The BBQ sauce of my youth. Shack Sauce from Arkansas. Not Shack Attack.
Large batch version with comments from the provider of the recipe.
Dick Price Version Shack Sauce Recipe
Wet Stuff
Mix in a large bowl:
3 - 24 ounce bottle of ketchup (catsup)
Use the plastic ones, we will refill after making sauce.
Fill with hot water, swoosh around and dump contents into bowl.
Folks have asked: HOW MUCH WATER? Fill all three bottles, and dump all into 'Wet Stuff'
(For original recipe use Grapette from Wal Mart- see 'additional notes').
Pour in plain ole cheap vinegar. "THE" recipe calls for just less than a quart, do not sweat this. use anywhere from a pint to a quart, strangely, this amount has scant effect on final product.
Put "wet stuff' in a LARGE pan, put heat on "high"
by the time it is approaching a boil, you will have "dry stuff' prepared.
Dry Stuff:
Since you dumped wet stuff out of bowl, why not use for 'dry'?
Into bowl, dump:
1 - 4 ounce can of chili powder
1 - 4 ounce can of black pepper
1 - 4 ounce can of garlic salt (SALT, NOT garlic powder!!!)
1/2 cup - sugar (is the ORIGINAL amount, why not TRY that, and adjust to your very own taste after 'brewing' mess up...likewise with Tabasco. See below)
1 - small Tabasco (anywhere from 1 to 4 ounces..start with about 1 oz...you can 'play' to taste after whole mess is completed.
1 - small mustard (size of an apple, just regular ole smear on a hotdog yeller mustard)
Stir
...btw, easier to put the mustard in last, and just swirl around till it looks like chocolaty brown tar.
Simmer
Dump all this stuff into pan on stove now approaching a simmer if you have been quick, and if you rinsed out the catsup with HOT water;-)
stir enough to make it evenly liquid...bring to a boil and immediately lower heat to a simmer for ~30 minutes, (stir fairly often to avoid sticking).. during which the vinegar will bring sweat to your forehead, and tears to your eyes...think ventilation here.
Finish
That is it.
Remove from heat, pour back into bottles you saved, unfortunately, you will have an excess of sauce. Improvise, all life has dry rot.
You now have a LOT of sauce. I always do, and find it MOST welcome as a gift.
BTW, there is no need to refrigerate your sauce supply, even if you inhabit hot and humid southern climes! Apparently mischievous microbes refrain from causing problems in gratitude for being immersed in this tomato based nectar, or are immobilized by the ingredients rendering them deliciously inert.
Additional Notes
Do it this way the first time, later, you may substitute Grapette, for the water (seriously) SHACK DID for several decades ... for total authenticity you can obtain Grapette from Wal Mart
I add about a cup of sugar to my sauce, but this is heresy, and practice has strong adherents and detractors.
Likewise minced onions, NOT authentic, but can be pleasant.
Do NOT futz with the amount of black pepper. I KNOW it sounds like a lot. Trust me on this.
Also remember garlic SALT, not garlic powder!! several folks got this wrong, actually the sauce wasn't bad, but they were not fit as shipmates for WEEKS.
Do NOT judge 'heat', as in taste, by sipping off spoon from pot, even if you were stingy with the Tabasco. Dunk a piece of bread into the sauce and sample that way.
Small batch version that is a similar clone.
I pulled this one out of a local paper long before finding the full version online. Add a tablespoon or so of yellow mustard and you'll be good to go. Same with the garlic & onion powder.
12 oz cider vinegar
19-1/2 oz catsup
19-1/2 oz water
2-1/4 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons sugar( maybe more to taste)
2-1/4 tablespoons black pepper
2-1/4 tablespoons chili powder
Additions
1 to 2 TBL spoon yellow mustard
2 TBL spoon garlic powder
2 TBL spoon onion powder
Put all ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-35 minutes.
Needs no refrigeration within reason.
I can think of 10 other BBQ joints in addition to the original that used this recipe over the years. It's that good.
