Whisky BBQ Pontack Sauce
Recipe by Luke Jefford
Having spent 4 years at the helm of a restaurant where smoking meat and vegetables was a part of its identity, BBQ sauce is ingrained in my subconscious palate. The whiff of spices permeating throughout the space it inhabits, is truly addictive!
Pontack sauce has been knocking around for the last 300 years or so. Created by a french man, living in England. So i’ll let you decide what nationality that makes it. In its original form it is essentially an elderberry ketchup. Though not as sweet as our modern palettes dictate. It is sharp and spiced, without serious reduction in the pan.
Interestingly, there is also another historic elderberry ketchup called ‘Prince Of Wales Ketchup’. It seems that this recipe doesn’t differ to much from Pontack, using anchovies as an addition. From what I can gather both sauces originally didn’t include sugar, relying on the natural sweetness of Elderberry. Robin Harford has an excellent, well researched, write up on his website about the origins of this sauce.
With our strange weather this year, the local elder trees are producing their umbels of fruits in many different stages. Which is hugely beneficial for us foragers, offering the gift of time. It’s usually a battle amongst the birds to fight for what fruit remains. In truth, the birds are the true winners, as most elderberries are far out of reach. Damn evolution.
Nikki and I being the nonconformists that we are, don’t like to plagiarise others work and would rather come up with something of our own. Though, there’s also nothing wrong with the classics, quite the opposite.
The sauce itself is fruity, tangy, sweet, deep and rich. A must try for any discerning forager.
We’ve added agar-agar for a thicker sauce. Whilst not necessary, it does help produce a higher yield. That’s a win for us. Agar is a staple in our kitchen cupboard and vegan to boot.
Ingredients
500g Elderberries (De-stalked)
350g Cider Vinegar
350g Honey
1 level teaspoon agar-agar
150g Tomato Puree
3 Tbsp Black Treacle
1 Cinnamon Stick
2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika
2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Pinch Chilli Flakes
2 Teaspoons English Mustard
100ml Whiskey
Method
Step 1
Destalk all of your elderberries. This can be done with your hands or a fork. Remove as much of the stalks as humanly possible. A little bit of patience is required here.
Step 2
Pop all of your ingredients except the whiskey in to a heavy based pan. We prefer to use a dutch oven these days. As it reduces the risk of burning.
Step 3
Pop your ingredients on a very low heat and cook out for 3 hours mixing with a spoon or spatula regularly to ensure nothing catches on the bottom of the pan.
Step 4
Leave overnight (off the heat) for all of those beautiful flavours to infuse. In the morning, add your whiskey and blend with your weapon of choice. Until nice and smooth.
