# Pork Barbecue Sauces



## smokin_all_night

Author: smokin_all_night

This topic is a discussion of regional BBQ sauces of the South.


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## smokin_all_night

OK, I'll get this started. Where I come from (Paducah Kentucky) pork BBQ is king. There are many good barbecue places but the most famous one is Starnes BBQ on Joe Clifton drive. This green concrete block building, "this Joint", is famous. It is usually featured whenever there is a TV show featuring barbecue coast to coast. The sauce there is especially good. Since I now live in Texas, I cannot get the sauce. I can make excellent pork barbecue (in a State where Beef BBQ is the norm) but I cannot buy the sauce. So, by trial and error, I created my own version of the recipe. Now, this stuff is an acquired taste. It is sold in bottles like Tabasco sauce. When used, it is sprinkled on the BBQ drops/glugs at a time. It is NOT a general purpose barbecue sauce. People from home do not drown their meat in sauce like they do here in Texas. Anyone like me who used to live there will smile after making a batch of this sauce and smelling it. One whiff and it will clear your sinuses. It's truly a taste of home. 

It is featured in the book "The Great BBQ Sauce Book, A Guide With Recipes" by Ardie A. Davis on page 106. I bought a copy of this book on Amazon for $3.00.

So here is the recipe:

Paducah Ky Secret sauce
Aubrey Pageâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s Version

3 TBSP Ketchup (Heinz)
4 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar (1/4 cup)
1 TBSP water
1 Tsp Black Pepper (fine ground)
Â¼ Tsp White pepper
Â½ Tsp Cayenne (red) pepper (or more to taste, locals will use 1 Tsp)
2 Tsp Tabasco or other red pepper sauce

All measures are level measurements. 

Mix it in a small Tupperware container and shake to mix. Store at room temperature but if you are not going to use it for a while, refrigerate or just throw it away and make fresh next time. Some folks add a little sugar but I think this is closer to the Starnes recipe in taste. This sauce is hot but not as hot as some like it. Just add more cayenne if you want it hotter like at the restaurant. Enjoy!


Regards,
Aubrey Page


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## TulsaJeff

Aubrey,

Thanks for the recipe! I absolutely love to try new things especially things that are native to different parts of the United States.

I have had the opportunity to try the mayonaise based white sauce from Alabama, I grew up in North Carolina with the vinegar based barbecue sauce called "Carolina White Sauce", and then there is the lovely tomato based sauces here in Oklahoma and Texas...

I am looking forward to some Kentucky style sauce soon!


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## TulsaJeff

By the way... If anyone has some good Alabama white sauce recipes that you don't mind sharing, I would like to see some of that in here as well.

I had some at a cookoff last weekend and it was excellent... looked like mayonaise, black pepper, cayenne, tobasco and some other good stuff. I think it would probably be really, really good on chicken...


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## gene reda

Hi Jeff,

Here is the Alabama White Barbeque Sauce recipe from the DR. BBQ's Big-Time Barbeque Cookbook (Ray Lampe):

1 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Prepared Horseradish
1 Teaspoon Salt

I like to add an extra Teaspoon of Horseradish for a bit more bite, and use Cider Vinegar instead of the White Vinegar, but this is good stuff.


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## undertaker2401

HI Jeff got this recipe of off Paula Deens show havent tried it yet.
Big Bob's Gibson's White Sauce


1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons apple cider

Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix well.
dip  your chicken in it after cooking


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## shaneholz

Wow guys, thanks for the info. I'm giong to try it tonight. It sounds good. I'll let you know what I think.


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## brianj517

Hi Aubry!
Although I now live back home in northest ohio, several years ago I lived in Lexington, Ky. At the time, I was in Industrial sales/Factory automation, and would have to travel all over the sate of Ky and W.Va. I gotta tell ya, any time I was any where near Paducah, there was only one place for lunch! One of the local engineers I used to call on introduced me to Starnes BBQ and got me hooked instantly! (Incidentally, that was the first time I'd seen anyone eat pulled pork with the slaw as part of the sandwich instead of on the side). I remember that sauce...It's been close to 8 or 10 years since I've been back, but your post has brought back a great memory! When I get home tonight, I'm gonna mix up a batch first thing! I can hardly wait!  8) 

Cheers!
Brian


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## brianj517

I want to add a note of thanks to Gene and Undertaker for posting the white sauce recipes. I've never tried anything like it and I think it sounds very interesting. Is it intended for any specific type of meat, or general use?

