Dress up your dishes with these 7 Alabama recipes for sauces, dips and dressings

When Kim Johns’ children were much younger, they often found themselves at family gatherings where their grandparents and great-grandmother (“Big Mama”) were present. A cookout was always accompanied by Big Mama’s special barbecue sauce.

“We ate it on every type of meat, including hamburgers, ribs, pork chops, Boston butt or whatever food was on the menu that day,” Johns says of the sweet-tangy sauce. “Homemade barbecue sauce was also a staple at potluck dinners at our little country church.”

Johns says through the years, she came up with her own recipe “by combining the dear church ladies’ recipes and Big Mama’s recipe and tweaking them (just a tiny bit) to my own taste. I always think about those dear ladies when I make this sauce. They have since passed on, but their memories remain strong. Homemade barbecue sauce has become a favorite in our family, and I hope the tradition continues with my own grandchildren who will pass it down to their children.”

Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup sugar
• ⅔ cup vinegar
• Sweet pickle juice, to taste
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• Dash hot sauce
• Dash salt and pepper

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook approximately 5 minutes. Let cool and place in container. Cook’s note: This sauce goes well with any type of meat. It is especially good on grilled hamburgers.

Kim Johns

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Ferg’s Sweet Honey Chicken Wing Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 12-ounce bottle Texas Pete Hot Sauce
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 12- to 16-ounce bottle honey

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a skillet (seasoned cast iron is the best). Turn on the stove to medium heat. Let all of the ingredients melt and combine throughly. Continue to cook on low heat while stirring every 1-2 minutes until time to sauce wings. Cook’s note: This is an awesome and easy recipe that’s been passed down for two generations. It’s a thin wing sauce for people who want a really saucy wing. At the same time, it could be used to add just a hint of flavor to a dry wing.

Luke Ferguson

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Alligator Eyes

Ingredients

• 3-4 green onions, chopped
• 1 15.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained, or 2-3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 4-ounce can diced black olives
• 2 4.5-ounce cans diced green chilies
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1½ tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons oil
• ½ bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar or another sweetener
• 1 tablespoon fresh or dried cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together and chill. Serve with chips. Cook’s note: If you use fresh tomatoes, use about 3 Roma tomatoes because they have less juice.

Linda Randolph

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Butter Sauce for Seafood

Ingredients

• ½ pound butter, melted
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
• 3 dashes Tabasco, or to taste

Instructions

Heat all ingredients until simmering. Serve with seafood.

Nancy Sites Sizemore

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Cajun Butter Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter
• ½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, add butter and onions. Sauté onions for 2 minutes; add minced garlic. While that sautés, chop fresh parsley and stir all other seasonings into saucepan. Once everything has come together over a slight boil, remove from heat. Add in parsley and serve over your favorite low country boil.

Sharlene Parker

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Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 4 large strawberries, washed and hulled
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Put all ingredients, except salt and pepper, in blender. Blend until all chopped and combined. Add salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated.

Sylvia Clark

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Instant Pot Marinara Sauce

I fell in love with my Instant Pot because it made things quicker and easier. This marinara sauce is one of the first recipes I created especially for it. This is a great example of a sauce that normally would take all day to make, but the good old IP makes it faster without sacrificing flavor. For more recipes like this, visit www.thebutteredhome.com.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons minced or chopped garlic
• 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ cup water
• Potato flakes for thickening, if needed
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Add olive oil to the Instant Pot and switch on the sauté function. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic. Cook only until tender, paying careful attention not to burn the garlic. Switch the IP to off. Add in the cans of crushed tomatoes, rosemary, basil, red pepper flakes, parsley and water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Close and seal the IP lid and set for 60 minutes. Natural pressure release when done and taste.

Note: My sauce was a bit thin, so I added 2 tablespoons of potato flakes to thicken it. This does not produce any potato taste; it just gives it a velvety consistency.

Finish with the 2 tablespoons of butter for a beautiful shine to the sauce.

Brooke Burks, The Buttered Home

This story originally appeared in Alabama Living magazine.