Whether you prefer a hot, vinegar-based Carolina sauce or a thicker, sweeter, redder BBQ sauce (or “barbecue sauce” if you’re the person with letters) that tastes like summer. Almost every iteration of the spice is complex and balanced – perfect for marinating, stapling, and refining.
It’s also a popping vinaigrette ingredient.
In addition to the (obvious) aliquot of oil, good vinaigrettes have a few things in common: a high acidity, a a little more sugar than you think you needand an emulsifier. The store-bought barbecue sauce contains all of these items as well as a whole host of spices and other flavorings. So you only need two additional ingredients to turn them into a summer salad dressing: oil and vinegar.
The amount of vinegar your dressing will need depends on how acidic your sauce is. For example, the Carolina sauce mentioned above requires less tumbling than a Memphis-style sauce. Oregon doesn’t really have a BBQ identity, so I grabbed Sweet Baby Ray’s (my favorite sweet grocery sauce) to make mine. (Spoiler alert: It was surprisingly complex and very, very good.)
For the oil, you’ll want to use something neutral like grape seed or plain old vegetables as olives can clash. Use apple cider vinegar for the acid. It’s fruity and light and compliments the flavor profile of your sauce – but doesn’t detract from it.
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To make this dressing you will need:
- 1/4 cup neutral oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons of BBQ sauce
Add everything to a glass and shake to combine. If your sauce is sour, start with two tablespoons of vinegar, adding more as needed. Try and adjust with more sauce or vinegar as needed. Your dressing should be spicy – too spicy to eat on a spoon – but pleasantly punchy on a vegetable. Once you get to that flavor point, sprinkle a large pile of grilled vegetables, a corn-rich salad, or anything that needs an aggressive summery flavor.
