REVIEW: Sutphens Texas Thunder

Sutphens Texas Thunder Sweet Grillin’ Sauce

Manufacturer Texas Thunder BBQ
Website www.texasthunderbbq.com

Quality **** (4 out of 5)
Viscosity **** (4 out of 5)
Aroma **** (4 out of 5)

Appearance *** (3 out of 5)

Packaging ** (2 out of 5)

This sauce was used on pulled pork and brisket, cooked ‘low and slow’ over apple and hickory. It was also used as a grilling sauce on chicken.

Well, we had a bit of a quandary with this sauce. The label says ‘grillin’ sauce but the site identifies it as a BBQ sauce. Seeing as the sauce is really good, no one had an objection to trying it on both.

The packaging on the bottle is oddly counterintuitive and it works. I’m caught between giving it a low score or a high score. I went with ‘low’. Oddly, the simple and rather plain design on a pure white background helps the bottle stand out. There is no mistaking it when looking at your sauce shelf and deciding what to try.

The package has a black bull as the manufactures icon. The image rests on a while label with red lettering. The sauce comes in a 16 oz. plastic bottle.

The sauce has a nice aroma. It mixes a sweetness with tomato elements for a pleasing result. It’s almost similar to a Memphis sauce, but it is unique unto itself. The aroma is almost an exact mirror of the flavor, just not quite as much sweetness.

The sauce is a dark red in color and lacks variation. The sauce is fairly opaque and I wasn’t able to discern any of the ingredients by viewing the liquid. The color is very consistent, both in the bottle and on the meat.

The sauce is fairly sweet, with a very pleasant tomato influence. It’s a bit strange, but the flavor is not ketchupy; as might be expected. Let’s face it, sweet + tomato = ketchup. Not here. The flavor was mild enough to not overpower the meat while pronounced enough to not lose any of its own integrity. The flavors were well integrated while still being layered.

When used as a grilling sauce it gains some sweetness and loses a bit of the tomato, but is still very enjoyable. It works particularly well on poultry, such as chicken as it melds well with the more delicate flavors.

If you happen to be on the competition circuit and see Joey Sutphen and his team, stop by and say hi. If they are selling their sauce pick it up. I hesitate to mention that it’s only $5.00, as I don’t want to give the impression that it’s a ‘bargain’ sauce. Let’s just call it a heck of a deal.

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Review: Charcoal Companion Chimney Starter

Some reviews are by design. I’ll go to a store and purposefully pick up some sauce to review. Some reviews are instigated. A manufacturer will send me some sauce that they would like reviewed. Some reviews are the result of serendipity. I will stumble across something that I think you should be aware of. Here is a review that is serendipitous for you and not so much fun for me.

The week prior to the 4th of July I had decided that I needed another chimney starter. I have two smokers and two Weber kettles, so it wasn’t a completely senseless idea. I was in a store called Le Gourmet Chef and they were selling one made by Charcoal Companion for about ten dollars. Great deal. I couldn’t pass up that impulse purchase and left with the starter and a bunch of other items.

I used the new starter on the 4th of July. It was used to start the coals going on the larger of the kettles and then I was using it for the 18”. When I lifted the starter to flip the coals over, the top of the handle separated from the metal it was connected to. My hand came into contact with the extremely hot metal. Yes, it was more than a bit painful.

Ok, problem on the first day of use. Not good. I sent out an email to Charcoal Companion’s customer service the next day. I received a prompt reply asking if I was ok and assuring me that they would be sending me a replacement. I replied asking if they would like me to send back the old one, how it should be packed up and who to send it to. I received no response and to date I have received no replacement.

So, on the product: thumbs down. On the customer service: thumbs down.

Charcoal Companion is a pretty big outfit and their products are in stores nation wide. I’ll be avoiding their products and I encourage you to do the same. If I hear back from them, I’ll post an update.

