BBQ Throwdown Recipe
This... Is... SPARTA! (No, seriously. This is Sparta in a sauce.)
Look around Sparta and you'll see olive trees everywhere. But mixed in, you'll find fig trees, orange trees, and dozens of other varieties of fruit trees. This is the inspiration for our BBQ Throwdown sauce.
Barbecuing in Sparta is about featuring the fresh meats and vegetables. True to form, food in Sparta is exceptionally simple and sauces are typically olive-oil based. Tomato based sauces are a winter staple, when fresh tomatoes aren't available. Our sauce is a variation of the traditional Ladolemono (oil-lemon) sauce, with orange juice and fig preserves for a sweet and fruity kick.
Use to marinate and grill chicken, basting every 5 minutes. Also perfect for a grilled pork chop or mild flavored white fish like Branzino.
- 5 TBSP Spartan Oil
- 3 TBSP Orange Juice
- 2 TBSP Fig Preserves
- 1.5 TBSP Dijon Mustard
- 1 TBSP Lemon Juice
- 1 TBSP White Vinegar
- 1 TBSP Roasted Garlic
- 1/2 TSP Fresh Rosemary, Finely Chopped
- 1/2 TSP Dried Greek Oregano
- 1/2 TSP (or more) Chipotle powder
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Step 1. Make Roasted Garlic
- Preheat your oven to 225.
- Begin with one whole heads of garlic.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the top of the head off, exposing the tops of each clove.
- Place the garlic in a piece of aluminum foil.
- Drizzle 1 TBSP of Spartan Oil over the garlic cloves. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Loosely wrap the garlic clove and olive oil and place in the oven.
- Bake for 1.5 - 2 hours.
- Allow to cool for approximately 30 minutes.
- Squeeze the bottom of the head of garlic and the cloves will slide out.
- Place cloves in a bowl and mix with Spartan oil to create a loose paste.
Step 2. Combine Remaining Ingredients
- In a large bowl, add all ingredients except for salt, pepper, and chipotle.
- Blend all ingredients well.
- Use an immersion blender to thoroughly blend ingredients.
- Add chipotle powder and blend well. Add more for additional heat.
- Add pepper to taste.
- Add salt.
Yields approximately 1 cup.