My husband thinks he doesn’t like barbecue sauce. Now, if you’ve learned anything about me at all in these food columns, you know I just can’t let that stand.

It’s like I take it as a personal challenge to sell him on foods that aren’t his favorite. Why? I have no idea. Maybe it’s my toxic trait.

I’d rather not talk about it. (Another toxic trait.)

Anyway, I’ve bought vinegar-based sauces, which are my favorite, and he does like those better than the thick, sweet, Southern-style sauces that cover grocery store shelves.

Unfortunately for both of us, vinegar-based sauces are difficult to find in stores. When I can find them, they are usually pricey because they are part of a gourmet line.

I’ve found recipes to be hit or miss. I found out several years ago that vinegar-based sauces are traditional in North Carolina. So I found a “North Carolina” recipe that I spent hours concocting, only to end up with a gallon of yellowish, heavily peppered sauce that no one in my household was willing to touch. That’s how I found out that mustard-based barbecue sauces are also traditional to North Carolina.

These North Carolinians… they’re complicated, man.

I’d basically given up on finding a good vinegar-based recipe and on convincing Zack that he really did like barbecue sauce. (Well, sort of. I rarely give up completely. That’s toxic trait No. 3 for anyone keeping track.)

I actually made this sauce for the Starkville High School homecoming tailgate a couple weeks ago. I knew there would be a lot of people at the staff tailgate in the end zone that week. I decided to slow-cook a Boston butt all day and offer some homemade sauce on the side. I had extra ketchup in the fridge that my family hadn’t really liked, so making it into barbecue sauce seemed like good stewardship.

I made that decision on the Saturday before the game. I added a pork picnic but no Sweet Baby Ray’s to my online shopping cart. Again, this seemed like a good idea… on Saturday.

By Friday evening, after a full work week, the last thing in the world I wanted to do was make my own barbecue sauce. I mean, really. I have a full time job! Three kids! What more do you expect of me?

Well. Apparently homemade barbecue sauce was what I expected of myself. I couldn’t very well take five pounds of totally naked pork to a tailgate. Thankfully, this sauce came together in no time. I was able to leave it to simmer by itself while I wrestled with the pork, which was fully cooked but inexplicably not yet shreddable at the end of a day in the crockpot.

I tasted a bit as I made it, and I was floored by how much I liked it. I found the recipe online on the blog Natasha’s Kitchen; I’ve tried several of those recipes and loved every one of them. This one was no exception.

It’s like a mashup of sweet Southern sauce and tangy Carolina vinegar-based sauce. I knew Zack would probably like it, but of course, getting him to taste it took some doing. When he finally did, his verdict was about as resounding an affirmation as I could reasonably hope for from an avowed barbecue-hater: “Hey, this barbecue sauce IS pretty good!”

I’ll take it.

TANGY SWEET BARBECUE SAUCE (FROM NATASHA’S KITCHEN)

Ingredients
1 1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 Tbsp paprika (I used about a tsp. smoked paprika instead)
2 tsp. Onion powder
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. water

Directions
■ Pour all ingredients into a medium saucepan. Whisk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
■ Add seasonings or additional sugar as desired, but be aware that the sauce will mellow as it cooks. Be sure to wait until the end of the cooking time to taste and make decisions.
■ Transfer into clean jar or squeeze bottle. Keeps well in refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. Makes about 3 cups of sauce.

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.