Seafood Cocktail Sauce

Many years ago, Bob Hester ran a waterfowl camp at Mattamuskeet, North Carolina. While the food was generally superlative, the highlight was the oyster roasts conducted by an old gentleman named Tom Burrus.

Tom was a shuckin' fool, and I don't think there was anyone who could eat those "aysters" as fast as he got 'em out of the shells.

Tom made his own cocktail sauce; the best I've ever eaten. I prevailed upon him to share the recipe, for which I'm forever grateful. And, while I've shared it, in turn, with others I've been reluctant to post it, because the ingredient list is composed of a bottle of this and a jar of that. And, unfortunately, the sizes of these bottles have changed through the years.

Recently I made a point of converting the recipe to more consistent quantities.

One thing to keep in mind: You can halve or double the recipe. Any further in either direction, however, degrades the flavors. And even half the recipe makes a lot. But it freezes well.

Tom Burrus' Cocktail Sauce

1 gal ketchup
1 qt vinegar
Juice of 6 lemons
1 bottle (8-10 oz) A-1 sauce
1 bottle (4-6 oz) hot sauce
1 jar (3-4 oz) prepared horseradish
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer 30 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Tom Burrus used white vinegar, Dave.

I've made it both ways, and can't say as I have a distinct preference. ACV makes it slightly sweeter. But whether you can actually discern it is an open question. It might just be psychological; you know ACV is sweeter, therefore you taste it as sweeter.

Also, while I haven't done it, there's no reason you couldn't can this sauce; not with all that acid. I'd say hot pack it in pints or smaller, then boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Brook...would I be correct in assuming he used a #10 can of ketchup?