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REVIEW: Smiling Ed's Hickory Cajun

Smiling Ed’s Hickory Cajun Sauce

Website www.smilingeds.com

Quality ***** (5 out of 5)
Appearance **** (4 out of 5)
Packaging *** (3.5 out of 5)
Aroma *** ( 3.5 out of 5)

In an odd way, Smiling Ed’s products are why this site exists. It’s not a big deal and it’s certainly not a large amount, but I actually lose money running the Home of BBQ. There are no money making aspects at all. The site is a labor of love and the work put in on the updates and outreach is done in the interest in promoting something I’m fond of. One of the many highlights (‘cause let’s be honest, I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it) is being able to bring attention to products that you would enjoy that you don’t find in your local grocery.

Smiling Ed’s exemplifies the excitement in finding a ‘hidden BBQ gem’. I hope that in five years they will be in stores from Maine to Texas, but for now I suggest that you hop on over to their site and place an order.

I had corresponded with the owner a few times and we frequent some of the same BBQ related forums, but I had no idea what a huge role serendipity played in the development of Smiling Ed’s Sauces. The story behind the sauce is as interesting as the sauce is delicious, and that is quite a claim.

The sauce comes in a 14 oz. glass bottle. As has been mentioned before, sauce will typically come in one of three different types of bottles. Plastic bottles will have minor variations, but are mostly of solid construction and do their job well. Glass bottles on the other hand typically come in two different styles, thin and flimsy or solid and well made. The hierarchy of sauce bottles should be thin glass on the bottom, plastic in the middle and solid glass on the top. Smiling Ed’s uses quality glass bottles for their sauce.

The labeling is idiosyncratic enough to stand out on a shelf, but it’s not overly busy. The photo on the label is supposed to, I assume, be of Smiling Ed. He has the look of a chow cook or a prospector and the image fits the medium well.

The sauce coloring is a light red, which promising. There are certain tell-tale signs of mass produced, sub par sauces. The thick viscosity, dark red coloring without variation and the overly sweet aroma is indicative of an overly processed sauce that utilizes high fructose corn syrup and artificial colorings.
The sauce is not spicy, but it’s not mild either. It offers a very enticing lingering taste. The flavor of the sauce doesn’t overwhelm the meat, but it doesn’t exactly blend into or enhance the meats flavor. It adds a second, distinct flavor that doesn’t detract. The sauce is sweet without being cloying and the hickory flavor provides just enough distinction to separate Smiling Ed’s from other excellent sauces.

The aroma is sweet, but not overly so. It doesn’t offer much in the way of the hickory flavoring, so the aroma is not fully representative of the flavor profile.

I have tons of BBQ sauce in my home at all times. I purchase lots of sauce, friends give me their favorites to try and manufacturers mail me sauces to review. This results in me having more sauce than I can consume in a lifetime. I try to give away as much as possible to people that I believe will enjoy it. On the other hand, I’m not entirely altruistic. Some sauces are kept in my ‘private stash’. Smiling Ed’s Hickory Cajun sauce is in there. It should be in yours too.

Let me be even more forceful in my recommendation. If you try this sauce and you don’t like it, send me an email. If I have any sauce on hand (and I almost always do) you can send me the unused portions of Smiling Ed’s and I’ll mail you some of what I have here. That’s a pretty crazy offer and I make it because I believe that I won’t have to go through with it.

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REVIEW: Chile Grill and Corer

Chile Grill and Corer
Manufacturer: Iron Desert
Website: www.irondesert.com
Overall Quality: ****

I’m a bit old fashioned and set in my ways. Why change something that works? New fangled contraptions are great for some people, but I’m becoming a curmudgeon that sits in a rocker on my front porch talking about how great things used to be. Where is this going and why should you care? Well, I recently had the chance to try out some equipment specifically made for the creation of ABT’s.



As we have discussed in the past, ABT’s are jalapeños that have been cored, stuffed (usually with a cheese mixture), wrapped in bacon and smoked. These delicious appetizers are a staple for BBQ enthusiasts and can be found at most get-togethers. I’ve been making ABT’s for quite a while and using various recipes for the stuffing. I thought that I had a solid technique and I was under the impression that I had some skills. Notice the past tense.

