A tiny locally owned grocery store here in town has an old-fashioned meat counter in the back. A gentleman who looks like he might be Methusela's older brother cuts all the meat to order, grinds his own burgers, makes his own sausage, etc. He's been making and selling the family barbecue sauce for at least 50 years - and his folks sold it before him. It's dispensed from somewhere in the back and comes in whatever clean vessel he has on hand when you show up and ask for it - usually a mason jar or vinegar jug depending on how much you want. No idea what's in it (beyond the obvious vinegar, tomato paste and assorted spices), but it's fabulous. If Mr. Moats is closed, we'll buy Johnny Harris (a Savannah restaraurant who distributes their sauce to grocery stores regionally) bottled sauce in a pinch. It's not our favorite but it's better than the other commercially available sauces we've tried. We tend to find most bottled sauce too sweet and/or too "artificial smoke flavor added" for our taste. FWIW, "favorite barbecue sauce" is going to depend a lot on where you're from. South Georgia barbecue isn't cooked with the sauce, in fact it isn't even usually served with sauce on it. We dry-rub the meat, and serve the sauce from a bottle or gravy boat at the table as a do-it-yourself condiment. And it's traditionally a rather thin, spicy, vinegar and tomato sauce - never more than a hint of sweetness. Folks elsewhere use different types of sauces and add them at different stages of the process. Preferences are very regional.

These are a hot marinade method wing, compliments of my brother. A hit with anyone I've served them to. I buy the whole wing, cut the tips off for soup, and go from there. Less items to flip, easier to handle. I nick the skin between the two segments. that allows the skin to both drain and shrink to the meat, less flabby. I brine the wings as I've proven to myself time over time that brined poultry flares up less on a grill. Simple 10 T K salt, 8 T sugar to 4 liters of water. 20 minutes, rinse well, drain well and lay out on toweling to surface dry. Lay them out on a medium hot grill and grill, turning as needed until 3/4 way done. In a large bowl place a chunk of butter and throw partially done wings into same. Add hot sauce of your choice, lots, and toss. Let sit. Toss, let sit. Add hot sauce if you have none left in the bottom of the bowl, toss. Meanwhile turn grill to high and close it up and let it "self clean" Leave it in high, you want it hot. The more often you toss, the better. The ideal is to have the wings soak up the maximum amount of hot sauce. leaving only a drib in the bowl. After they have marinated long enough (generally the time it takes to consume a bottle of liquid vitamins), flip them onto the grill and separate so you have a single layer. This part is steamy and smokey, its OK tho. Flip each wing to dry and mark the other side, plate and serve with your choice of sides, sauces, etc. These wings are bad to the bone, don't do the last hot grill part if you are using a sugar involved sauce...you will burn the exterior.

All such good advice above, but i think it's time to experiment. (it can be fun) Creating your own 'home brew' bbq sauce. I make a big batch and freeze. In pints labeled 1,2,and 3. Our system and we know what it means... And a good time to seasonally make bbq sauce with such good produce. We stem off and quarter a dozen big ripe tomatoes...no fuss needed seeding or skins removed. An big onion quartered and a head of garlic cloves. A few peppers sweet and spicy...roast in the oven on a parchment lined sheet pan for an hour at 350. Turn off the oven and let them cool down and get ready to grind. Sit in the oven for an hour or cool on the stove top. (can be roasted on your grill on thick foil lined with parchment) Blend in cuisinart or blender a 1/4 of your roasted and dump in a sauce pan and add some vinegar, 1/4 cup. Just simmer for 30 min. Thats #1. pour off into a container. Then grind another batch with more spice, maybe a dry rub spice mix...no need to get fussy about buying specific ingredients...use what you have on hand and no need to wash out your cuisinart or blender...just make a different flavored batch.... For our #3 bbq i add more spice and fresh herbs. Cilantro, chives, basil etc. More heat like smoked chipotle. When we hit the freezer in November, we know exactly what we are heating up and can add a half a guinness or more vinegar or some rhubarb or maple syrup...but the base 'savory' sauce is consistently the same. Had amazing soup dumplings in China town last night but the sauces on the bbq duck and all the meats at the table were sweet and thick like gummy bear sauce. Not a fan of sweet and thick. I still have a few baby pints of rhubarb bbq sauce i made in the early spring and need to make another big batch for the winter season....

Thank you, Diane. I'll add my fav chocolate sauce to the list. This is from Epicurious.com. Yes, Ginger, these are only for me. No one else is allowed to copy them or make them. lol DARK CHOCOLATE SAUCE This is a lovely tasting sauce I like to serve over ice cream. 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened Optional: 3 to 4 tablespoons Amaretto, or to taste 1. In a small heavy saucepan combine the cream and the brown sugar, bring the mixture to a boil over moderately high heat, whisking occasionally, and boil it, whisking, until the brown sugar is dissolved. 2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolates, whisking until they are melted. 3. Whisk in the butter (and the Amaretto, if using) whisking until the sauce is smooth, and let the sauce cool slightly. The chocolate sauce may be made 1 week in advance and kept covered and chilled. Reheat the chocolate sauce over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is warm.