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Thoughts on two of Aaron Franklin's BBQ Sauces

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    Thoughts on two of Aaron Franklin's BBQ Sauces

    A few weeks ago, I learned that the commercial versions of Aaron Franklin's BBQ sauces are available at my local grocery store. (They are only available in Texas at HEB.)

    Three are available: Texas BBQ, Espresso BBQ, and Pork BBQ. I picked up the first two, leaving the final one -- which is vinegar based -- for later.

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    From reading Aaron's book, he enjoys experimenting with sauces, but believes that good Central Texas BBQ should not need a sauce. I approached both the Texas-style and the Espresso with that notion in the back of my head.

    I tried both with some brisket sausage today. My first thoughts on the Texas one is almost unkind at first glance. I wanted to say "nothing special;" however, it is well-balanced and flavorful. It has the consistency of what you would expect for a Texas-style sauce. It is not very viscous. It seems purposefully designed to complement meat and not be in any danger of over powering it. I like it. I kinda wish it had just a bit more pepper to it; however, I can see why it wouldn't: if it were meant for Texas brisket -- where the rub is already 50% pepper -- I can see where that would be a bit too much pepper.

    (Aaron describes the sauce as follows:
    Our sauce is what I'd call Central Texas style in that it's tomato based and balanced between sweet and savory with a bit of acidity. It's really just meant to lubricate already moist meat, to add sweetness that highlights the savory flavor of smoke, and to contribute acidity that helps balance the richness of the fat and protein."
    (p.191))

    Now for the Espresso sauce. Wow. This is a unique sauce. I've never tasted anything like it. It has significant depth and complexity. You've got soy notes, you've got coffee notes, all melded together perfectly into this -- oh I am just going to say it -- umami flavor that lays atop a tomato-based base. It is really good.

    The only drawback is that the taste is really bold and flavorful. Remember those silly Coke vs Pepsi taste tests from the 80s? Where Pepsi always won? Well, if you remember, the reason Pepsi always won is that when consumed in small amounts, Pepsi tastes better than Coke as it is sweeter. Give someone a full 12 oz can and the results swap.

    Something similar goes on with me and this Espresso sauce. I found I got saturated with it and had to switch back to the Texas-style sauce for a bit. (Yes, I consumed quite a bit of brisket sausage today!)

    Both sauces are really good and I will be buying both again I am sure. I also look forward to trying the Pork sauce as well.

    If you're playing along at home and have Aaron's Meat Manifesto book, his recipes are on pages 192 and 193. What is not overly clear to me is that does he make the sauces from scratch in the restaurant or does he use the commercial versions? (I think he makes them from scratch.)

    In any case, these commercial versions have slightly, perhaps significantly, different ingredients than the recipes in the book. (One would expect some of this for ease of production and shelf-stability.) For reference here is the list of ingredients for the sauces I bought, in the order listed:

    Texas BBQ Sauce
    • Water
    • Brown Sugar
    • Tomato Paste (Fresh Vine-Ripened Tomatoes)
    • Apple Cider Vinegar
    • Rochester Concentrate (Cane Sugar, Water, Vinegar, Tamarind Extract, Salt, Natural Flavors, Garlic)
    • Pure Cane Sugar
    • White Vinegar
    • Chili Powder
    • Sea Salt
    • Non-Modified Corn Starch
    • Black Pepper
    • Garlic Powder
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    Espresso BBQ Sauce
    • Water
    • Brown Sugar
    • Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Sugar, Corn Starch)
    • Coffee
    • Tomato Paste (Fresh Vine-Ripened Tomatoes)
    • Apple Cider Vinegar
    • White Vinegar
    • Pure Cane Sugar
    • Non-Modified Corn Starch
    • Natural Flavor
    • Sea Salt
    • Onion Powder
    • Smaktai
    • Garlic Powder
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    Anyone have a clue what Smaktai is? Google reveals nothing (been awhile since I've had that happen!). The only thing I can think of is that it is a trademarked beef flavoring, as in the book brisket drippings are listed as an important part of the sauce.

    #2
    Thanks, good read an an honest review.

    Comment


      #3
      Thanks for your notes! I didn’t know these were available, but I will be swinging through HEB, to try for myself!

      Comment


        #4
        Nice write up. Thanks.
        I’ll be in central Texas later this week so I might just need to drop into the local HEB...I have a friend that would probably LOVE the coffee one.

        Comment

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