I received a jalapeno corer and a holder from Iron Desert and I used them for the tasting party at the 2008 Peoples Choice BBQ Awards. Using the equipment from Iron Desert is like stepping up from a sporty family car to a porche. My usual method of preparation is to use a small, thin knife to core the pepper, lance four of them on a stick used for kabobs and place the stick on an aluminum pan. Works well, no problems.

I will never, ever make them that way again. The coring knife removes the seeds and immediate inner layer of the pepper with ease and efficiency. Look at the accompanying photos and notice how clean the inside of the peppers are. There was no going back and re-coring the peppers if I missed an area. No problems with removing seeds. It was a one time rotation of the pepper and you’re done.


The grill holds the peppers nicely and most importantly, it’s convenient. There is no slipping, no mess, no attempting to balance the peppers on the stick. The grill allows the peppers to be entered and removed easily. It’s not out of place to mention that the grill is also a much more attractive holder for the pepper than other methods. If aesthetics at your party matter, this is the way to go. The grill is durable and washes easily.

The grills are available in various sizes (holding different amounts of peppers) and shapes (such as states). They are available via mail-order from Iron Desert.

I can’t recommend these products highly enough. This equipment belongs in every BBQ’rs repertoire.

I also have their ABT recipe cookbook and I will be using those recipes and commenting on them at a later date.

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REVIEW: Fork and Halo - Original Sin

Fork and Halo Original Sin BBQ Sauce

Manufacturer Wicked Good BBQ
Website www.wickedgoodbbq.com

Quality **** (4.5 out of 5)
Viscosity *** (3 out of 5)
Aroma ** (2.5 out of 5)
Appearance *** (3 out of 5)
Packaging **** (4 out of 5)

This sauce was used on pulled pork and brisket that were cooked low and slow. The opinions are both mine and Will Breakstone’s, owner and pit-master of Willie B’s Award Winning BBQ.

The sauce is a strong red color and comes in a glass bottle. The labeling is unique and stands out, with a heaven/hell dichotomy caricature being highlighted. The label is red with a yellow sun burst. In the sunburst is an image of a devil with a halo. The devil has the visage of a pig. I'm not sure if I totally get the imagery, but it's cute and memorable.

There is a nice viscosity to Original Sin and the sauce pours well. It is thick enough to adhere to the meat without being ‘gloopy’.

The aroma of the sauce is mild, which is surprisingly a plus when it comes to sauces that are not spicy. It usually means that the sauce is low on artificial ingredients. That truism is born out in this case, as the ingredient list is free of many of the problematic ingredients in other sauces. There are strong indicators of sweetness in the aroma, especially the apple and honey.

Here is what the manufacturer has to say about this sauce ‘Try ORIGINAL SIN for a BBQ sauce that's sweet, but not too sweet, with a devilish touch of heat and a hint of apple.’

Let me start out by saying that this is a very strong BBQ sauce. The quality is evident in the packaging, aroma, taste and ingredient selection. To find fault with the sauce I have to contrast the description by the manufacturer to the actual product. This amounts to nitpicking, but I’ll note it anyway.

Although there are three ingredients listed that would indicate that there is heat present and the descriptor for this sauce includes ‘a devilish touch of heat’, there was none detectable. There was a certain boldness of flavor, but no heat of note. Ok, there we go. That pretty much sums up the list of problems with this sauce.

I apologize for the lack of appropriate descriptors here, as my vocabulary is failing me at the moment, but the sauce has a certain ‘cleanness’ to it. The flavors are crisp and distinct and lack that cloying, muddled aspect that many mass produced sauces exhibit. The apple offers a secondary aspect to the sweetness that is a nice counterpoint to the honey. It helps to round out the flavor and adds to the overall experience.

For those that insist on labels, I’d say that this is what a KC sauce should be. In reality, it defies categorization. Give the sauce a shot, you won’t be disappointed.

