sauce Archives - Life's A Tomato

Bourbon Street Pulled Pork Sandwiches

There’s nothing I love more than pulled pork, made on my Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker, mixed with a fantastic homemade sauce. My favorite sauce, for everything from chicken wings to pulled pork to burgers is my Bourbon Street sauce. For topping the perfect pulled pork sandwich I add either coleslaw or sliced onion and dill pickle. Either one gives the Bourbon Street pulled pork sandwiches a great crunchy, and the vinegar helps tone down a bit of the sweetness in the sauce. Every bite is perfect.

Sauce It Now Or Later

You can sauce the pork before mounding it high on the buns for these Bourbon Street pulled pork sandwiches. Or you can add the pork first, then pour the sauce over the top. Or heck, don’t put any sauce on, serve it on the side and dip your sandwich in it! When I am eating out I prefer to add the sauce myself. I order it ‘dry’, and ask for the sauce on the side. That way I can add as little or as much as I want. I’d rather be the one that makes the decision instead of someone in the kitchen. No offense to the fine folks in the kitchen! It’s a personal preference thing.

Mt. Olive Hamburger Dill Chips Pickles, 16 oz

Also try my shredded pork sandwich.

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5 from 1 vote

Bourbon Street Pulled Pork Sandwiches

If you prefer your sauce on the Bourbon Street pulled pork sandwiches to be on top and not mixed in, I say go for it!

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword pulled pork, sandwich

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings

Calories 396kcal

Author Mike

Ingredients

1 pound pulled pork warmed (I used our homemade pulled pork)
Bourbon Street sauce warmed
4 Hamburger buns toasted
12 dill pickle chips
1 small red onion sliced thin

Instructions

Mix the pork with the sauce.
Add onion slices to the buns, top with the pork and sauce mixture.
Add a few dill pickle slices and the top of the bun.

Notes

These sandwiches are also great topped with cold coleslaw!

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Buffalo Wing Dipping Sauce

Visit my other site, For The Wing, for all things chicken-wing!

Blue cheese, although great, can be a little strong to us. So, we were a little skeptical about all the blue cheesiness that was in this recipe for a Buffalo wing dipping sauce. Well, the sauce is fantastic. No more Ranch dipping sauce for us. This is the only sauce we’ll ever need or make.

This sauce has a great bite from the blue cheese with just a little heat. Nice and cool for hot wings. Don’t skimp and use a cheap blue cheese dressing. Get the real stuff. And if you’re worried it might be too blue cheesy, substitute Gorgonzola cheese.

Cholula Original Hot Sauce, 12 fl oz

Also try my blue cheese dressing.

5 from 1 vote

Buffalo Wing Dipping Sauce

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings cup

Calories 247kcal

Author Based on a recipe from Six in the Suburbs

Ingredients

2 ounces cream cheese
½ cup blue cheese salad dressing
¼ cup hot sauce
¼ cup blue cheese or Gorgonzola!, crumbled

Instructions

Place the cream cheese, dressing and hot sauce into medium bowl.
Microwave for 1-2 minutes until melted.
Whisk mixture until creamy smooth.
Fold in the blue cheese.

Notes

This sauce gets better with time.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Chili Dog Sauce

This is my go-to hot dog chili dog sauce. I let it slow cook for a while to get good and tender. And I also make a huge batch and freeze some for later. I have to have sauce on my dogs.

This chili dog sauce is also outstanding over burgers, topped with cheese and chopped onion.

A Great Cookbook Find

I found this in The Real Chili Cookbook: America’s 100 All-Time Favorite Recipes. I found a copy at the Exit 76 Antique Mall for $3.50. Besides this recipe, I’ve made 5 or 6 of the chili recipes from the book and all have been fantastic. It’s one of the best finds I’ve made! As far as I’m concerned I more than got my money’s worth just with this chili sauce!

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5 from 1 vote

Chili Dog Sauce

This is my go-to hot dog chili dog sauce. I let it slow cook for a while to get good and tender. And I also make a huge batch and freeze some for later. I have to have chili sauce on my dogs.