Brian


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## gene reda

Brian,

Seems like it is primarily used on chicken from everything that I have read...that is all I have ever used it on, but it might be good on something like a pork loin also.  Anyone ever try this on anything other than chicken?


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## smokin_all_night

Great, so when you make the sauce, shake it up and then open the container, sniff it. If it doesn't bring a smile to your face then you have never been to Starnes. 

No kiddin, let me know.

Regards,
Aubrey Page


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## shaneholz

I did use undertakers sauce last night and it was awesone. Thanks for the great info. I will be using this for years to come.


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## undertaker2401

Glad you liked  it Shane my daughters want me to make it this weekend going to give it a try.


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## brianj517

I mixed up a batch of Aubrey Pages' version of Starnes BBQ sauce this weekend. What a treat! I smoked about 6 slabs of spare ribs using the 3-2-1 method, and served them dry with the sauces on the side for dippin'. Everyone said that the sauce offered the perfect combination of flavor and heat! I don't usually use sauce on my ribs, because I enjoy the dry rub and smoke flavor so much, but IMHO, this sauce would make the perfect compliment to a pulled pork sandwich. Thanks for the tip Aubrey!  8) 

Cheers,
Brian


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## smokin_all_night

So was the imitation Starnes sauce like you remembered it? I am surprised that your guests enjoyed the sauce with spareribs as it is an acquired taste. I just think of it as a topping and finishing sauce for pork BBQ. If however you did use it as a dipping sauce, that is the right approach. Slathering it on like Kraft sauce would have been a mistake. 

Regards,
Aubrey Page


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## brianj517

Yes Aubrey, the sauce seemed very close to the way I remember it. Indeed, I agree that it is better as a finishing sauce for pulled pork. I really only made it because your original post brought back such a fond but long forgotten memory.

I let my 17 year old son choose the meat this time, ( he lives with his Mom almost two hours away and I haven't seen him in about four weeks), and ribs are his favorite. Yours was one of three sauces that I served on the side for dipping. I also made a mustard based sauce that I had gotten from the net, for variety, as well as a traditional style sauce that I had left over from another cookout.

I will definitely be using your recipe again, the next time I do a shoulder!

Cheers,
Brian


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## smokin_all_night

Brian, In addition to the Starnes Sauce, how did the mustard sauce turn out? If it was good, why don't you share the recipe in this forum. Also give credit to the source so we can also explore that path. There are also mustard sauces discussed under the pork section of this forum if I remember right.

It is one thing to see a sauce recipe published and another to have someone publish a recipe with memory of how it turned out fresh on their mind.

The only mustard sauce I have ever tried was at a legendary BBQ establishment south of Austin Texas called Salt Lick BBQ. It was great. 

Regards,
Aubrey Page


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## brianj517

Aubrey,
Unfortunately, I don't really remember the source. It came from an article that I came across on the net some time ago. I generally use the basic ingredients from a recipe and then modify to suit my mood that day. (I guess I'm kind of like that old cajun guy on tv that used to measure salt in the palm of his hand.) 

I will, however, commit myself to practicing a bit more precision when trying/creating new things, and recording them to share. I have discovered many helpful ideas since joining this forum, and I certainly feel obligated to return the favor, if ever I can.

Cheers,
Brian


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## cajunsmoker

Here is my nomination for BBQ joint of the south.

Craigs BBQ, DeValls Bluff, Ark run by http://www.johntedge.com/writing/sou...lly_exerpt.php
located about 20 miles from my hometown of DeWitt Arkansas






His delicious sandwich;






His ribs, which I never ate because the sandwich was so damn good :oops:






We always got ours to go and they looked like this;






My wife's birthday is August 1 and she has already told me that we are driving 150 miles north to our old hometown just so we can get some Craig's BBQ.  I think that is a pretty good recomendation.  If that ain't enough though here is a Review by RoadHouse magazine;

"Reviewers Writeup "Mild, medium, or hot?" you will be asked when you place an order at this roadside smoke house. Even the mild stuff packs a pleasant punch; medium is very spicy; hot is diabolical, enough to set your tongue aglow for hours. It was quite a sight to watch local boys in overalls come to Craig's for "extra hots" at lunch time, and quickly ingest two or three big sandwiches non-stop before hopping in their trucks and driving back to work. Not a one of the big fellers combusted from the heat.