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REVIEW: Little Boy's BBQ Sauce

Little Boys Thick and Tasty BBQ Sauce

Manufacturer Little Boys Sauces
Website www.littleboyssauces.com

Quality *** (3out of 5)
Viscosity *** (3 out of 5)
Aroma ** (2.5 out of 5)
Appearance *** (3 out of 5)
Packaging *** (3 out of 5)

This sauce was used on pulled pork and that was cooked low and slow over cherry wood.

This was a fun sauce to review because it offered something new, and not in taste. This sauce had a strangely seductive property to it. I tried the sauce with pulled pork, so it wasn’t cooked on the meat as much as finished with it. I tried the meat and thought that the sauce was a bit plain and overly ‘ketchupy’. Ok, I was done. I tried it again and noticed a bit more depth. Fine. Now I was done. I tried it a third time and reconfirmed my earlier opinions. Ok, it was time to leave. I sat back and tried some more. You can’t stop eating this stuff and I don’t know why.

The aroma is mild and the sauce is dark red. Seeds and other ingredients are visible in the sauce through the glass in the bottle. The sauce comes in a 12 oz glass bottle that has a nice, understated label. The label is black and tan with mostly white labeling.

The sauce has a nice viscosity and offers a pleasant vinegar tang after the initial sweetness. There is some spice, but it’s mild.

I’m recommending this sauce, but for the life of me I don’t know why. It wasn’t remarkable in any way except for the fact that I couldn’t stop eating it.

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REVIEW: Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Fischer Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce
Manufacturer Fischer Wieser
Website www.jelly.com

Quality *** (3.5 out of 5)
Viscosity *** (3.5 out of 5)
Aroma *** (3.5 out of 5)
Appearance *** (4 out of 5)
Packaging **** (3 out of 5)

This sauce was used on pulled pork, brisket and chicken that were all cooked low and slow with a variety of woods.

I have to be very careful here, as this sauce was being used straight out of the bottle as a BBQ sauce, but is not labeled as one. I feel that I’m doing the manufacturer a bit of a disservice as I’m reviewing them in a category that they never claimed to be a part of. The star ratings synopsis above doesn’t paint a complete picture, so please read further.

Even though this isn’t a BBQ sauce per se, it is better than the majority of the sauces available at your local supermarket for your ‘Q straight out of the bottle. If you follow the manufacturer’s advice to modify the base sauce into a BBQ sauce the end result goes from ‘good’ to ‘excellent’. Mixing like amounts of the sauce to cider vinegar provides the ‘pop’ and nuance that elevates the eating experience.

The sauce comes in an 18oz. glass bottle and it pours well (although the sauce is thick). The label is a simple light color with purple and black lettering that matches the sauce. The bottle came with an attached booklet that offered a variety of recipes.

A strong raspberry aroma wafts from the sauce. The aroma is very pleasing and hard not to notice, but it strangely has no elements of the chipotle. The sauce is a dark red, bordering on purple. It is chunky and thick when used straight from the bottle.

If you prefer not to alter the sauce, it would make a great glaze for ribs. There is a nice sweetness to the sauce that is a bit intense. The raspberry flavor is present immediately and it lingers through the tasting. The chipotle kicks in after the sweetness hits and offers a nice counterpart for the flavor. When cider vinegar is added the sweetness is ameliorated and a pleasing ‘tang’ is offered.

This is a well made and versatile sauce that deserves your attention. Give it a shot.



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Cowboy Chris Mild

Cowboy Chris’ Mild Barbecue Sauce

Manufacturer: Cowboy Chris’ Barbecue Sauce
Email: Cowboy33_@excite.com

Quality *** (3.5 out of 5)
Viscosity *** (3 out of 5)
Aroma *** (3 out of 5)
Appearance *** (3.5 out of 5)
Packaging **** (4 out of 5)

This sauce was used on pulled pork, and brisket that were cooked low and slow over cherry wood. The opinions are both mine and Will Breakstone’s, owner and pit-master of Willie B’s Award Winning BBQ.

