Tuesday, June 26, 2018

MORE All about the Sauce (DETROIT)

COMPLETE  ARCHIVES @ END OF FISCAL YEAR 6/ 30/ 2018

MORE All about the Sauce (DETROIT)

(part 1 is on New Mexico    see margothefoodie.blogspot.com 

 Jean of the Islands -All about the Sauce Part 2
Part 1
 All about the sauce covers Christmas
sauce (New Mexico)
(Detroit in my childhood  was short on Caribbean
 influences and long on Deep South cooking, and 
as a kid I would rather Eat than Cook (2)...
Having grown up in Detroit's Northwest section at 
a time when it was more Jewish than Black ,
 I remember the bakeries that sold huge loaves
 of slightly sugary white bread. This bread was 
great for Hangry Person sized sandwiches. 
When I started high school I discovered the food
 joints surrounding the school even though I had
 no lunch privileges off campus (1) during the
 school day...After school I would walk until I saw
 a bus, so a walk down Wyoming near Curtis on
 my way to 7 mile  road  was a chance to sample
 some of the best BBQ this side of the South.
 Thanks to the Great Migration, families had brought 
up their grilling, sauce and pork fixing traditions and
 each spot had its own style.  This was before  the era
 of Anita Baker singing near Fenkell. The west side
 had their joints and the East side had theirs.

I did not have a favorite- as a hungry kid  who had 2 
gym classes a week, and ran even in the winter all I 
remember  was How Affordable all this Good Food 
was... One spot- Brothers BBQ near Mumford High
 ( actually Curtis and Wyoming  also had a spot 
downtown on East Jefferson  near St Antoine.)
 I ate lots of Hoagies like the one pictured below 
- rib slabs cost more and I was paying for it through
 my job at Woolworths.                                                                                                      Images by Deamtime.com                                             
Recipe http://faithfulprovisions.com/pulled-pork-hoagies/

I relocated to the 3rd Coast   in 2015 having lived in NYC since 1985 , so I was not expecting to find the old joints.When I left in 2015 NY was  having a BBQ moment, and we are not talking Food Trucks. Massive ovens, serious meatlockers, picnic tables and fixings- felt like Memphis...cost like Ditch Plains...but the sauces kept you coming back so damn the cost...
 My last  year in NY included  doing wrap up hurricane work and  I treated myself to BBQ smoked for Days thanks to the joint efforts of city/fed government creating a foodie zone - trying to bring people back to restored National Seashore at Jacob Riis Park.

BBQ on the beach reminded me of home. Picking up a box of bones or a big sloppy pulled pork sandwich, which was gone by the time I got home.  So this summer, I decided to explore the food renaissance of Detroit OUTSIDE of Midtown/Corktown or any other improved neighboorhood) - sorry Slows ... and to keep it simple .

 Why not start with the BBQ scene? Starting with the sauce. Actually starting with Wyoming ave  and  creating a BBQ trail based on who managed to hang in there , all this time.  No Yelp, No Eater. Instead reviewing  Detroiters on forums like Detroit YES  where    people speak truth to power- remembering the was things wuz...

Using forums like Detroit Yes eliminates   places are still running on their old reps . In any case - for any one off. non chain joint -catch them on a good day- like Friday (payday).  This article is not covering the corner grill in the empty lot scene- because I have not sampled it yet... Click for plans...
Plans for stove

https://detroitography.com/2018/06/01/map-fast-food-industry-in-detroit-2017/

 Here is the thread on the Old Joints

My list from back in the day favors the west side since I had  intermittent access to a car... - running errands for my parents restricted my foodie mapping ..

The Margo the Foodie 5

Vickys  BBQ   -Warren just before West Grand Blvd turns to the river

Parks BBQ  - New Center 

Brothers BBQ   near Mumford High  (home of the Jean of the Islands Sauce)

Youngs BBQ (Livernois)

Sanders  BBQ   (Fenkell & Greenfield)  
near  my last job before I moved to NYC in 1985 (Silhouette America-Living Well Lady Gym, burned to the ground)

Oh my--  Jean of the Islands Sauce- I did not equate the sauce at Brothers BBQ with an actual person despite the fact that they sold the sauce in the store.  I was just a kid then- not someone who loves spices and heat- blame NYC for that !! Sichuan food  ruled when I first arrived in Morningside Heights, then  bun bo Hue ... Afghanistan  to Zagreb --- it is all good ....


 there is a successor         Chef Gregs's SOUL "N" the Wall 

As for what is in this sauce ? Here are 3 possible recipes for the sauce and the sandwich ... I curated and re edited the thread so it reads easily thank you Detroit Yes contributors , Metrotimes.com  Chowhound.com -   individual names /nom de plumes are preserved in the thread 


VERSION A  gazhekwe 8/23/2010
Soul Boogalooo Sandwich with the Jean of the Islands Sauce

Well, let's try to recreate it. We know it had ground pork, not beef. French bread or roll, which? How about any crusty roll, a ciabatta maybe? Onions and green pepper, raw, chopped, sliced? Or chopped and cooked along with the meat? What kind of cheese?

The sauce, the review (NYT) says sweet and spicy. A lot of people I know doctor Open Pit with their own special secrets. Can we start with Open Pit? Is it sweet enough as is? Then add the hot sauce preferably with scotch bonnet peppers, allspice, cinnamon, thyme and black pepper. More sugar? orange juice maybe?

Here is a list of jerk spices with proportions for one recipe. You are supposed to coat the meat with oil, rub on the spices and grill.



