Weekend Recipes: Three Must-Try Barbecue Sauces

With summer nearly here and Fourth of July right around the corner, barbecuing season (or perhaps it's cookout season) is in full swing. Store bought sauce is perfectly serviceable in a pinch, but to accentuate the best flavors in meats a homemade sauce could bring your barbecue game to a whole new level. In honor of Barbecue Week, we've selected a few of the finest sauce recipes from top American 'cue restaurants Hometown Bar-B-Que in Brooklyn and Franklin Barbecue in Austin.

The first is a spicy Sriracha sauce best applied to Hometown's Vietnamese-style chicken wings (find the recipe here). Served with a side of cooling ranch sauce they're the perfect accompaniment to fall football parties. For something a little milder try pitmaster and author Aaron Franklin's recipes for classic and espresso barbecue sauces. They're great for dunking Franklin Barbecue's smoky brisket but will also add a little sweet and sharp vinegary flavor to your home-grilled meats. Dip or slather and enjoy.

Hometown Bar-B-Que's Spicy Sriracha Chicken Wing Sauce

1 28oz bottle sriracha
¼ cup soy sauce
2 cups honey
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
¼ pound butter, melted

Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

Franklin Barbecue's Espresso Barbecue Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) freshly pulled espresso
Brisket drippings, for flavoring

Mix the ketchup, both vinegars, the soy sauce, garlic and onion powders, and sugar together in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, stir in the espresso, and then add the brisket drippings to taste. Let cool, then transfer to a jar, bottle, squeeze bottle, or however you want to store it. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Franklin Barbecue's Classic Barbecue Sauce

Makes about 3 cups

1 3/4 cups ketchup
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 tablespoons plus 11/2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons plus 11/2 teaspoons
Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and warm gently over medium heat, stirring occasionally. There is no need to bring the mixture to a boil, as the idea is just to warm it enough to melt and integrate the ingredients. Once you have done that, remove from the heat and let cool. Transfer to a jar, bottle, squeeze bottle, or however you want to store it. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Video: How to Make Hometown's Vietnamese-Style Fried Wings