It seems that Cowboy Chris’ Barbecue Sauce is a new and rather small manufacturer that offers a mild and a hot BBQ sauce as well as a wing sauce. ‘Cowboy Chris’ is not a Madison Ave. moniker. The founder of the company is a rodeo fan and grew up in a family that shared that passion.

The sauces come in 18oz plastic bottles that allow for easy pouring of this slightly loose sauce. The sauce is a light orange’ish color and has a mild, sweet aroma. The aroma is on par to the taste. Mild but pleasing.

The sauce has a combination of standard ingredients (ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, etc.) but they have struck an excellent balance. The taste isn’t unique or off the beaten path, but it is well made and the flavors are properly integrated. There is subtle layering and no one taste dominates.

Overall the taste lives up to its label as being ‘mild’ and it also offers a significant sweetness. This sauce offers a pleasing bulk to it. The aroma might lead you to believe that the sauce is wispy and ethereal, without significant body or heft. There is a surprising substance to the sauce and it offers a significant impact on the food you are placing it on. The sweetness isn’t all that’s being offered to the palette.

The sauce has barely visible ingredients that are pleasing when chewed. As should be obvious to regular readers, I enjoy sauces that provide at least a hint of texture. I’m assuming that there are minced onions or peppers that are represented, but the opaque sauce makes it hard to tell.

Cowboy Chris’ Mild Barbecue Sauce is a good sauce offered at a fair price. I look forward to seeing where they take their product line in the future.

*Sauce pictured is the 'hot' version.


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REVIEW: Tassleberry Farm Strawberry BBQ Sauce

Tassleberry Farm Strawberry BBQ Sauce
Manufacturer Tassleberry Farm
Website www.tassleberry.com

Quality **** (4 out of 5)
Viscosity *** (3 out of 5)
Aroma **** (4 out of 5)
Appearance **** (4.5 out of 5)
Packaging **** (4 out of 5)

This sauce was used on pulled pork and brisket that was cooked low and slow over cherry wood. The opinions are both mine and Will Breakstone’s, owner and pit-master of Willie B’s Award Winning BBQ.

Tassleberry Farm is located in central NY and they are a strawberry farm that manufactures their own strawberry products. It is heartening to see a supplier who is producing a product from their own harvest as opposed to using an outside purveyor. We have seen this once before with our review of the Chukar Cherry sauce and we were extremely impressed with their product. Tassleberry Farm makes it ‘2 for 2’, as this sauce is a hit.

This BBQ sauce comes in a 16oz. bottle with an elegant label. The packaging doesn’t have that homey, rural look that a lot of sauces (often from major metropolitan cities) strive for, and I like that. If this was purposeful, it was a great choice. Going contrarian accentuates that this sauce is well off the beaten path for the standard BBQ condiments. The labeling and bottling have a decided epicurean feel to them and they stand out.

The sauce is a dark, rich red that offers a wonderful aroma. The aroma represents a significant sweetness that is not as prominent in the taste. The sauce is very thick and should not be used as a glaze or a mop. As a matter of fact, when you are preparing to use this sauce, be patient. It doesn’t pour easy, but it’s worth the wait.

I was expecting a very sweet sauce with a strong emphasis on the strawberry flavor profile. I was surprised to find that the sweetness of the strawberry was downplayed and the basic flavor was highlighted. We may be of a like mind in finding it hard to mentally separate the sweetness from the inherent strawberry flavor. Tasting this sauce was a revelation.

The sauce has a slight sweetness, but offers a very deep flavor. The interesting mix of the tomato, strawberry and the strawberry’s pickling agent offers a very unique flavor that is appealing on both lighter subjects such as chicken and stronger meats such as brisket. The strawberry seeds offer a nice crunch and a variation on the mouthfeel. The taste lingers in the pleasantly in the mouth with hints of paprika and vinegar (possibly from the pickling agent).

