Here are some interesting morsals (meanderings) I came accross while rereading The Complete Book of Barbecue and Rotisserie by Jim Beard ("Jim" before the "James" :-) Bobbs-Merrill Co. 1954.

Put all in a quart bottle and fill it up with cider vinegar. A tablespoonful of this mixed in a stew, steak, or gravy, will impart not only a fine flavor but a rich color." (p 116)