Bake of the Week: BBQ Sauce and Wet Rub Kit

I am going to apologise for a couple things; firstly, the lack of posts. With all the Holiday baking, sewing, knitting, cleaning and general gift-making, I have had little time to go on the computer and write. There have been a couple posts I wanted to share, one of which was the bringing home of our tree (I just love Fraser Firs!), and the special ornaments we hang each year. Then we got a beautiful piano (for free! Pay it forward is the most amazing idea ever!), and again, I wanted to share what a blessing that has been for our family, and show off the beauty of this 101+ year old instrument it is. Alas, that brings me to my second apology, which will be the lack of photos for a while. I lent the camera out to my sister in law, so until she's finished with it there will be no photos.

But to stay on topic, the theme for this weekend's cooking (and coincidentally gift-making) was everything BBQ. We have many BBQ enthusiast in the family, and so I decided to try my hand at making several variations of BBQ sauce and meat rubs. I scoured the Internet for recipes that sounded appealing, but also quite different from one another, and finally came to these six; three sauces and three rubs. I altered the amounts slightly from the original recipes, and will include those amounts instead.

For the rubs the directions are the same: combine all dry ingredients first, then add small amounts of vegetable oil (or any other flavourless oil) at a time, stirring completely, until you have a firm paste. Transfer into hot, sterilized jars (I just run the jars through the dishwasher), and then boil the jars for about 10 minutes. Because of the oil, refrigerate after opening so the rubs do not go rancid.

Chili-Lime Steak Rub
Caution; has a some kick to it!
1/4 cup sweet or Thai basil
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp lime juice (add this at the same time as the oil)

Jamaican Jerk Meat Rub
1/4 cup dried onion flakes
1/4 cup onion powder
8 tsp thyme
8 tsp sugar
8 tsp sea salt
4 tsp allspice
4 tsp black pepper

Kansas City Meat Rub
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup smoked paprika
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder

Chicken and Rib BBQ Sauce
This is your basic all-round BBQ sauce. It's great just as-is, but I plan on experimenting with other additions to see what flavours I can come up with!
3 cups ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp chili powder
4 tbsp paprika
4 cloves of garlic
Mince the garlic and saute in olive oil until golden. Add the ketchup, water, and vinegar and still until combined. Add the remaining ingredients and let simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to hot, sterilized jars, and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Store at room temperature, but refrigerate after opening.

Teriyaki BBQ Sauce
This sauce wasn't as "teriyaki" as I'd like, but I have to remember that it is a BBQ sauce, not a basic teriyaki sauce. Despite that, it is delicious!
4 cloves garlic
2 small onions
6 tbsp sesame oil
3 cups ketchup
1 tbsp chili sauce
12 tbsp soy sauce
12 tbsp brown sugar
Mince and saute the onion and garlic in the sesame oil until the onions are translucent. Add the ketchup, chili powder, soy sauce, and brown sugar, and mix thoroughly. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to hot, sterilized jars, and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Store at room temperature, but refrigerate after opening.



Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Caution; very hot!
2 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup diced onions
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili flakes (okay, so I know this really isn't chipotle, but it does the trick!)
1/2 tsp black pepper
Combine all ingredients, including diced onions in saucepan and let simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to hot, sterilized jars, and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Store at room temperature, but refrigerate after opening.

If not by MY hands; then by my Neighbour's

For me it is easy to get so caught up in the idea of a Handmade Holiday, that it's easy to forget that that doesn't necessarily only handmade by me.

Even for one who professes to be as crafty as I, it would be hubris to assume I could do it all alone. Whether due to lack of time, or resources, or skills; at some point I have to look to others for help.

Yet I am lucky enough to live in a community that though small in population, has a wealth of talented artisans and craftsmen.

Our local nexus for the artisan and fair-trade community is the shop The Karma Marketplace. Not only is it an outlet for crafters and artists to sell their wares, but they also sell local organic meat and produce, preserves, and soaps.

Yesterday I went searching for something for some of the women on our list, and found these:

I wish I could convey to the Internet how amazing the soaps smell, and I just know the jewellery will look stunning on the recipients!

Both jewellery and soap making are two more crafts I would like to try my hand at in the future, but for now I am happy to be able to support my neighbours who are creating them!