This sauce is very highly recommended for true BBQ. I’m not sure if I would use it for grilling burgers and the like, but it is definitely coming out of the refrigerator for a BBQ I’m cooking for at the end of the month.

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REVIEW: EZ Earl's Smokin-Hot Sauce

EZ Earl Smokin-Hot Sauce


Manufacturer Branding Iron Foods

Website www.brandingironfoods.com

Quality **** (4.5 out of 5)
Viscosity *** (3 out of 5)
Heat **** (4.5 out of 5)
Appearance **** (4 out of 5)

This sauce was used on pulled pork and brisket that was cooked low and slow with apple wood and oak.

EZ Earls Smokin-Hot Sauce comes in a 15oz glass bottle. The sauce is thick, but pours easily. The bottle has a nice heft to it. The label has the image of an individual that I assume is Earl in iconic western regalia. The overall visual impression is strong and stands out amongst other sauces.

The aroma of the sauce is pleasing and has a nice ‘tang’ to it. It indicates the flavor, but not the intensity, of what is to come.


The sauce is a rich, dark red coloring. Regular readers will note that there are three general ‘looks’ for sauces. The first is a mustard sauce, which will range from a light to a golden yellow color. The second is the traditional KC style sauce that is reddish in color and regular without color variation. The third are sauces that have ingredients that are visible in the sauce. These are usually a darker color or are unusual varieties (sadly, the classic vinegar sauces fall into the ‘unusual’ category). I prefer the sauces that allow you to see seeds or bits of onion and peppers. EZ Earls does a great job giving you a preview of what you are going to be tasting. The seeds are clearly visible and to me at least, it makes the sauce that much more appealing.

As long as we are drawing comparisons, let’s discuss heat. There are two types of ‘hot’ BBQ sauce. The first spicy BBQ sauce is for the average consumer that purchases their sauce at their local grocery store. The sauce is often labeled as ‘bold’ or ‘spicy’. It’s usually neither. The second category is the sauce produced by a manufacturer who knows heat and produces sauces for the scoville aficionado. Unfortunately, these manufacturers are often more interested in the heat than the flavor.

Branding Iron Foods knows heat. Thankfully, they also know flavor and find no reason to sacrifice one for the other. This is a quality sauce that provides a serious kick. For a ‘heat head’ I would rate the heat a 7 out of 10. It’s not going to burn your tongue, but it is going to give you something to remember. A number of the hotter sauces will offer a sweet background to offset the spice (look for the upcoming review of the excellent Tassleberry Farms Strawberry Jerk Sauce as an example). EZ Earl goes in a different direction and offers a savory complement to the heat that provides an excellent base, but a less severe contrast.

The flavor lingers nicely with an enjoyable heat and without the burn that seriously hot sauces often induce. I would NOT use this sauce with chicken or fish. It might make an interesting marinade for the chicken, but not a sauce. Stronger meats would pair well with EZ Earl’s Smokin-Hot Sauce.

This is one of the highest quality spicy BBQ sauces that I have had the pleasure to taste. I recommend it highly to anyone that enjoys serious heat in their ‘Q.

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REVIEW: Grandvilles Extra Spicy

Grandville’s Gourmet BBQ Sauce Extra Spicy

Manufacturer Grandville’s Gourmet BBQ Sauce Extra Spicy
Website www.grandvillesbbqsauces.com

Quality **** (4.5 out of 5)
Viscosity **** (5 out of 5)
Aroma **** (4 out of 5)
Spice **** (4 out of 5)
Appearance ***** (5 out of 5)
Packaging *** (3 out of 5)

This sauce was used on pulled pork and brisket that was cooked low and slow over cherry wood. The opinions are both mine and Will Breakstone’s, owner and pit-master of Willie B’s Award Winning BBQ.

