The original post published in May 2011. I’ve updated the photos to spare myself some embarrassment from the total lack of photography skills in the early days of blogging.
Ask anyone from Mississippi if they know about Comeback Sauce and they will look at you shocked for even asking the question. Of course, everyone in Mississippi knows about Comeback Sauce. Even if you’ve never heard the name, you probably know it, too. The sauce that’s served by the steak house chain made famous by the onions that bloom, is reminiscent of Comeback Sauce. Chances are you’ve had it on a burger or sandwich at a new age sandwich shop. It’s a versatile sauce that also makes a great salad dressing. The origins are debated, but most attribute the sauce to a Greek immigrant who settled in Mississippi after WWII.
Most recipes agree on the proportions of mayonnaise to ketchup to chili sauce and heavy on the black pepper. After that, the amounts of all the other ingredients are up for grabs.
Del Monte Chili Sauce. Look for it on your condiment aisle. If you can’t find Del Monte, Heinz is a suitable substitute.
Chili Sauce is a condiment that is usually found on the same aisle as ketchup, mayo and mustard. Look for it on the top shelve. The bottle contains 12 ounces. I’ve always preferred Heinz, but, my store was recently out of Heinz and I bought Del Monte which I’ve found is just as good. It’s always nice to have an option. Chili Sauce and chili pepper are not the same.
I formulated this recipe to give it as much shelf life as possible. Since I opted for garlic powder and onion powder over fresh garlic and onion, the sauce will keep in your refrigerator for as long as you would keep mayonnaise and ketchup. But, don’t worry. It will be eaten long before you have to worry about it spoiling.
It’s uses are many. It’s a dip for vegetables and chips, a salad dressing, a sauce for seafood or a sandwich spread. I will be serving mine tonight with Salmon Patties. It is good on EVERYTHING, except Cheerios.
Comeback Sauce
Mix all ingredients well and store in refrigerator overnight. It needs to sit to let the flavors become “acquainted”. They shouldn’t rush into marriage.
yield: one pint
1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise (one of my Favorites)
1/4 cup Heinz ketchup
1/4 cup chili sauce ( I prefer Heinz or DelMonte. DO NOT substitute Thai Chili Sauce)
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup light olive oil
juice of one lemon
Mix all ingredients well and store in refrigerator overnight.
Comeback Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise one of my Favorites
- 1/4 cup Heinz ketchup
- 1/4 cup chili sauce I prefer Heinz or DelMonte. DO NOT substitute Thai Chili Sauce
- 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1/4 cup light olive oil
- juice of one lemon
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients well and store in refrigerator overnight. It needs to sit to let the flavors become “acquainted”. They shouldn’t rush into marriage.
- Comeback Sauce goes with EVERYTHING.....except Cheerios.
Betty Coppola says
Sounds yummy. I’ll make mine with Veganaise (no eggs)
Jackie Garvin says
Betty,
I’m sure it will turn out fine for you. Please let me know because that’s a good substitution for folks who can’t or won’t eat eggs. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Betty Coppola says
Worked out beautifully mad with veganaise and vegan Worcestershire sauce. I’m a newbie vegan and this sauce tastes great on my gardein seven grains crispy tenders.
Jackie Garvin says
Betty,
I’m so glad you could make this wonderful sauce work with some modifications. Thank you for sharing the results. You could make the same modification for Alabama White BBQ Sauce that I just posted. That would give you a variety of vegan friendly sauces to use. 🙂
Rhiannon (Bewitching Dreams) says
This looks amazing! I’ve been trying to replicate the steakhouse’s sauce for years…I love these types of sauces, but have never found a recipe I just fell in love with.
We might have to do seafood this weekend just to try this 😉 Do you use Grey Poupon dijon? I end up grabbing Harris Teeter’s brand, but, I wouldn’t mind an excuse to buy the really yummy stuff!
Yay for Pinterest for directing me here! 😀
Jackie Garvin says
Rhiannon,
I sang your name as I typed it. That was always one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs. I have no idea which generation your in. Do you even know who Fleetwood Mac is? 🙂
This sauce is crazy good. I think the steakhouse’s sauce may have a touch of horseradish in it but i’m not sure . At any rate, this sauce is good enough to stand up to any fried onion just like it is. I do use Grey Poupon but, honestly, with the small amount in this recipe I would say to use what you have.
Pinterest has been incredible! My blog traffic has increased 10 fold. I keep hitting myself on the head just to make sure I’m not looking at the numbers wrong! I’m so very happy you found us! Please visit often. <3
Rhiannon (Bewitching Dreams) says
Oh, trust me, I will be back! I just discovered your Krystal recipe 😀 I have very similar memories of sharing the little bits of heaven with my grandparents growing up.