This is superior Q; mild or hot, the lean slices of pork are irresistibly tasty even before their red-orange, peppery sauce is applied. The way most people seem to like it served at Craig's is in a bun as a sandwich, wrapped in wax paper and stuck together with a toothpick. Stuffed into the bun atop the pork is cool cole slaw, providing a truly sensational balance. And on the side, there are Ozark-style beans, silky and sweet, cosseted in a lovely amber emulsion. 

Much of Craig's business is take-out, although a scattering of tables across the floor inside provides space for eating in. For dessert, drive to the other side of Route 70 and get a piece of Mary Thomas's pie. It is a sublime dÃ[emoji]169[/emoji]nouement after one of Craig's climactic meals.


- Michael Stern, 8/23/2004 "


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## smokin_all_night

I am so glad to hear from someone who also appreciates a small town "BBQ Joint" like Starnes in Paducah Ky that I commented on. It sounds like Craigs is just that same kind of place. Starnes also does most of it's business as takeout. There are maybe 4 booths and a lunch counter inside. Getting a place to sit at lunch is difficult. You just sit at the counter and enjoy your BBQ with the person next to you. Of course in a small town you likely know the person anyway. At Starnes you are also asked mild or hot? My sauce is the mild variety. 

What kind of sauce is served at Craigs? 

Regards,
Aubrey Page
-----------------
OTBS #007


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## cajunsmoker

Mild, spicy and hot as hell :evil: .  

According to the interview in my link in the above post the recipe has the following ingredients (how much and in what order is a secret. " I remembered how he told me they made it: vinegar, mustard, ketchup, a lot of black pepper, and a healthy slug of what Mr. Craig called â€œthe meat drippingsâ€ â€“ in essence the grease that dripped from the hams while they cooked. "

However it's made, it is a taste that stays stuck in your mind and your post about Starnes woke it up. :D   Actually tastes a lot like the Starnes recipe.


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## jaynik

I whipped up some of the Starnes you posted on here and that's good stuff.  I'm going to make a second batch for our pork today!


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## smokin_all_night

Jaynik, I am glad you liked the Starnes sauce. I am always pleasantly surprised and pleased when someone likes it. A sauce like this is a regional thing.  Folks from Western Kentucky instantly take a liking to it as it is the taste of pork Barbecue of that area but when others not from there like it, then I am surprised. Of course I am assuming that you are not from Western Kentucky. Since I live in Texas now, I also posted another sauce recipe native to the Texas Hill country. You might also like it. Look under this same topic, scroll down a few lines and see the post "Texas Hill Country Barbecue Sauce". The picture attached to it is the actual restaurant that inspired my sauce recipe.

Good luck. 

Aubrey Page

--------------
OTBS 007


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## willkat98

Can't believe I haven't seen this thread before now.

I love a light sauce.

I don't care for mustard sauces.

I don't care for vinegar based Southern sauces.

So I have a challenge for all SMF pulled pork smokers out there.

I got turned on to a mustard and vinegar based sauce (very thin) that is the cat's ass for pulled pork.

I can't believe I like this stuff.

No, I think I love this stuff.

Dream Land Barbecue Sauce out of Tuscaloosa Alabama.

Spoon it on, for you don't want to over sauce it.

I buy it by the 4 quart pack with free ground shipping.  Thats like 8.50 a quart, which is not bad for 32oz of porky gold goodness

Dream Land BBQ    <-----  Clicky Linky


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## smokin stang

Here is a picture of the famous Starnes Barbecue in Paducah, Kentucky


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## smokin_all_night

Welcome to the group, Smokin Stang!
Nice to see a home town boy here on the forum. 

Go Tornadoes.

