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Gettin’ saucy

Tangy or mellow, spicy or mild, barbecue sauce is the icing on the steak — or ribs, or whatever else it is you happen to throw on the grill.

And just as in real estate, location is a big deal, with new attention being paid to the various regional recipes for grilling success.

“It’s all about authenticity right now. Everybody wants to stay true to the different regions,” says Chris Lilly, vice president of the renowned Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q restaurants in Alabama and head of their competition team.

And the differences aren’t always subtle. This is, after all, barbecue. In Northern Alabama, for example, there’s a white barbecue sauce based on mayonnaise with black pepper and a little lemon juice. While Kansas City is home of a tangy, tomato and molasses-influenced sauces, the inspiration for the brand KC Masterpiece.

Overall, barbecue sauce sales in the U.S. reached $660 million in 2010, gaining 21 percent from 2005, according to a recent report from market research company Mintel.

And that growth likely will continue. With beef and pork prices on the increase, food trend observer Phil Lempert, the “Supermarket Guru,” expects sales of barbecue sauce to increase as people look for ways to improve the taste of cheaper cuts of meat.

But slow down before you slather it on. Lempert notes that most people don’t use barbecue sauces properly. They should be brushed onto the meat during the final minutes of cooking — not at the start — otherwise they’ll probably burn.

And if you’re aiming to make meat more tender, look for sauces that are high in acid, not sugar. “I always make my own using grapefruit, orange or tomato juices and add a few spices,” says Lempert.

For those who do know their way around the grill, competitive barbecuing continues to grow, with more competitions popping up and TV shows devoted to griller warfare.

“It’s a fantastic hobby,” says Lilly, who is also the official pitmaster for Kingsford charcoal. “Any given weekend in the U.S. you’ll have 10 to 12 different competitions where you can go to cook.”

And it’s not all lazy afternoons in the park. Competitors cook through rain and wind. Lilly once had to evacuate a park where a competition was being held due to a tornado threat. His competition meat was already on the grill, slow-cooking away so he left, came back the next morning — and won.

Sauce and marinades are one part of a successful barbecue. The other is controlling your fire.

“The biggest mistake is setting up the charcoal fire all for direct grilling,” says Lilly. The trick is to push the charcoal to one side so that you can have direct and indirect heat, controlling how quickly the food will cook.”

You also need to take advantage of the grill lid and keep it closed.

“Shut your grill, be patient, enjoy your friends and family around the charcoal grill and let the grill do what it’s supposed to do and that’s cook fantastic food,” says Lilly.

Ÿ Add some spiked sweetness to your next cookout with Maple Apple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. Get the recipe at daiyherald.com/entlife/food.

Mango Mustard Barbecue Sauce

Asian-style Vinegar Sauce

Maple Apple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Tangy or mellow, spicy or mild, barbecue sauce is the icing on the steak _ or ribs, or whatever else it is you happen to throw on the grill. Try this trio of Mango Mustard Barbecue Sauce, from left, Asian-style Vinegar Sauce and Maple Apple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. Associated Press
Tangy or mellow, spicy or mild, barbecue sauce is the icing on the steak _ or ribs, or whatever else it is you happen to throw on the grill. Asian-style Vinegar Sauce, clockwise from top, Mango Mustard Barbecue Sauce and Maple Apple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. Associated Press
Asian-style Vinegar Sauce, from left, Maple Apple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce and Mango Mustard Barbecue Sauce. Associated Press