Beyond The Bacon Sandwich: The Many Uses Of Brown Sauce

14 hours ago

I for illustration my bacon sandwich pinch brownish sauce, but that means keeping a vessel for a agelong time. What other tin I do pinch it?
Will, via email
In nan early 1980s, Tom Harris, co-owner and cook astatine nan Marksman successful eastbound London, made a brew mat from penny coins for his dada (and successful nan quest to unafraid a Blue Peter badge): “The instructions said to put nan soiled coins successful brownish condiment overnight,” he recalls. “The adjacent morning, they were each shiny and looked marque new, truthful there’s different usage for it correct there!”

Brown condiment is “an absolute marvel”, agrees Sabrina Ghayour, writer of nan precocious published Persiana Easy, and not conscionable for its cleaning prowess: “If you break it down, nan condiment is packed pinch immoderate beautiful absorbing ingredients, including my beloved tamarind.” It’s worthy exploring your vessel options beyond HP, too, not slightest because location was overmuch contention backmost successful 2011 erstwhile nan marque gave its recipe, which had remained unchanged for much than a century, a tweak. “They reduced nan brackish [from 2.1g per 100g to 1.3g] and it wholly upset nan balance,” Harris says, “and that’s a awesome sadness.” That’s why Ghayour’s go-to these days is Tiptree: “It has a somewhat little vinegary punch and a much rounded sweetness,” which comes pinch nan added prize of making it “even much versatile”.

If you were to inquire Harris’ dad, 1 specified usage would beryllium a portion of fried food successful a buttered rotation pinch tons of brownish sauce: “That’s a lovely, beautiful thing.” Otherwise, usage it successful spot of tonkatsu condiment “with thing crumbed aliases fried, specified arsenic a pork chop”, he adds.

The “tangy, savoury nature” of nan worldly besides useful a dream pinch a hash, says Anna Tobias, chef-owner of Cafe Deco successful London, which bottles its ain brownish sauce. “I often do a hash aft a Sunday roast, erstwhile you person a spot of leftover meat, cabbage and potatoes,” she says. “Fry them up, apical pinch a fried egg, put immoderate brownish condiment connected nan broadside and that’s delicious.” Or brace it pinch roast pork: “Instead of pome sauce, why not effort brown?” Tobias says. “It has nan aforesaid sweet-sour tang and will trim through.”

Brown condiment is, aft all, a porky condiment, though it was traditionally collaborated pinch sausages alternatively than bacon. “When I was nan beverage boy astatine Dad’s warehouse, I’d do nan 11am sandwich tally and it was ever sausages pinch brownish condiment and bacon pinch red,” Harris says. “That was nan dividing line.”

Ghayour says our scholar Will, however, could besides harness nan acidity successful his excess condiment to “give awesome life to soups, stews, sauces, gravies, marinades [think sticky barbecue-style] and beyond”. Meanwhile, arsenic nan upwind cools, Tobias would beryllium tempted to segue to homemade baked beans: “I cognize not galore group fuss making their ain beans, but adding a spot of brownish condiment to nan tomatoes and cooking that pinch nan beans would beryllium very good.”

That each said, sometimes you don’t request to look beyond nan obvious: “Brown condiment is really bully for breakfast, and possibly that’s its intent successful life,” Tobias says very sensibly. A bully dollop connected nan broadside of a afloat English, aliases connected a bacon sandwich, is ever going to beryllium much than OK.