This is our second review of a Grandville’s sauce and nothing much has changed. They are still an excellent, top tier sauce. The tropical and spicy sauces are similar to one another while oddly disparate. Quite often a spicy BBQ sauce will be the same sauce as the manufacturers ‘base’ or ‘mild’, but jacked up. Grandville’s seems to make a serious effort to provide separate and distinct flavor profiles. The constant in this equation is the first class quality.

The sauce comes in an 18 oz. mason like jar. The packaging is a little cartoony, with an anthropomorphized pepper on the label. The packaging works fine, providing a distinct look for the brand.

The sauce has a nice ‘fruity’ and natural aroma that is not indicative of the heat. The aroma seemed a bit stronger in this sauce as opposed to their tropical variety.

The sauce itself is a dark red with a great viscosity. Notice I said viscosity, not consistency. The sauce has sizeable chunks of ingredients that improves the overall mouthfeel and appearance. It is a serious departure from the overly pureed KC style sauces that we see so often.

There is an initial sweetness to this sauce that accents the substantial heat that comes your way a short while later. If a 10 is the hottest commercial BBQ sauce you will find, this is a 7. That isn’t a very expansive description of the heat factor. You have to also take into account the integration of the various flavors, whether the heat offers anything but scovilles and how the heat lingers. This sauce passes with flying colors on all accounts.

There should be one, small editorial note: I truly enjoy spicy foods more than the average person. What for me is a 7 on the heat level might be significantly higher for you.

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REVIEW: La Nova BBQ Sauce

La Nova BBQ Sauce

Manufacturer La Nova Wings
Website www.lanova.com

Quality * (1 out of 5)
Viscosity ** (2 out of 5)
Aroma * (1 out of 5)
Appearance *** (3 out of 5)
Packaging *** (3 out of 5)

This sauce was used on rib and pulled pork that was cooked low and slow over cherry and apple (ribs and pork) and birch (chicken).

Well, once again we move into that difficult territory of reviewing a sauce based on what it claims to be as opposed to what it actually is. Let’s take a different tack this time and do both!

La Nova BBQ sauce is absolutely horrible as a BBQ sauce. I was thinking about being polite and saying that it wasn’t good, but that would leave ‘average’ wide open. ‘Average’ looks down on this sauce with a sneer of disdain. If you are looking to make up some ‘Q, don’t use this sauce. It’s as simple as that.

The sauce smells exactly like ‘Chef Boyardee’. Exactly. It’s sort of weird. The sauce has a loose consistency that doesn’t adhere to the meat well. It’s not as loose as a vinegar or mustard sauce, but it’s not as thick as a KC sauce and it has none of the appeal of either.

The sauce has a soft, cloying sweetness that is disturbing. It’s like a third or fourth rate ketchup. The sauce has an odd aftertaste, so your palette is tainted for longer than you might expect.

The sauce comes in a plastic 14oz. bottle that allows for easy pouring.

* Pictured above is the ‘hot’ version of the sauce.


REVIEW AS A WING SAUCE

Unfortunately you will find manufacturers that try to multi-purpose their sauces. Marinades labeled as sauces. Hot sauces labeled as BBQ. And now a wing sauce labeled as a BBQ sauce. It’s too bad and does a disservice to what might otherwise be a fine product.

La Nova’s BBQ sauce is actually a decent wing sauce. It needs a bit of a kick (which is where their ‘hot’ version comes in), but it’s not bad. We made about a dozen wings with the sauce and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It’s sad that they have to be graded and reviewed as a failed BBQ sauce when they are a decent wing sauce.

I will be reviewing the ‘hot’ version in the future, but it will only be as a wing sauce, not a BBQ.

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REVIEW: MAD Anthony Cafe BBQ Sauce

MAD Anthony’s BBQ Sauce

Manufacturer MAD Anthony Cafe

Website www.madanthonycafe.com

Quality *** (3.5 out of 5)
Viscosity *** (3 out of 5)
Aroma **** (4 out of 5)
Heat **** (4 out of 5)
Appearance **** (4 out of 5)
Packaging **** (4 out of 5)

This sauce was used on pulled pork and brisket that was cooked low and slow over oak and cherry wood. The opinions are both mine and Will Breakstone’s, owner and pit-master of Willie B’s Award Winning BBQ.