And yes, I do know who Fleetwood Mac is 😉 I was the generation after, so my dad made sure I knew what I was named after, LOL
Jackie Garvin says
Good for your Dad, Rhiannon! I hope you enjoy the Jella (Krystal) burgers! Rhi-aaaaaaaaaaaaaa-non! Taken by, taken by the sky…….
Katie says
This sounds like the amazing sauce at Layne’s in College Station, TX. If it is anything it, I can’t wait to make it!
Jackie Garvin says
Katie,
I hope you enjoy it! After I made the sauce and tasted it the first time, I could think of 1,000 places I had something that tasted very similar. It’s is, without a doubt, the best all around sauce I’ve ever had.
Margret says
Hi, I also found you on Pinterest. Loving that onion stuff the way I do, I just have to try your recipe. I can’t wait!
Jackie Garvin says
Margret,
Welcome to Syrup and Biscuits! I’m so happy you found us tucked away in our little corner of the world. Enjoy the Comeback Sauce. Please visit us again. We love having you. 🙂
Rowanvamp0 says
Wow after reading the recipes and then the comments I had no clue that Duke’s was not so widely known or carried..I grew up in the south and we ALWAYS have DUKE’S mayo no matter what store you head in to..But I have to admit never heard of comeback sauce and you can bet your bottom dollar I’m going to give it a try..thanks for broading my horizons!
Jackie Garvin says
Rowanvamp0,
I forget that Duke’s isn’t available to everyone, too! Poor people. I hate if for them! I hope you enjoy the sauce as much as we do. Please visit us again! 🙂
Mary says
I, too, found you via pinterest! I can’t wait to try this out, but I would love to hear some of your favorite things to serve this yummy sauce with… love that it’s made with basically everything I keep in my cupboard anyway!
Jackie Garvin says
Mary,
Welcome to Syrup and Biscuits! We love the sauce on salmon patties, fried green tomatoes, seafood in general and on hamburgers. It’s great as a dipping sauce for chicken fingers, too. Please write to me and let me know how you decide to use it. i love hearing from you! 🙂
Paula Michele says
I made up a batch of this for my husband today. I also found you on Pinterest. I agree that Dukes is the best mayo around. 🙂
Jackie Garvin says
Hi Paula,
Welcome to Syrup and Biscuits! Don’t be a stranger….we love having you visit. Duke’s is just the best!! I hope you and your husband enjoy the sauce. Please let me know. I love hearing from you. 🙂
Donna Trull says
I too found you thru Pinterest. I’ve never heard of this sauce but one day years ago in the salon I work in a lady came in that used to own a restaurant in town. My client asked her if she had any of her special sauce made up that she wanted to buy some. The lady came back a few days later with some kind of concoction in a mason jar. I asked my client what it was and she said she didn’t know but that it was the most delicious sauce ever and it was good on anything. I have a feeling this may be her “secret” sauce. I can’t wait to try it.
Love your blog!
Jackie Garvin says
Hi Donna! Welcome to Syrup and Biscuits! I’m so glad you found us. Please visit often. We love having you. I hope you enjoy Comeback Sauce as much as we do. Please write me and let me know. I love hearing from you. 🙂
Denise @ Creative Kitchen says
Also found you via Pinterest! I LOVE all dipping sauces and have been making a number of them lately. It’s crazy how many flavor combos you can come up with. Mine are either mayo or sour cream based.
This one does sound incredible & of course I’ll be trying it!
Thanks for sharing!! Denise
Jackie Garvin says
Thanks for stopping by, Denise! I hope you visit again. I’m working on a post now on Alabama White BBQ Sauce, another mayo based sauce. With your interest in dipping sauces, you might enjoy this one. 🙂
Maggie says
What are your favorite things to use the comeback sauce on? It looks so yummy! I came here through pinterest also!
Jackie Garvin says
Hi Maggie! Welcome to Syrup and Biscuits. We love Comeback Sauce on Salmon Patties and seafood in general, fried green tomatoes and hamburgers. It makes a wonderful dipping sauce for chicken fingers, too. It really goes with EVERYTHING….except Cheerios. I hope you visit us often. We love having you! 🙂
crystalandcomp says
Shared with my facebook readers. yum!
Jackie Garvin says
Thank you so much for sharing the link! I greatly appreciate it. 🙂
Jackie Garvin says
I’m sharing the link to your blog with my daughter who has 2 year old twins. I was impressed with your twin connections! 🙂
Betty Coppola says
Made it with Veganaise…YUMMY!! Heavenly on my Boca “Chicken” and a wonderful dip for my Gardein seven grain crispy tenders!!!
