If there is anything about South Florida that is important to mention, is that culture is what makes South Florida such a rich state. The biggest culture that has always had a huge impact on BBQ culture is directly from the Caribbean. This BBQ recipe not only includes an iconic Sorrel BBQ sauce that is paired with a BBQ chicken dish.
What’s so special about Sorrel sauce?
Coming all the way from the Caribbean and brought to Jamaica through the trade routes, Sorrel is actually made from Hibiscus. This sauce is not only sweet and tangy, with a wonderful earthy flavor that pairs with spicy and peppery foods. It can be added to any dish but is mainly popular with BBQ foods. Because it’s so popular with the Caribbean style of cuisine, it’s found its way into South Florida BBQ as an added sauce that goes perfect with grilled meats.
Sorrel (Hibiscus) BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Cup sorrel (dried)
- 1 Cup water (for boiling sorrel)
- 2 Cup ketchup
- 1 Cup molasses
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 Teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Teaspoons pepper sauce (your choice)
Instructions
- Start by bringing the water to a boil on high heat in a saucepan. The sorrel is then added to the boiling water for 2 minutes. After this, the heat is turned off and the hibiscus is allowed to steep for at least 30 minutes.
- When the sorrel is cooler, this mixture should be strained, leaving you at least 1-cup of steeped liquid sorrel. Put this off to the side for the next step.
- In a second pot turned up to medium heat, you can add the ketchup, soy sauce, garlic and onion powder, and pepper sauce. This is then mixed using a wooden spoon, slowly adding the sorrel liquid, and allowed to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir this mixture every so often.
- Add your cornstarch that is dissolved with a tablespoon of water so you avoid getting lumps. This works better if the tablespoon u warm water and won’t be shocked by the simmering mixture. Now allow this to simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes.
- This will help the sauce to become thicker and should have the ability to stick to the wooden spatula or coat the rounded underside with ease. If it’s not thick enough, repeat the cornstarch and water trick again.
- When it reaches the desired thickness, pour into a bottle using a funnel so it can be used later as a BBQ sorrel sauce.
Sweet and sour BBQ chicken
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon lime (freshly squeezed)
- 1 Teaspoon garlic (finely chopped)
- 4 chicken breasts halves (skinned and boned)
Instructions
- Using a medium-sized bowl, combine your ingredients to make the marinade and stir it using a whisk. Place the chicken breasts into this marinade and allow it to absorb and flavor the chicken for no less than 30 minutes in the fridge. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so no extra air gets in.
- Now you ready your BBQ grill with a little bit of vegetable oil. Take out each chicken breast and place them into the grill one at a time. Each breast should cook for 6 to 8 minutes on each side. You’ll know it’s done when the juices are coming out clear. These can be placed onto a serving plate for a couple minutes and then served to your guests.
- Use the sorrel sauce to add more flavor to this BBQ dish as you like. This dish is enough to serve up to 4 people. The sorrel sauce can last up to one week with a cap on the bottle when stored in the fridge.