Cane Syrup Sauce is an extremely versatile sauce made from Louisiana Cane Syrup combined with butter and just a few other ingredients. This rich, sweet and savory sauce also doubles as a great glaze. It’s particularly good with pork, salmon, chicken and shrimp just to name a few. Use this simple, no-angst recipe from Sweet Daddy D to whip up a batch and before long you’ll be dreaming up things to put it on.
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What is cane syrup?
Sugar Cane is a highly important agricultural product of Louisiana and has been for over 200 years. Sugar cane is grown in over one-third of Louisiana’s 64 Parishes, all in South Louisiana. Ask any resident of these South Louisiana Parishes and they will tell you stories of being caught behind large trucks carrying the cut cane to various mills along the multitudes of two-lane Louisiana highways. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been stuck in just that situation, with the cut cane seemingly spilling out over the sides of large cane trailers, as if placed there by cartoon illustrators rather than specialty harvest equipment. It’s almost impossible to see around them and the windy roads make it an adventure waiting for the right opportunity to pass. It’s a situation that everyone mumbles about, but also loves what it represents.
Refined sugar is the money crop, but large quantities of cane syrup are also produced, along with a growing cottage industry of locally distilled rum. Cane syrup is made from boiling sugar cane juices derived from crushing the cane. Steen’s Pure Cane Syrup is the leading brand, known by its iconic yellow can and labels. Production of Steen’s started in the early 20th Century in Abbeville, Louisiana, and by the 1950’s Streen’s was a household name. There are other producers of Cane Syrup in Louisiana, all delicious but none as widely recognized as Steen's.
Here Is What You Need
These simple ingredients come together to make a delicious sauce. Check out the Hints and Tips section below for more about cane syrup.
Equipment
Small enamel saucepan, glass prep bowls, measuring cups, measuring spoons
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Here Is What You Do
First...you have a beer. This is a very simple sauce to make, but you still need to be prepared. Prepare the ingredients and prepare the cook. Have a beer and read the recipe all the way through so you know what is needed. It’s important to have all of the ingredients prepared before starting.
Prepare the ingredients
There is no chopping for this recipe (yah!) but make sure to measure all the ingredients before starting. Because of the high sugar content, this recipe can boil over very quickly, almost instantaneously. It’s not a good idea to be measuring ingredients after you have put the cane syrup on the fire. Place the wet ingredients-cane syrup, soy sauce and prepared mustard-in one prep bowl and the dry ingredients-granulated garlic, dry thyme, kosher salt and black pepper-in a separate bowl. Measure the butter and set it aside until you are ready to start.
Mix and Simmer
Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
You do not want to burn the butter, so while it is melting, add the wet ingredients-cane syrup, soy sauce and prepared mustard. Mix well.
Next add the dry ingredients-dry thyme, granulated garlic, kosher salt and black pepper. If you are using the pepper flakes or a dried pepper pod, add it in now.
Bring the mixture to a low simmer and maintain that for about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir often and keep an eye on this. Do not leave the saucepan unattended as it will boil over very quickly (have I mentioned that?). After simmering for 5 to 10 minutes, remove the saucepan from heat and let sit for about 10 minutes while it thickens.
To Serve
Spoon liberal amounts of this sauce over your favorite meats, poultry and seafood. It is also perfect as a glaze or cooking sauce for pork, shrimp, wings and salmon, either in the oven or on the grill. Check out some recipes below specifically created with Sweet Daddy D’s Cane Syrup Sauce.
Hints and Tips
VERY IMPORTANT-Due to the high sugar content, this sauce will boil over very quickly. Do not leave the saucepan unattended. If the sauce begins to boil up, remove it from the heat immediately until it calms down.
Is leftover sauce good?
Leftover sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. The butter will harden while in the fridge so set it out to come to room temperature before reheating. To reheat, place the sauce in a saucepan over low heat and stir vigorously to combine. It can also be reheated in the microwave but make sure to cover and stir a couple of times while reheating.
Is Cane syrup the same thing as molasses?
No, the two are similar in appearance but offer subtle differences in taste. Cane syrup is the main product of boiling the juices derived from crushing cane. Molasses is a by-product of the sugar-making process. As the cane juice cooks, sugar crystals form. These crystals are removed by a centrifuge process, leaving the juice which is cooked down into molasses. Cane syrup is made without extracting the crystals.
Can I use molasses instead of cane syrup?
Yes, you can substitute molasses if you do not have cane syrup, but there will be a subtle difference in the flavor.
What are the nutritional facts of cane syrup?
Cane syrup contains calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium, but with all that sugar it is high in carbohydrates and includes no dietary fiber. A steady diet of cane syrup may not be a great idea for people fighting obesity and diabetes. Check out this report on a full nutritional chart for cane syrup.
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Recipe
Cane Syrup Sauce
Here's What You Need
- 8 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup cane syrup
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
- ½ teaspoon dry thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or dried hot chili pod (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Here's What You Do
- Combine the wet ingredients-cane syrup, soy sauce and prepared mustard.
- Combine the dry ingredients-dry thyme, granulated garlic, kosher salt, ground black pepper and red pepper flakes or pod (if using).
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- While butter is melting, add the wet ingredients and mix together until all incorporated.
- Mix in the dry ingredients.
- Bring mixture to a simmer and maintain a low simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes while it thickens.
- Stir often and keep an eye on this-it will boil over very quickly.
- Remove from heat and let sit for about 10 minutes while it thickens.
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