BARBECUE SAUCE

KANSAS CITY—STYLE BARBECUE SAUCE IS THICK, sweet, spicy, and slightly tart. This tomato-based sauce is great when brushed on ribs, chicken, and brisket, as well as a number of other meats, in the last few minutes of grilling or just after they come off the grill. We set out to create a quick, thick, smooth sauce from pantry staples. (We ruled out any recipes that call for long simmering times or exotic ingredients.) We also wanted to achieve the right flavor balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and smoky.

After making a dozen barbecue sauces from various cookbooks, we determined that all the ingredients fit into a few basic categories: tomato product, sweetener, vinegar, aromatics, condiments, and spices. We began tackling each of these categories one at a time.

Using our favorite slow-cooking barbecue recipe as a blueprint, we began fooling with the tomato base, trying ketchup, tomato paste, tomato puree, canned tomatoes in juice, canned tomato sauce, chili sauce, and various combinations of tomato products. Ketchup was our favorite, producing a sweet but tart sauce that was thick and had a glossy sheen. Sauces made from canned tomatoes didn't have enough time to cook down (all were too watery and bland) and were strangely reminiscent of marinara sauce

Next, we tested sweeteners. Granulated sugar and corn syrup were quickly dismissed as being too one-dimensional in flavor. Honey was distinctive, but a bit cloying, and brown sugar lost its character in the sauce. In the end, tasters preferred the sauce made with molasses, which added a singular richness as well as a slightly astringent, almost smoky sweetness. We also liked the way molasses colored the sauce.

Vinegar was the next piece of the puzzle, and apple cider vinegar made the best fit—it tasted cleaner and brighter than the sauce made with malt vinegar, which tasted a little muddy, while the sauce with distilled white vinegar was merely tart, with no fruitiness.

Aromatic vegetables give barbecue sauce some backbone. Their flavors anchor the high notes from the acidic ingredients as well as the fruity flavor of tomato. From early tests, we ruled out green bell peppers and celery because tasters found their vegetal flavors to be distracting. Onions and garlic, however, were well liked.

At first we simply sautéed the onions and garlic and then added the other ingredients to the pot. The resulting sauce was good, but we didn't like the chunks of onion floating in the sauce. So we took the next logical step and blended the finished sauce. Unfortunately, the sauce lost its glossy texture and turned into a thick, opaque mixture resembling pureed vegetables.

We were stuck until someone in the test kitchen suggested pureeing the raw onions in a food processor, straining out the juice, and then adding the juice to the sauce. We were skeptical at first, thinking that the process would be too labor intensive. But after trying it, we realized that it actually was quicker than chopping the onion, taking only few seconds to process and strain. This method added a heady onion flavor without the unpleasant chunks.

For condiments, we chose items most cooks are likely to have on hand. Prepared mustard adds a radishlike sharpness; Worcestershire sauce combines tartness with an unusual tamarind flavor; and hot pepper sauce adds a lovely kick of pepper and acidity. We found that too many dried spices give the sauce a chalky texture. In the end, we chose to add black pepper and a touch of chili powder and cayenne for spiciness.

We were almost there, but a little something was missing—smoke. A touch of liquid smoke made the difference between a sauce that tasted good and a sauce that tasted like barbecue.