Jane says
Whipped up a batch on Saturady morning, and by lunchtime, it had landed on our cheeseburgers at lunch. Tonight, I’m setting it out with fried chicken tenders I’m thinking there will be another batch needed soon…!
Jackie Garvin says
Jane,
I’m glad to seeing that you’re quickly discovering the versatility of this sauce. I have been known to say, “This sauce goes with EVERYTHING…..except Cheerios. “
Mary at Deep South Dish says
As a Mississippi girl I think you’ve done a fine representation of our Comeback sauce Jackie. In fact, it’s very much like my own recipe! There are recipes around that think a simple mixture of mayo, ketchup and tons of black pepper qualify, but as I see you have discovered, there’s a bit more to the sauce than that.
Jackie Garvin says
Mary,
Thank you so kindly! I looked at about 12 or 15 different recipes and they were all over the board with the exception of the mayo:ketchup:chili sauce ratios that seemed to be fairly consistent. Several recipes used fresh onion and garlic. I keep onion powder and garlic powder in my spice cabinet and use them in condiments when I want to extend the shelf life. Obviously, the powder will last longer than fresh. Most of the recipes called for cayenne pepper but I used Tabasco instead because the flavor is milder and my grandchildren love to eat this sauce. They can’t tolerate a lot of spiciness. Some of the recipes used anchovy paste. I think Worcestershire Sauce has enough flavor to compensate for anchovy paste. The addition of horseradish makes it taste a little closer to the steakhouse onion sauce but that’s getting too spicy for little ones. We love this sauce. I keep a jar in my fridge at all times. 🙂
deidre says
hi! i had never heard of comeback either UNTIL we moved to mississippi in 2005. we’ve been back in alabama for a year now, and besides dear friends, comeback is one of the things we miss most!! thanks for sharing the recipe…i will be making some soon!!
Jackie Garvin says
Deidre,
From one fellow Alabamian to another, welcome to Syrup and Biscuits! Enjoy the sauce. We have grown to love it. Please visit us again! 🙂
Carly Drake says
I can NOT wait to make this! Thank you so so much for sharing!!
Jackie Garvin says
Carly,
I hope you enjoy it! 🙂 Please visit us again. We love having you.
Carly Drake says
I’m making your buttermilk biscuits soon too. I am in love with this blog! Yuuumm! Sharing with everyone I know…
Jackie Garvin says
Carly,
I’m so happy you found us! Thank you so much for sharing Syrup and Biscuits. That means more to me than you can imagine. 🙂
Rachel says
Lived in MS (gulf coast) from ’05-09 and miss a lot of things about the area but esp the sauce at Captain Al’s in Gulfport. I had thought before it was a comeback sauce but then I thought maybe a jezabel sauce. Not sure but it has quite a kick. Maybe they just have more horseradish than most. Back in Alabama now but we do miss that sauce!
Jackie Garvin says
Rachel,
Try making my Comeback Sauce and adding some horseradish. I purposely kept mine from being to spicy because my two year old grandchildren love it! 🙂
abby says
Hi, is there a good substitute for the Dijon mustard? I live in Kenya, and don’t have access to it. Or could I just omit it?
Thanks…I can’t wait to try this!
Jackie Garvin says
Abby,
I would use whatever mustard you can find. Don’t omit it because it lends some acidity that would be missing. Try to find some spicy brown. If you can’t find that, use yellow. Please let me know how it turns out for you. 🙂
Nicole Dawes-Hinrichs says
I can hardly wait to mix some up and try it. I love the go with everything part of it…kinda like jalapeno butter, goes great with everything well…maybe not cheerios!
Jackie Garvin says
Nicole,
I hope you enjpy Comeback Sauce. I keep a jar in my fridge at all times and use it on EVERYTHING….except Cheerios. 🙂 I’ve never heard of jalapeno butter but it sounds very interesting. Do you use it any place that Tabasco could be used? 🙂
allison says
Do you think this would work using Siracha? ( The “Rooster” brand asian chili sauce)
Jackie Garvin says
Allison,
I’m not familiar with the taste of Siracha but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for you if that’s a condiment that you like. Give it a try! <3
Michelle says
I haven’t made this yet, but looking at the recipe (and the amount it calls for) I would probably stay away from the Sriracha in this recipe, as it is much much spicier than the Heinz chili sauce! If I’m thinking of the right two sauces, you could eat a teaspoonful of Heinz chili sauce right off the spoon, but if you tried to do that with Sriracha, it would burn your face off! In a smaller amount it would probably work, though.
Jackie Garvin says
Michelle,
You should certainly stay away from Sriracha unless you like for your mouth to be on fire. 🙂