Among the sea of great sauces out there is zip sauce, a one of a kind concept created by two passionate Italian connoisseurs.
In this article, we’ll explore everything you need to know about zip sauce; from what it is to how it’s made and what it’s culinary applications are.
What Is Zip Sauce Made Of?
Zip sauce is a unique steak sauce that primarily consists of unsalted butter, Worcestershire sauce and a distinctive blend of herbs and spices.
The herb combination often includes parsley, rosemary, dry thyme leaf (crushed between your fingers for that gritty essence), garlic, Dijon mustard, cumin, white pepper, black pepper and cayenne pepper for that extra kick.
Before serving this mouthwatering sauce alongside a steak dish, it’s essentially mixed with the oh-so-flavorful beef drippings (if making a homemade version, as store bought zip sauce typically contains steak dripping in it).
This final touch adds depth to the sauce for a memorable experience.
Where Did Zip Sauce Come From?
Detroit, Michigan, that’s where zip sauce came from.
It’s home to lots and lots of cattle which is no surprise why a specially dedicated sauce of steaks was curated — cause they eat lots of steak.
The story for the origin of zip sauce goes like this:
Somewhere in the mid-20th century when Detroit was experiencing a boom in Italian-American steakhouses, a certain Mario and his cousin Nerrio opened a restaurant named Lelli’s Inn Woodward to compete in the booming business.
But in order to have the front foot, they knew their restaurant needed something unique and special, and boom, one time, they made the concoction of butter, beef base and Worcestershire sauce with a unique choice of spices — the invention of Zip Sauce. The invention worked great because their customers liked it.
Soon after, there were copycat versions in many other competion restaurants to keep up the pace.
Zip Sauce eventually gained popularity outside Detroit as well.
What Does Zip Sauce Taste Like?
Zip sauce offers a harmonious blend of umami with subtle hints of tanginess and sweetness.
This whole price file is the result of its base constituents of clarified butter, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and lots of herbs and spices.
As you dive deeper into the zip sauce with a variety of experimental foods, you’ll find that it most especially complements meat dishes — especially grilled ones.
The luxury from the butter adds an indulgent quality to steak, while the combination of garlic and Worcestershire sauce lends some seriously rich complexity.
The slightly tangy undertones also help to cut through the richness of meats like steak or lamb chops effortlessly.
How To Make Zip Sauce
Making zip sauce is quite easy, below are to r ingredients and procedures.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- ¼ pound butter
- 1 tsp dry minced parsley
- ¼ tsp dry thyme leaf
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- ⅛ tsp ground cayenne pepper
- ⅛ tsp ground white pepper
- ⅓ cup Beef Dripping
- Salt
Procedure
Start by melting the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once it’s melted, add the additional ingredients one by one and gently warm the mixture while stirring continuously for about two minutes.
Make sure not to overcook or bring it to a boil; we want all those flavors to simply come together nicely.
Once your Zip Sauce has reached the perfect blend of flavors and aromas (trust us – you’ll know!), serve, and transfer any leftover into a bottle or jar and refrigerate it for no more than one week.
How Do You Use Zip Sauce?
Zip Sauce is mostly use on steak, but it can go perfectly well with seafood and other dishes with meat stuffed into them like burgers or empanadas.
For the homemade version, that combines everything else with the exception of steak dripping, you are to combine ¼ cup of the sauce with ¼ cup of steak dripping.
It’s optional though.