Most Kansas City sauces are brass bands with multiple layers of flavors, sweets, and heats. Because they are thick and tomatoey, they sit on top of the meat, not penetrating very far. For this reason you don’t want to use too much. Just one or two layers, max. Let the meat shine through. Don’t drown it in sauce.
“Sam the Cooking Guy: Just Grill This!” by Sam
Zien (Wiley, $19.95). More than 120 recipes nestled in 272 pages
with grilling guidance from the self-taught cook and TV cooking
show host. The book is casual but with interesting-sounding recipes
like Sticky Sweet Ribs, which calls for doctoring up plain barbecue
sauce. Best tip: Think of a “grill as merely an oven and stove
that’s outdoors. That’s all it is.”
2) Over medium heat, warm the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and saute until limp and translucent, about 5 minutes. Crush the garlic, add it, and cook for another minute. Add the dry spices and stir for about 2 minutes to extract their oil-soluble flavors. Add the wet ingredients. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes with the lid off to thicken it a bit.
About the steak sauce. There are many different brands and they all have different flavor profiles, but what we want here is the meaty depth of savoriness that they call umami, so use whatever you have on hand.
“Everyday Grilling: 50 recipes from Appetizers to
Desserts” from Sur la Table (Andrews McMeel Publishing,
$15.) From classics such as Baby Back Ribs to trendy Grilled
Romaine, the concept centers on grilling your entire meal.
About the oil. You my use butter or lard or bacon fat for a bit more flavor, but they can get rancid with time, and they will likely shorten shelf life to about 1 week.