Quote:
Originally Posted by Baby Lee
There is a qualitative difference between caramelizing sugars mixing with meat fats, and vinegar breaking down proteins and leaving softer meat with vinegar flavoring. . .
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But they're not mutually exclusive.
Few vinegar based sauces don't also have brown sugar or tomatoes in them to add some level of sugar. Peppers and onions also bring sugars to the mix.
My objection is simply to the idea that Vinegar is used as a masking agent - it isn't. At least it isn't more than molasses is. If you push either ingredient to it's purest, most extreme form - they'll run roughshod over most any meat. But few ever do that. They're used in concert with other complementary flavors. And sauces that DON'T utilize vinegar at least in some small amount end up too fruity in their own right; vinegar helps bring a complementary tartness/acidity to the party.