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Keyword chili, hot dogs, sauce

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 35

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 27kcal

Author Mike

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion minced
2 cloves garlic minced
10 ounces enchilada sauce
½ teaspoon ground cumin or less
½ teaspoon dried marjoram

Instructions

Brown the ground beef and drain.
Add onion and garlic and cook another 5 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and stir.
Simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. If the sauce gets too thin add a bit of water.
Note: You can also cover and slow-cook this sauce for a few hours if you wish. It comes out nice and tender. Cook it less for a chili sauce with a little more bite from the beef.
Update: I made this great sauce again over the weekend. Our grocery store was out of premium enchilada sauce, so I used a “lesser” brand. I ended up adding a good amount of hot chile powder to the mix, but it still came out fantastic.

Notes

Add a little diced jalapeno for a little kick.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

TableCraft 3-Piece Nostalgia Squeeze Bottle Set, 12-Ounce

Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs with Fire-Eater Dog Sauce

How do you make a great hot dog better? Yes, you wrap it in bacon. Crispy, yummy bacon. But you’re not done yet. Then you add a good helping of a thick, sweet-heat sauce that makes mustard and ketchup boring. These bacon-wrapped hot dogs with Fire-Eater dog sauce are a great way to change up your everyday dogs. You can add more of your favorite toppings if you like, but don’t bury that great bacon flavor.

Make Extra Sauce. You’ll Need It.

The Fire-Eater dog sauce is also perfect on hamburgers and fries, so make an extra big batch and keep it on hand in the fridge. To make a great smoky version use a hickory BBQ sauce. For an even spicier version use a hot BBQ sauce and add a few splashes of your favorite hot sauce. Bacon-wrapped hot dogs with Fire-Eater dog sauce are good no matter what.

Remember that if you have to refrigerate any leftover sauce, let it sit out on the counter for at least 30 minutes before using. Or warm it up a bit on the stovetop. You don’t want to ‘shock’ hot, just-cooked wings with a cold sauce.

SLOTDOG – Hot Dog Slicing Tool – Stainless Steel Cutter Blades for Kitchen, Grilling, Tailgating, Camping and Backyard Outdoor BBQ – 10 inch – Red

Also try my Banh Mi hot dogs.

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4 from 1 vote

Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs with Fire-Eater Dog Sauce

How do you make a great hot dog better? Yes, you wrap it in bacon. Crispy, yummy bacon.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword hot dogs

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings servings

Calories 508kcal

Author Mike

Ingredients

For the hot dogs

6 hot dogs
6 slices bacon
6 hot dog buns

For the Fire-Eater dog sauce

¾ cup ketchup
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon your favorite BBQ sauce
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Fire-Eater rub or your favorite spicy seasoning, to taste (I used 2 tablespoons)

Instructions

For the hot dogs

Wrap the hot dogs in the bacon.
Fire up your grill for indirect cooking.
Place bacon-wrapped dogs on the grill over indirect heat.
Cook for 20 minutes, rotating often, until the bacon is cooked and starting to crisp.
Remove and let cool slightly to let the bacon finish crisping.
Serve on buns and drizzle with Fire-Eater dog sauce.

For the Fire-Eater dog sauce

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan.
Bring to a simmer.
Remove from heat and let cool until thickened.

Notes

Add your favorite toppings, like relish or onions or even kraut!

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

TableCraft 3-Piece Nostalgia Squeeze Bottle Set, 12-Ounce

Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce

I was busy. Way too busy to even think about making a lunch that took more than 5 minutes of my time. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I heated up some pre-made chicken nuggets. Don’t judge me, I had to do it. Plus, truth be told, I like them. I can’t help it. But I wasn’t just going to dip them in ketchup or mustard. No, I took an extra 30 seconds and whisked up a copycat of the Chick-fil-A dipping sauce and tossed it into the fridge so that the flavors got happy while the chicken was heating.

Make It Spicy

For a nice twist on this copycat Chick-fil-A sauce swap out a spicy BBQ sauce for the smoky hickory BBQ sauce. Or just add a few splashes of hot sauce to the recipe below. Just because it’s a copycat doesn’t mean you can’t change it up a bit to suit your tastes.

Kitchen Bottle Condiment Set 3 Hole Dispenser Lid Plastic Squeeze for Sauce Mustard Ketchup 12 oz. / 340 ML.

Love chicken fingers like I do? Try my copycat KFC Twisters.

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5 from 1 vote

Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce

For a nice twist on this Chick-fil-A sauce swap out a spicy BBQ sauce for the smoky hickory BBQ sauce.

