What to use instead of barbecue sauce
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Sweet glaze that sets on meat under heat
The sugar caramelises and the tomato solids dry into a sticky film, so the sauce clings to ribs or chicken instead of running off into the pan.
Ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar and smoked paprikaRan out
1 cup ketchup + 1/4 cup brown sugar + 2 tbsp cider vinegar + 1 tsp smoked paprika
Close to a Kansas City sauce and it sets the same way. Thin at first, so simmer it 5 minutes before it goes near the meat.
Hoisin thinned with rice vinegarRan out
3/4 cup hoisin + 2 tbsp rice vinegar
Glazes harder and darker because of the fermented bean sugars. Tastes of char siu rather than barbecue.
Apricot preserves with Dijon and soyRan out
1/2 cup preserves + 2 tbsp Dijon + 1 tbsp soy sauce
Sets fast and burns faster, so brush it on in the last 10 minutes. Fruity and sharp with no smoke at all.
Pomegranate molasses with honeyRan out
1/3 cup pomegranate molasses + 3 tbsp honey
Very dark and tart, and it lacquers well. No tomato solids, so it soaks in rather than sitting on the surface.
What doesn't work: Straight honey or maple syrup. Sugar with no acid and no tomato body burns black at grill temperature before the meat is done, and it slides off anything vertical.
Tangy sauce stirred into a cooked filling
Off the heat it is doing acid, sugar and salt at once, which is what cuts the fat in pulled pork or sloppy joes without adding cooking time.
Ketchup with Worcestershire and cider vinegarRan out
1 cup ketchup + 1 tbsp Worcestershire + 2 tbsp cider vinegar
Sharper and less sweet, closer to a diner sauce. No smoke unless you add a teaspoon of smoked paprika.
Cider vinegar with red pepper flakes and sugarRan out
1/2 cup cider vinegar + 1 tsp flakes + 1 tbsp sugar per 2 lb pork
This is Eastern Carolina sauce. Thin and mouth-puckering, so the meat stays loose rather than coated.
Steak or brown sauce, thinned and sweetenedRan out
3/4 cup sauce + 2 tbsp water + 1 tbsp brown sugar
Tamarind and raisin in place of tomato sweetness. Darker and more sour, and it clings noticeably less.
What doesn't work: Tomato paste with sugar stirred through it. There is no acid and no fermented depth, so the filling tastes like sweetened tinned tomato and coats the tongue.