacon while rendering to roast the garlic.

5. Simmering the sauce in step 1 is done to kill the sweetness.

6. Simmering times in step 3 are a minimum; overnight is better.

7. "Barbecue" is Reed's spelling, not mine!

NOTES : Copyright, 1996, Reed Hearon.

Source:
Reed Hearon (posted by Tony Lima)

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