Sauced

BBQ Ribs

Nobody agrees on barbecue. Memphis wants a dry rub, the Carolinas want vinegar, Kansas City wants a thick sweet sauce, and Texas thinks the conversation should be about beef. This week we listened to every region, picked apart what each one gets right, and then did the one thing two New Yorkers could honestly do: we poured a Manhattan into the sauce. We also trace how ribs went from a discarded cut in 1850s Cincinnati to one of America's defining dishes, with the story running through the Black pit masters who built the canon. Henry Perry opened the door in 1908 Kansas City, Charlie Vergos defined Memphis style starting in 1948, and Aaron Franklin and Rodney Scott carry the torch today. We also settle some home-cook arguments along the way. The membrane comes off, the wrap stays off, you cook by temperature not time, and hickory is the wood for the job. The drink is a Mint Julep made the proper way, with high-proof bourbon, demerara syrup, plenty of crushed ice, and a mint plume tall enough that your nose touches it on every sip. For the full recipes and more, become a premium subscriber at https://sauced.supercast.com/ [https://sauced.supercast.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @sauced.pod [https://www.instagram.com/sauced.pod/] Thanks to all of this week's partners: El Acabo Raicilla: https://pkgdgroup.com/#our_brands [https://pkgdgroup.com/#our_brands] Underberg: https://underbergamerica.com/ [https://underbergamerica.com/]

Jerk Chicken

Most cooking woods are fuel. For Jerk Chicken, pimento is the seasoning — it's the smoke, not just the marinade, that gives this dish its defining flavor. This week, we dig into the Maroon origin in smokeless underground pits to evade British patrols, the scotch bonnet vs habanero deep-dive, the Boston Bay tradition that dates to the 1940s, and why Red Stripe — not rum — earns its spot in the marinade. The rum we save for the cocktails. Speaking of which: The Jamaican Jerk Daiquiri — Wray & Nephew Overproof, Allspice Dram, lime, demerara, pimento bitters, rimmed with the leftover dry rub. And the Lion's Tail — a 1930s classic: bourbon, Allspice Dram, lime, demerara, Angostura. For the full recipes and more, become a premium subscriber at https://sauced.supercast.com/ [https://sauced.supercast.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @sauced.pod [https://www.instagram.com/sauced.pod/] Thanks to all of this week's partners: Tequila El Viejito: https://pkgdgroup.com/#our_brands [https://pkgdgroup.com/#our_brands] Underberg: https://underbergamerica.com/ [https://underbergamerica.com/]

Drunken Noodles

Drunken Noodles is misnamed twice. There's no booze in the dish, and the original version had no noodles either. The only word in the name that's accurate is the eater. This week, four etymology theories, the noodle-less origin, the holy basil vs Thai basil debate, the wok hei science, the LA pastrami variant — and why we ended up with no booze in the dish. Two cocktails: The Krapow — gin, lime, palm sugar, holy basil, topped with ice-cold lager. And Thai Sabai — Mekhong, lime, Thai basil, blended over pebble ice. For the full recipes and more, become a premium subscriber at https://sauced.supercast.com/ [https://sauced.supercast.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @sauced.pod [https://www.instagram.com/sauced.pod/] Thanks to all of this week's partners: Palomo Mezcal: https://pkgdgroup.com/post/palomo-who-we-are [https://pkgdgroup.com/post/palomo-who-we-are] Underberg: https://underbergamerica.com/ [https://underbergamerica.com/]

Bonus Episode: Garlic

This is a bonus episode that first went out to our premium subscribers in March. We're dropping it in the public feed today so you can hear what bonus episodes are like. They typically feature deep dives into a single technique, ingredient, or side dish, and the subject of this episode is garlic. Garlic changes more dramatically based on how you process it than almost anything else in the kitchen — crush it and you get a pungent, volatile hit; slice it thin and it softens into something almost sweet; roast it and it turns into spreadable butter; confit it low and slow and it becomes unrecognizable from where it started. We break down the science behind why, walk through six preparations, bust multiple myths, and debate whether the garlic press deserves its bad reputation. Plus: the 10-minute rule that might change how you prep garlic forever. Want more like this? Premium subscribers get bonus episodes, ad-free weekly episodes, digital recipe cards, and early access to live events and tastings. Sign up at sauced.supercast.com [sauced.supercast.com]. Follow us on Instagram: @sauced.pod [https://www.instagram.com/sauced.pod/]

Bananas Foster

Bananas Foster was invented in a single night in 1951 to honor a man fighting French Quarter police corruption, inspired by an Irish-American breakfast, and made with a banana that vanished from American supermarkets in the 1960s. Seventy-five years later, Brennan's still flambés 35,000 pounds of bananas a year for it. This week, we dig into the Big Mike-to-Cavendish swap that quietly rewrote what the dish tastes like, the Paul Blangé method of sauce building, and the science of why the vapor burns, not the liquid. Two cocktails: The Commissioner — a Godfather riff with Jamaican rum, crème de banane, and Sother's Driftwood Bitters. And The Big Mike — a hot caramel-cream-foam Irish-coffee-style closer. For the full recipes and more, become a premium subscriber at https://sauced.supercast.com/ [https://sauced.supercast.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @sauced.pod [https://www.instagram.com/sauced.pod/] Thanks to all of this week’s partners: G4 Tequila: https://pkgdgroup.com/g4-tequila/ [https://pkgdgroup.com/g4-tequila] Underberg: https://underbergamerica.com/ [https://underbergamerica.com/]