Home Made Barbeque Sauce Marinade

Now is definitely the season for getting the old BBQ out of the shed, brushing off the cobwebs and getting some serious sizzling done.

I don't know about you but one thing I always miss when I go to a lot of other barbeques is the lack of any form of marinading of the various meats. More often than not by the time the grilling is done you can't really tell the difference between a banger (sausage), a burger or a drumstick... In fact I've been to some barbeques were the charcoal looked more appetising :O)

The bbq marinade recipe I'm about to share with you has evolved a lot over the years and it works very well with all types of meats for the grill. It not only adds a distinctive flavouring to the meat it also helps to keep the natural flavours in too and, as the sauce drips onto the hot coals below, creates a delicious smelling smoke that will have your neighbours turning up fork in hand!

Vegetarians take note, it also works brilliantly on veggie sausages and burgers not to mention corn on the cob, courgette and aubergine (egg plant) slices. It's quite an all rounder!

TIP.
I find it is easiest to make the sauce in a jug and then pour it into an old squeezy ketchup or any sause bottle - wider neck bottles are best.

Ok...

Ingredients. (excuse the lack of measurements, just chuck it in! you'll want to alter things to your own special recipe anyway - please post it here as a comment if you do!)

As a rough guide start with 2/3 tomato sauce and 1/3 brown sauce then just add the other stuff to taste (note the honey and brown sugar is important for glazing as well as flavour)

Tomato Ketchup - I'm not a brandname snob but for me it's got to be Heinz every time!
Brown Sauce - again not a brand snob but it has to be HP!
Honey - the pourable type
Brown Sugar - about 1 1/2tbsp per pint of sauce
Olive Oil - a good glug plus a bit
Mustard - eg a mild Dijon or the yellow stuff that's great on hot dogs
Hoi Sin Sauce - adds a delicious smokiness and thickness. (you could probably use mesquite liquid smoke flavouring)
Lemon Juice - a squirt
Balsamic Vinegar - an equal squirt/splash
Worcestershire Sauce - to taste but around the same as the lemon juice etc
Dark Soy Sauce - as above
Dried Herbs - I use Rosemary, Thyme & Parsley
Shallots - chopped very finely, this has to squirt through the nozzle of a sauce bottle. (If you're going to use the sauce brushed on from a tub then the herbs and shallots can be larger)
Garlic - chopped finely as above

I think that's it...

Method.

Add the ingredients 1 at a time to a mixing bowl or jug (see TIP) giving it a stir in between additions.
pour the sauce into a squeezy sauce bottle
You're done.

If I'm using fresh meat I give a coating of the marinade at least an hour before I begin to cook although longer is better. If I am using frozen meat I coat it in the marinade in a tub as I remove it from the freezer and then allow it to defrost.

Just before you put the meat on the grill give it another squirt and brush it all over to ensure it's coated well.

Enjoy :O)