The next time you want a to-die-for meal we highly suggest you try making Rosé BBQ Sauce. We made this wine recipe from One Girl One Kitchen and were pleasantly surprised just how delicious a little combo of ketchup, rosé, brown sugar, soy sauce, and smoked paprika could be. Which got us thinking, what’s the story behind BBQ sauce? Surely someone didn’t just wake up one morning and magically decide to spin all this stuff together, right?!
Turns out the origin of BBQ sauce really starts with people trying to extend the shelf life of their food. Pre-electricity humans discovered that smoking or drying meat made it last longer. So off they went, turning their turkey into jerky. Sauces and liquids became an essential method to add flavor back to the dehydrated food when they were ready to consume it.
While that’s true of all rubs and sauces, it’s thought that BBQ sauce, in particular, came from the melting pot of cultures that combined in the United States. The Southern Oral History writes, “In Virginia, British colonists observed the Native American method of drying meat on a grill of green sticks over a smoking fire and soon married this method to their own interest in spit-cooking hogs and other small animals. The British introduced their own native practices, including basting — either with butter or with vinegar — to keep the meat from drying while cooking. Slaves of African descent, imported from the Caribbean, brought a taste (developed in the islands) for New-World peppers, especially red pepper. Along the Atlantic seaboard, then, when the vinegar and butter combined with the spices and peppers, barbecue sauce arrived.”
Famed BBQ author and historian, Meathead asserts that the first reference to BBQ sauce, as we know it, is from a handwritten cookbook in 1867. The rest, as they say, is history. While we’re certain the original recipes did not feature Rosé, we can say with confidence that adding some it’s absolutely a good idea.
To make One Girl One Kitchen’s Rosé BBQ Sauce combine the following in a pan over medium heat for 20 minutes:
- 2 cups ketchup
- 2/3 cup Rosé
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Add salt and pepper to taste
Going in it doesn’t look all that great, but as a final product, it’s fantastic. So fantastic, I almost didn’t get a good photo of it on our sliders before they were going, going, gone.
Tidal Wines is available at retailers in Texas or it can be shipped to your doorstep. Find a store or ship yourself some wine here: https://tidalwines.com/wines/