·         2 tablespoons dried minced onion

·         2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

·         2 teaspoons ground allspice

·         2 teaspoons ground black pepper

·         1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I might leave this out if you use the scotch bonnet hot sauce, but I am a wimp)

·         1/2 teaspoon salt



Maybe add this amount of spices to 2 cups Open Pit and adjust to taste?




Version B
Nice detective work gazhekwe...yeah, I guess you could say the Boogaloo was a kind of glorified sloppy joe, but it sure tasted unlike any sloppy joe I ever made at home. It's quite possible that the sauce was a commercial barbeque sauce that had been doctored up with some additional ingredients as you suggest. Whatever they did, it definitely had a unique flavor. The sandwich that Akbar's served was made with ground beef instead of pork, ketchup instead of Brother's sauce and I think they put theirs on a hot dog bun instead of a french roll. Either way, both were very good.
Debra, My friend Jeff Broder sent this to me. He may have found it on Chowhound on the web. It's not from any of the original Brothers family or employees, as you can tell from the first two lines, but the writer seems to care about the whole business of the Boogaloo. (A believer!) It might be worth a test batch that you could then try out on some of the old-heads we must all know. Those that remember the sandwich, that is.
J Cole      Detroit Yes Thread 9/8/2009

https://detroitography.com

An Observation


The competition is almost all gone. The other old school back in the day spot is below  where West Grand Boulevard turns into Southwest   Detroit ... It is such an obscure neighborhood that only the BBQ fans know about Vicki's

More  BBQ  Sauce ??? Click here ...  Taste Of Home 
 Bacon included  sauce recipe

    Vicky's BBQ also gets a shout out 
from the Menuism Blog  cllck the link
 https://www.menuism.com/restaurants/vickis-barbecue-shrimp-detroit-57819                                              


For Local Input   on Vicky's --- check out this link:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vickis-Barbecue-Shrimp/111689122199767
The Gospel Truth...

I don't know if that recipe is 
close to Jean's Sauce of the 
Islands or not, but it sounds 
like something worth trying. 
Any recipe that calls for
 bacon fat, molasses, onions, 
jalapeno peppers and 
ketchup is okay by me.
 J Cole 
Detroit Yes




 


















Who has the best sauce 
East Side or West Side????
 Comment at the end of this article...

"Since visiting Jamaica, I've become a big fan of jerk chicken and fish," writes Lee Ann Odell from Boulder, Colorado. "I came up with my own version of that zesty island flavoring especially for this contest. It's a great sauce for ribs, whether you're grilling them or making them in the oven. It makes me feel like I'm on vacation!"
SERVINGS: 16
CATEGORY: Low Fat
METHOD:
TIME: Prep/Total Time: 20 min.
Ingredients:
1 bacon strip, halved
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup molasses
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions:
In a saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Discard bacon or save for another use. In the drippings, saute the onions and jalapeno until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; cool. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 cups.



From Gary on Detroit Yes.com   9/8/2009
Jean of the Islands Sauce   creator 
As for finding Jean Johnson, let's hope someone who knows her pops in and sees this. Google is full of recipe connected info re: Jean Johnson, Portland, OR food writer. Nothing about BBQ Sauce that I could find. She has a book, too, and I did look through it. Nothing recipe related in Detroit though.
BOOGALOO SANDWICH

The lady that owned Brothers took the recipe to the grave.
This recipe is very close. . And thanks to our friend Jeff Broder, who writes for the Metro Times. Latest Article on the people who took over the Brothers BBQ spot in June 20th 2018 edition of  Metrotimes.comVersion C
 Jean's Sauce Of The Islands 

1 gallon can of ketchup.
1 quart lemon juice
2 cups Worcestershire
4 cups sugar or to taste
1/2 cup Jamaican paprika
2 Tbs cumin
Cook over low heat till proper consistency.

B. Boogaloo Sandwich


For The Boogaloo sandwich (best sandwich on earth)
Obtain quality fresh bakery French bread type sub buns
split sub buns down the middle as you would for a sub.
Boil chopped Spanish or white onions in salted water uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.
Drain onions in colander. Do not rinse.
Sauté ground pork at medium high heat in a skillet until browned. Brother's used course ground pork. You want some of the pork almost crispy.
Ladle some boiled onion into each bun, followed by sliced American cheese on one side of the bun add pork that has been mixed with the sauce (A., above).
Wrap in aluminum foil for about 5 minutes too heat bun and melt cheese.
I used to buy about 10 Boogaloos a week for my employees in Royal Oak. I was heartbroken when they closed.
The extra sauce can be kept for weeks in the fridge.



Detroit Yes Thread  Moderator  Well there we have the latest in our attempt to capture the glory that was the Boogaloo Sandwich. And thanks to our friend Jeff Broder, who writes for the Metro Times. He lets the story come slowly out of the person that's lived it -- sounds like a good recipe. Chowhound.com--- also thanks for mentioning Detroit!!
Margo the foodie was born at Brooklyn College but her roots are in the D

I hung out at Chef Greg's this Friday June 22 and he told me that he uses stewed tomatoes. No Ketchup no Open Pit or any other BB sauce as the boogaloo base . He does start with stewed tomatoes.

Update 

 July 20 2018 

As for the name Boogaloo  the sign on the outside listing the eats for the day says Wonderland Boogaloo  sandwich. EWF Boogie Wonderland ?  No answer...yet - but that is okay. I just want some more of that sauce ...



NOTES 
(1) (on the edge of MaryGrove College campus was an academically rigorous school run by nuns called Immaculata High School )

(2) Margo the foodie  spent a semester in China , and has eaten hot spicy foods from Montreal to Marrakesh 
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