The Most Important Ingredient For Bbq Sauce, According To Robert Irvine

Barbecue is a sacred meal in many places, whether it's focused on the meats, such as Texas' smoky brisket and Kansas City's burnt ends, or centered on the sauces, such as Alabama's mayonnaise-based white sauce or North and South Carolina's dueling sauces (be sure you know the difference).

But there's one key ingredient in almost every barbecue recipe, according to Robert Irvine, host of famed Food Network shows "Dinner: Impossible" and "Restaurant: Impossible." He shared details with us exclusively when we had a chance to speak with him at the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival.

That ingredient is vinegar. Vinegar in all its forms can pack in plenty of flavor, and let's not forget that unique tang. Irvine says he doesn't use vinegar just because it's delicious. He uses vinegar "because it cuts through the fattiness and the richness of whatever you're making." He also says he wants the sauce to pop, and "vinegar is the biggest part of that."

The reason vinegar works so well in your barbecue recipe is because of its acidity. That's what "cuts through the fattiness and the richness" and is responsible for that bright "pop" chef Robert Irvine is seeking. It also breaks down the proteins in your barbecue for a more tender experience.

Common vinegars to include in your barbecue sauce are white vinegar and apple cider vinegar. White vinegar is actually mostly water, so it doesn't have much flavor to speak of. It's perfect for sauces when you already have enough flavor and you just need that hit of acidity. Meanwhile, apple cider vinegar has a light, fruity apple flavor that can add a touch of sweetness to your sauce. It especially goes well with pork since the pork-and-apple pairing goes way back in history.

Vinegar makes sense, but we wanted to know what else to put in our homemade barbecue sauce. Irvine was happy to oblige. He told us, "There's always tomato product in there. Lots of fresh herbs, a tangy sauce (he uses store-bought HP Sauce, which is similar to A1 steak sauce), some sriracha, and some stuff." Ah, stuff. We do love stuff in our food.