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken, copycat, sauce

Prep Time 1

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 927kcal

Ingredients

½ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon hickory barbecue sauce

Instructions

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using as a dip for chicken fingers, fries, or just slathering on burgers!

Notes

Stir well before serving.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Creole Meatball Sauce

This is the sauce I use on my Creole meatballs if I am serving them over pasta or on meatball sandwiches. The meatballs already have some kick, so this sauce is a little more mellow. But, if you want more heat, just substitute Rotel tomatoes for the diced tomatoes and pucker up!

How can you pass up a Creole meatball sub sandwich, smothered in this great sauce? I can’t, that’s for sure. The messier the better I always say!

Or meatballs over pasta, heaped with delicious sauce?

I double or even triple this recipe to make sure I always have some sauce on hand. It freezes well and makes for a quick and easy dinner over noodles.

Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning from Louisiana, Original Blend, No MSG and Kosher, 8 Ounce Can, Pack of 3

This sauce is also fantastic on my Creole pizza.

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4 from 1 vote

Creole Meatball Sauce

This is the sauce I use on my Creole meatballs if I am serving them over pasta or on meatball sandwiches. The meatballs already have some kick, so this sauce is a little more mellow.

Course Sauce

Cuisine Creole

Keyword Creole, meatballs, sauce

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 87kcal

Author Based on a recipe from Deep South Dish

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup white onion chopped
¼ cup celery chopped
¼ cup green bell pepper chopped
6 ounces tomato paste
15 ounces petite diced tomatoes undrained
2 teaspoons sugar
Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, bell pepper and celery and cook until slightly softened.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook another 3-4 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
Add sugar, Creole seasoning to taste, and the basil.
Stir and continue simmering for 15 minutes.

Notes

Refrigerate leftovers. Warm over medium heat before serving.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Copycat Bull’s Eye Barbecue Sauce

I have to admit, I shy away from bottled BBQ sauces. I do make an exception and occasionally I’ll pick up a bottle or two at the store. But, if you like making your own sauces, a store-bought sauce can make a great starting point. Or you can do like I did and make a copycat version of a pre-made sauce, like this Bull’s Eye barbecue sauce.

Perfect On Ribs

I smoked a few racks of St. Louis-style ribs that were rubbed down first overnight with a copycat of Famous Dave’s rib rub. With only 30 minutes left in the smoke session I slathered the ribs with this great sauce. That extra 30 minutes lets the sauce set up on the ribs.

Thick. Like You Want It.

This sauce is perfectly thick, great for ribs. It has a little sweetness, a little tang, just a hint of heat, and a little smokiness. Don’t like liquid smoke? Leave it out and still enjoy a great sauce that’ll keep in the fridge for weeks, if you have any left. Or substitute smoked salt (and leave out the kosher salt) and still enjoy that great smoky flavor.

I like to keep my leftover sauces in squeeze bottles. Thicker ones like this one do mean I have to cut a bit off the top of the nozzles so it squeezes out easily.

Kitchen Bottle Condiment Set 3 Hole Dispenser Lid Plastic Squeeze for Sauce Mustard Ketchup 12 oz. / 340 ML.

This sauce is also great on pulled pork or grilled chicken.

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5 from 1 vote

Copycat Bull’s Eye Barbecue Sauce

This sauce is perfectly thick, great for ribs. It has a little sweetness, a little tang, just a hint of heat, and a little smokiness.

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Keyword barbecue, BBQ, copycat, sauce

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 35

Total Time 40

Servings cups

Calories 623kcal

Ingredients

1 cup ketchup
6 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce low-salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
3 tablespoons yellow onion minced
4 teaspoons liquid smoke
¼ teaspoon hot sauce or more
½ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.
Reduce to a simmer and simmer 30 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved.
Optional: Allow sauce to cool slightly then transfer to a blender and pulse a few times for a smoother sauce.

Notes

This sauce is even better the next day. Refrigerate it overnight and then warm slightly before using.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Maple Mustard Dipping Sauce

Do you always put ketchup on your fries? Or maybe mayonnaise? Well, try this great maple mustard dipping sauce for a change. It has the kick of yellow, Dijon and stone ground mustards, with the sweetness of real maple syrup. This is a totally different, great change from all those countless fries that have met their demise in a pool of ketchup. Put that ketchup away, you don’t need it any more!

