Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Smoky Chile and Coffee Barbecue Sauce

The kind of food that we eat at home with our families is what Ad Hoc at Home is all about. The book is dedicated to comfort food from American family traditions and other cultures as well, and it serves as a reminder to sit down and enjoy time spent around the dinner table. That being said, the book is also about cooking with a certain level of precision and paying close attention to technique for the best possible results. This is a Thomas Keller book after all. His secret equation is great product plus great execution equals great cooking, and he provides the tips to achieve it. The recipes here are far simpler than what you’ll find in the French Laundry Cookbook, but there’s still a lot of care taken and some intentional fussiness here and there. I was immediately inspired to put together the kind of family meal that this book encourages. On page two, Keller describes a meal he prepared for his father which included barbecued chicken. Believe it or not, in the recipe it states, “try to find a sauce with some integrity, preferably from a small producer.” Yes, that was a suggestion to use a purchased barbecue sauce. I couldn’t do it. For a Thomas Keller meal, I had to make my own sauce. I’ll describe the side dishes, which were from the book, in another post, but what I’m showing today is the sauce I made for the grilled chicken. I had saved this recipe from the June 2009 issue of Living magazine. In that issue, there was a classic barbeque sauce recipe followed by three variations. I chose to use the smoky chile and coffee option. I hope Keller would approve.

To start, the classic sauce recipe was prepared which involved sauteing chopped onions and garlic. Salt, pepper, ancho chile powder, ground coriander, cumin, molasses, and brown sugar were added next. After that simmered for a bit, canned crushed tomatoes and cider vinegar were added, and that mixture was left to slowly simmer for about three hours. It’s a long simmer time, but it doesn’t require much attention other than an occasional stir. During the last half an hour, I placed chopped, seeded dried chiles in a bowl with hot espresso to rehydrate them. When the sauce was nicely thickened, half of it was pureed with the chiles and espresso. I left the other half as it was and placed it in the freezer. That way, I can try one of the other variations at a later date, and peach and bourbon, I’m looking at you. As Keller advised in the book, I bought a whole chicken and cut it into pieces and that seems to get easier every time I do it. The chicken was seasoned and left in the refrigerator for a few hours. Then, the legs and thighs were placed on the grill first followed by the breasts and wings a few minutes later. When all of the pieces were cooked through, the sauce was added and it cooked another couple of minutes.

We did a quick taste test of the classic sauce versus the smoky chile and coffee sauce. The classic was sweet and flavorful, and it was a perfectly good barbecue sauce. The smoky chile and coffee, however, had layers of earthy flavor that balanced the sweetness, and there was a little spicy heat for good measure. It was a thick, clinging kind of sauce which was great for chicken. The barbecued chicken and vegetable side dishes made up the kind of meal that makes you slow down for a bit. We enjoyed some simple but memorable food, and we’ll be doing more of that as I continue to use the book.


24 comments:

  1. A fabulous sauce! The flavors are just simply to die for!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. I'm one of those weird people who doesn't use a barbeque sauce on grilled meats and chicken. But maybe it's because I've never tried this one!

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  3. I can imagine the fragrant aroma that coffee gives to meat. Must be delicious.

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  4. This is one of my fave cookbooks, too. Have not tried making this sauce, but you have me sold once you told me there's coffee in it. I love how coffee marries with the smoky flavor of the grill. I tell ya, Thomas Keller can do no wrong, huh?

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  5. what an excellent barbecue sauce.....the chicken looks exceptional!

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  6. While other people experiment with many different other things, I experimented with different marinades and BBQ sauces. In fact, while camping with some friends, I decided to add instant coffee granules to the dry rub just for the and we ended up with the most delicious meal. I thought I was a genius until I discovered, alas, other people had done this for ages...

    But at least I know even before I try out this recipe how great it will be.

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  7. I've never had coffee in my BBQ sauce...quite different but sounds fantastic

    blowing peachkisses
    The Peach Kitchen
    peach and things

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  8. Wow. What an interesting, enticing combination of flavors in this sauce! The chicken looks amazing.

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  9. wow, very interesting recipe! I love the coffee in this!

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  10. i really need to start making my own barbecue sauce. my only excuse is laziness, and that's not an acceptable excuse, now, is it? :)
    this version sounds great, lisa--the coffee is the kicker for me.

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  11. Nice and different idea of coffee in BBQ sauce!!!

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  12. the sauce sounds amazing! I love the addition of coffee!

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  13. Wow, fantastic sauce. Coffee sounds very interesting to be added in a sauce.

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  14. Homesick Texan just posted on a sauce with coffee in it too. Between the two of you, you're twisting my arm. Maybe I'll post on one now. After all, three is a lucky number. Looks wonderful!

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  15. This looks SO good Lisa! And adding coffee is a stroke of genius. I use it in bacon jam and somehow it works and adds such a lovely (but slightly mysterious) flavour! :)

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  16. I have not read his book but I am admiring you for these bbq sauces you have made from scratch! After all you are a Texan and he is not! Right?
    the coffee is a great idea! I have seen coffee used a lot as a sauce on French blogs and by French chefs; I like it with the bbq a lot

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  17. This bbq sauce looks incredible!

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  18. I agree completely about Thomas Keller's books. I have both and love them both. But Ad Hoc, while not easy, home chef recipes by any means, is much more reachable than French Laundry.
    I think adding coffee to the BBQ sauce is a great idea. After all, adding coffee to chocolate make for a delicious dessert...should work with BBQ too!

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  19. Wow!mmm I love homemade bbq sauce I’ll definitely try this one..good job! The flavors are amazing.

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  20. The last picture made the juices in my mouth start flowing! The flavor filled sauce sounds insanely delicious!

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  21. Perfect time of year for a recipe such as this! It both looks and sounds delicious!

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  22. Lisa, this is such a gorgeous sauce-lovely flavours; need to try it out soon . Thanks for sharing :-)

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  23. Although I don't drink coffee, I love the idea of using coffee in cooking. Your marinade sauce for the chicken looks absolutely droolworthy!

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  24. Oh hubby would never go for this,he hates coffee flavored things, but I love them! Love this!

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