Cooking For Engineers

[Michael Chu]

re: refrigerator shelf life

I'd guess that the sauce will hold up in the refrigerator for about two weeks (unless you poured it in canning jars or vacuum sealed it)

[Guest]

anonymous wrote:
MSG that ketchup makers hide in the ingredient called "natural flavors"

This puzzled me as I believe there are people who are allergic to MSG so hiding it like this would be unsafe (and possibly illegal). So I did a search and came up with the following from the Heinz site:

Is there any hidden MSG in Heinz Products?
Any of our products that contain Monosodium Glutamate, or MSG, would clearly state this ingredient on the label. There is no hidden MSG in Heinz products.

And the following from the Hunts site:

Q: Is there any MSG in Hunt's Tomato Products?
A: Hunt's products do not contain any added monosodium glutamate. [The answer goes on to mention a particular spaghetti sauce they make which is an exception]

So I'd say the whole "ketchup contains MSG" thing is an urban myth.

[Guest]

While my sauce simmers, I just wanted to say thanks for the recipe. This is a very simple and basic recipe that be easily modified. There's nothing better than experimentation. Tonight I double the recipe, added liquid smoke and increase the tomatoes by 33%.

BTW, MSG is not a toxic or dangerous chemical as many people believe. THere is a very small percentage of people that are allergic or sensitive to MSG. MSG is the partially deprontonated form of glutamic acid, an amino acid found in relatively large amounts in our bodies. I believe the label statement "no MSG" makes people think MSG must be dangerous.

Back to the increasingly delicious sauce.

[Guest]

Don't let the corrupted American food industry fool you. MSG is very dangerous and is put into foods to "trick" your brain into thinking the food tastes better. It is addictive and has been linked to causing obesity in Americans:

http://www.rense.com/general52/msg.htm

Check the labels, practically everything packaged has some form of MSG (hydrolized protein, maltodextrin, seasonings, etc.)

[Yeah]

Made this recipe tonight added mangos... hope it turns out good.

on the MSG is tricking our brains... so does salt...

--Yeah

[Guest]

also, communists are putting floride in our drinking water, and stealing my thoughts. MSG is fine, it occurs naturally in alot of the foods you eat. Before you tell me why the manufactured kind is different and evil, I'll just add that I use the store bought kind (accent) all the time. The Japanese consider MSG a unique sixth flavor, they call 'umami' which would translate best as 'savory'. Or something to that effect. Back to the topic, my favorite BBQ sauce ic KC master piece, 'honey steakhouse' it's darn near impossible to find, so I'm gonny reverse engineer it. I'm comparing different recipes to my own 'experiments' and so, I thank you, uh whoever you are for you recipe. It will be assimilated.

[Thor]

I enjoyed the rense.com article about msg. I also particularly enjoyed the article on the same website regarding the multiple sightings of ufo's over Santa Barbara. Good stuff.

For more discussion regarding msg and other flavor enhancing goodies, check out maltodextrin blues in the general food discussion forum.

I love to eat.

[OG Triple]

28 grams per ounce
36 ounces in a kilo

[Laurie]

Ketchup does have the dreaded high fructose corn syrup, however.

[Paul]

1.) If you're like me and tend to add more garlic than a given recipe calls for, don't do it with this one. The amount called for suffices, trust me.

2.) Definately try other vinegars. I have used white wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar in this, and it makes a big difference in the flavor.

3.) Try using tomato paste instead of ketchup, or organic ketchup. (Even Heinz offers organic ketchup now.) If you use tomato paste, you'll need to add a little more vinegar. You'd also want to add more brown sugar, or even better, up the molasses!

[Guest Erin]

Hey Thor, I responded to your "Maltodextrin Blues" forum.

Anonymous: MSG is only fine if you are not sensitive/allergic to it, and almost all people are sensitive to MSG when given a high enough dose (ie, one restaurant visit). Don't underestimate a good excitotoxin when you see one.

Yes, there are natural glutamic acids which are protein-bound, which our bodies deal with naturally and well. Breast milk, cow's milk, and tomato juice are great examples.

Then there are the processed, free glutamic acids, which trick the tongue, damage brain cells, and cause cravings and addictions. These can come from rice, corn, and more. This is the nefarious MonoSodiumGlutamate, aka autolyzed yeast extract, aka maltodextrin, aka natural flavorings, aka anything undisclosed on an ingredient label...

There is a significant distinction.

Just FYI.

Anonymous: thanks for the website. See more at Thor's forum.

Keep on cookin'!

[hagerbmr]

This recipe is great.

I added a few things to suit my personal taste.

I doubled the recipe and added/changed the following:

-3/4 cup vinegar (use red wine or apple cider vinegar if you like tangy)
-2 tbs honey
-1/2 red 1/2 white onion
-2 tbs cayeene peppeer instead of paprika
-1 tbs Liquid Smoke
-3/4 tbs worchester sauce

With this varition, the BBQ sauce is a little sweeter with a a hotter bite to it. I don't reduce it that much (1 to 1 & 1/2 hours) and use it as my chicken wing sauce.

Chicken Wings -

Deep fry 5 lbs wings (can use normal pot filled with vegetable oil if you don't have a deep frier) remove when golden brown.

Place cooked wings in a crock pot on medium for 2-3 hrs (or as long as it takes to get everyone over for the football game) and add non-reduced BBQ sauce in pot.

For those that are health conscience, grill the wings for 5-10 minutes then bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until crispy. Still great and lower fat!

[Alex]

Ketchup has high fructose corn syrup in general, but Del Monte brand doesn't and it costs the same.

[JAS81]

GREAT SAUCE! Many thanks....added a small amount of liquid smoke and lime juice...really, really good!

[Guest]

Great site and i really like how you do those instructions. It looks like something an engineer would come up with only its useable by the non engineering comunity as well. I recomend this site as well for www.ribcitybbq.com