Regards,
Aubrey Page
---------------
OTBS #007


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## smokin stang

Thanks Aubrey.  I have definately learned a lot about smoking.  Paducah now has what they call Barbecue on the River held the last weekend of each September every year.  Downtown Paducah is packed this weekend with people.  They have diffferent classes from amateur to professional competing.  Downtown Paducah is really awesome now.  They have painted every section of the flood wall with different murals.  Check out the link http://www.bbqontheriver.org/index2.htm


Dave


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## flyin'illini

Aubrey, I found this looking for Starnes BBQ info on the web.  Glad you posted it.  I have been wanting to try to figure out how to duplicate the Starnes' flavor.  You said it all here as this is one of the places (other being Leigh's BBQ near Kevil, KY) that I grew up on. (relatives are in Ballard Co, KY)  I grew up an hour north in southern IL where there are not too many places. (17th St in Murphysboro came along later)
-flyin'illini


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## winston

Thanks for the recipe, Aubrey.  Ironically I had just "googled" Starne's BBQ because last night I used my "last drop" of my imported bottle from Starne's in Paducah, KY.  You see, I am a Paducah native, born and bred, but now living in Bend, OR, by way of San Diego and San Clemente, CA.  We had a pretty good BBQ joint here called "Baldy's BBQ" but their sauce is thick and sweet... quite unlike the vinegar style of Starnes.  But, I will say the BBQ brisket at Baldy's will melt in your mouth...and their baby back ribs are lip-smackin' good too.  I'm downloading your counterfeit recipe (ha ha ha) to try myself, but am also re-ordering 2-3 bottles from Starne's as its shelf life is indefinate... proven when my Dad (now deceased) shipped me a quart size bottle years ago.

Cheers!   Go Big Blue!!!


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## winston

@flyin'illini:  Wow, just mentioning Leigh's BBQ in Kevil made my tummy growl for one of their sandwiches.  I used to stop by there for lunch from time to time when I was working for a contractor at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in West Paducah.  Leigh's was my second favorite to Starne's in Paducah.

Cheers!

Bob


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## lizzy

I added a 1/4 tsp of ground ginger and tomato sauce instead of ketchup and I think it is a bit closer to the original Starnes sauce.  I have made this so many times and made subtle changes looking to find one that is as good as Starnes.  I think the ginger did it.


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## johnny greif

So here is the recipe:

Paducah Ky Secret sauce
Aubrey Pageâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s Version

3 TBSP Ketchup (Heinz)
4 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar (1/4 cup)
1 TBSP water
1 Tsp Black Pepper (fine ground)
Â¼ Tsp White pepper
Â½ Tsp Cayenne (red) pepper (or more to taste, locals will use 1 Tsp)
2 Tsp Tabasco or other red pepper sauce

All measures are level measurements.

Mix it in a small Tupperware container and shake to mix. Store at room temperature but if you are not going to use it for a while, refrigerate or just throw it away and make fresh next time. Some folks add a little sugar but I think this is closer to the Starnes recipe in taste. This sauce is hot but not as hot as some like it. Just add more cayenne if you want it hotter like at the restaurant. Enjoy!


Regards,
Aubrey Page

thanks bro!!!!!!!!!!!!

i'm from paducah but i live in central america now, the country of belize. i almost cried (well maybe i did) when i found your starnes recipe. thanks to whomever for the pics as well. i can smell the hickory smoke!

j


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## brookport bb

Being born and raised across the river from Paducah, KY., I only know of one good sauce, that being Starne's. It is great on everything, fried chicken, potato salad, white beans, etc. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.


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## moozoo

I've gradually started going to a thin vinegar sauce almost exclusively for pork...it doesn't interfere as much with the meat's flavor and the smoke (I'm typically a "dry" guy, anyway).  While it's most associated with the Southeast, it's also quite popular here in Missouri, especially into the boot-heel region of the state.  Here's my recipe...bring everything to a low boil and then turn off the heat and cover for a little while.  Hope you vinegar lovers enjoy it.

2 cups cider vinegar

3 tbsp ketchup

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp salt

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp Worcestershire

1 tbsp Frank’s hot sauce

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp white pepper


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