Eggs are one of those perfect natural ingredients that need nothing more than a little salt to turn out totally transcendent and unforgettable. At the same time, they’re also one of the most versatile foods in the kitchen, even when it comes to simple preparations like fried eggs — from breakfast to lunch to dinner, savory or sweet. And while there are many ways to transform a humble fried egg into a decadent dinner, you can also take inspiration from your dinner to elevate your breakfast. Dishes like balsamic fried eggs prove that the classic preparation can benefit from being cooked in a delicious sauce, so why stop there?
Barbecue sauce, in its many iterations, is a culinary powerhouse that boasts a well-balanced yet complex flavor profile (sweetness and salt, acid and umami among them). When combined with an egg and cooked down in a frying pan, the condiment becomes caramelized and thickens, creating crisp edges and delivering on all those sweetly tangy notes for a deep and undeniably delicious finished product. While it may be an unconventional addition, the zippy sauce gives fried eggs an unexpected boost.
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A Barbecue Bath For Your Eggs
While this may be a new dish to your breakfast menu, the familiarity of both ingredients makes it super approachable. That said, there are a few things to keep in mind when making your barbecue sauce eggs. The condiment typically has a good deal of sweetness, and sugar can burn pretty easy when exposed to high heat. (Remember that barbecue often calls for “low and slow” cooking, which helps prevent this pitfall.) With that in mind, the best practice is to stick to a nonstick pan to avoid a sticky mess that might ruin your egg.
Additionally, add butter to your pan before layering in your sauce. This will act as extra insurance that your egg will lift easily when the time comes and lend an extra dose of richness. Warm up your buttery sauce until you see some bubbles, then gently drop your egg into the melted fat and proceed to fry to your desired level of doneness.
If you aren’t a fan of fried eggs, this tip will also work for over-easy fans, or you can get your barbecue breakfast fix by opting for a scramble instead. Simply whisk the sauce right into your mix, then cook as you typically would.
Selecting Your Sauce
Given that barbecue sauce encompasses so many different types of flavor profiles, a guide to regional barbecue sauce may come in handy when deciding how to prepare your eggs. The different distinctions and nuances between each condiment will elevate your fried eggs in uniquely flavorful ways.
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Kansas City Barbecue sauce is classic, and has a tomato or ketchup foundation that is then fortified with some kind of sweetener (usually brown sugar or molasses). With its familiar flavor profile — a little tangy and a touch sweet — it brings a balancing, mouth-watering element to an umami-packed egg yolk. Texas mop sauce is packed with flavor thanks to a variety of spices like chile powder, pepper, cumin, and hot sauce, which all echo that classic egg and hot sauce combination. West Carolina relies on chile flakes for heat, and is very vinegar-forward, which means the acid can cut through the richness of a jammy fried egg yolk. Another tasty option for your barbecue eggs-periment is Japanese-style barbecue with soy, green onion, sesame oil and mirin, which makes for a super craveable, sweet and savory dish.
No matter which sauce you choose, you’ll find barbecue fried eggs to be an instant at-home classic. Just make sure to use the right pan.