Dip Everything In Sight

This maple mustard dipping sauce also makes for yummy chicken finger dipping! Oh, and corn dogs? They absolutely scream for this sauce! This sauce takes anything good and makes it a whole lot better.

Don’t skimp on the maple syrup. Don’t reach for that high fructose corn syrup stuff. Get the real thing.

Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard (8 oz Jar)

Also try my Sriracha mustard sauce.

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4 from 1 vote

Maple Mustard Dipping Sauce

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Keyword dipping sauce, maple, mustard

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings cup

Calories 254kcal

Author Based on a recipe from Paula Deen

Ingredients

¼ cup prepared yellow mustard
½ cup stone ground mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

Instructions

Combine all ingredients.

Notes

Stir before serving.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Basic BBQ Sauce

I have a bit of an addiction to buying pre-made BBQ sauces. Mostly the obscure ones that you can’t get in stores. The ones you have to order directly from the BBQ joint that makes them. Well, that’s not the cheapest hobby in the world, so I set out to make my own basic BBQ sauce (based on one from Myron Mixon) and I’m very happy with the results. It’s not a complicated or fancy sauce, but it has the perfect consistency and taste. I can add more hot sauce for a spicy version, or I can add more liquid smoke for a more hickory-flavored sauce.

A Great Basic Sauce

I’m going to call this basic BBQ sauce ‘done’. It’s my go-to basic sauce for everything from pulled pork to ribs to brisket to chicken or my favorite, rib tips. I also slather basic BBQ sauce on my grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. It’s also fantastic on BBQ chicken pizza!

Kitchen Bottle Condiment Set 3 Hole Dispenser Lid Plastic Squeeze for Sauce Mustard Ketchup 12 oz. / 340 ML.

Also try my basic BBQ rub. Like this sauce from the legendary Myron Mixon, it’s great as is or use it as a base for your own flavors.

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5 from 1 vote

Basic BBQ Sauce

This is not a complicated or fancy sauce, but it has the perfect consistency and taste. I can add more hot sauce for a spicy version, or I can add more liquid smoke for a more hickory-flavored sauce.

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Keyword barbecue, BBQ, sauce

Cook Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings cups

Calories 304kcal

Author Based on a recipe from Myron Mixon’s Smokin’ with Myron

Ingredients

2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 cups ketchup
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
⅔ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons hot sauce more or less, to taste
1 teaspoon liquid smoke more or less, to taste
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a blender and process until smooth.
Transfer to a saucepan over medium heat.
Heat thoroughly. Serve or use warm.

Notes

Store leftover sauce in the fridge. Warm and stir before using.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Beer Cheese Sauce

Oh me. This beer cheese sauce has lots and lots of uses, from a dip for pretzels or chips to topping hot dogs or burgers, or even over pasta. We served it warm with warmed pretzel balls and a few Tostistos Scoops. Some Fritos would be good too. Everything disappeared in minutes! This sauce is so good you’ll be tempted to grab a straw down the whole lot in no time!

I Like A Little Heat

Adjust the heat to your tastes. I like this sauce nice and spicy. For a thicker beer cheese sauce, just let it cook a little longer.

This sauce is also great on baked potatoes.

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Also try my other version of cheese sauce. It has a nice horseradish kick.

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5 from 1 vote

Beer Cheese Sauce

Oh me. This beer cheese sauce has lots and lots of uses, from a dip for pretzels or chips to topping hot dogs or burgers, or even over pasta.

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Keyword beer, cheese, sauce

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings cups

Calories 622kcal

Author Mike

Ingredients

1 bottle beer
2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese shredded
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
8 ounces cream cheese diced and softened
1 clove garlic minced
½ jalapeno minced (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon or more red pepper flakes)
kosher salt
ground black pepper

Instructions

Add the beer to a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
Combine the cheese and flour in a bowl and add to the beer along with the remaining ingredients.
Stir until the cheese is melted completely and is of the desired thickness.
Serve warm.

Notes

Good beer makes for a good beer cheese sauce!

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

Fullstar Mandoline Slicer for Kitchen, Cheese Grater Vegetable Spiralizer and Veggie Slicer for Cooking & Meal Prep, Kitchen Gadgets Organizer & Safety Glove Included (11 in 1, White)