Ran across this recipe over on the BBQ Brethren site. Went over real well this weekend. And it does get better if it sits for a few days, wasn't too sure about it the day I made it.
Often referred to by writers of his era as a "free man of color," Griffin became a very famous barbecue cook and restaurateur in Richmond, Virginia in the early to mid 1800s.
Sometime before 1853 Griffin had opened his own restaurant and by 1860, he had revitalized an entire area of the city. In fact, an Island in the James River was called "Griffin Island" for several decades. By the 1880's, people in Richmond longed for Griffin's barbecued shotes (~50 pound hogs), barbecued squirrels, and Brunswick stew.
Here is a Virginia red barbecue sauce inspired by Griffin. It's made old school style much like the sauces I used to see served at roadside barbecue stands when I was a kid but updated slightly for our modern palates. It also contains only ingredients that are known to have been used by Virginians up to the 1800's.
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup water
2 TBS yellow mustard
1.5 TBS Kosher salt
1 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS paprika (don't use a spicy hot variety; I prefer a bright red Spanish paprika)
1 ½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp fine ground black pepper
½ tsp ground sage
½ tsp granulated garlic
½ tsp cumin
Dash ground cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Add ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a simmer stirring often. Let sauce simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, remove from heat, cool, and serve. Store in the refrigerator. It gets better after a couple of days too.
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