MAD Anthony of MAD Anthony Café is Michael Anthony of Van Halen. It seems that Mr. Anthony is one of a growing number of rock legends that are aficionados of hot sauces and have moved into the manufacturing side of things. This could be taken as a cautionary warning, as I’m not overly enthused by dilettantes dabbling in the market place, but the quality of the sauce quickly squashed my reticence.

The majority of the sauces at MAD Anthony Café are of the hot variety, but this BBQ sauce is not. On a scale of 1 to 10 for heat lovers, I would give it a 5 (the ‘heat’ rating above the review is for quality, not spice level). They also have a hot variety of their sauce that will be the subject of a later review.

The sauce has a nice, spicy ketchup like aroma. It is pleasing, but strangely unlike the taste. The sauce itself is a very dark red with seeds and other ingredients visible in the sauce. The thickness is certainly ‘up for the job’ and is fairly standard for a KC style sauce.

The sauce in the ‘individual’ size comes in a thin, glass bottle. The bottle holds 16oz and it pours easily. They also have a large jug version (see image above) that holds half a gallon. The sauce has a nice label that is simple and reminiscent of the Van Halen logo (maybe from 5150?).

The sauce had a very nice mouth feel that added to the overall experience. The sauce was similar to a ‘kicked up’ A1 sauce, with a better body and overall taste. There was an enjoyable ‘earthy’ undertone to the sauce that strangely reminded me of a mild coffee.

Chicken and poultry would find a nice match in the sauce, but it would certainly alter the flavor. The stronger meats such as pork and brisket would fare well and be enhanced by MAD Anthony’s BBQ sauce. If you are looking for an earthy glaze for ribs, this is the sauce for you.

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REVIEW: Russ and Frank's Fiery BBQ Sauce

Russ and Frank’s Mild BBQ Sauce

Manufacturer Russ and Frank’s
Website www.russandfranks.com

Quality ***** (5 out of 5)
Viscosity **** (4 out of 5)
Aroma ** (2.5 out of 5)
Appearance *** (3 out of 5)
Packaging **** (4 out of 5)

This sauce was used on ribs, pulled pork and chicken that was cooked low and slow over cherry and apple (ribs and pork) and birch (chicken).

Russ and Frank’s Award Winning BBQ Sauces are a product of Iowa and if they are indicative of local products, I’m going to be spending a lot more time buying BBQ stuff from Iowans. They offer three sauces, ranging from mild to fiery.

The sauces come in an 18oz mason jar like bottle. The labels on the bottles are a tan color with mostly brown and white lettering. The labels have a nice ‘retro’ feel. The labels are a welcome departure from the overly slick packaging that has anthropomorphized chickens, pigs or cows.

The sauce had a ‘ketchupy’ aroma that was pleasing but didn’t do the taste justice. You could detect the tomato, sweetness and a bit of vinegar. The color was a dark red without variation. You weren’t able to see any of the separate ingredients, which is often visually appealing in lighter sauces.

The sauce has a nice thickness with a viscosity that allows for great adhesion to the meat. The sauce thickens over time and also seems to thicken when refrigerated.*

Let’s start with what would normally be a review end-cap. How much do I like this sauce? I’m almost done with the bottle. Why is that significant? I have about 20 bottles of sauce waiting to be reviewed and I have another 40 or so opened bottles in the house. I clearly have my choice of sauces and I keep going back to Russ and Frank’s.

This is the hottest of the Russ and Frank’s sauce, but comparatively it isn’t all that spicy. On the 1 – 10 heat meter I would give it a 6. It seems that there are two schools of thought for most manufacturers when creating a spicy BBQ sauce. The first group creates a hot sauce and modifies it to resemble a BBQ sauce. The second modifies a BBQ sauce to make it spicier. Both can be successful, but I prefer the second method.

Russ and Frank’s has taken a BBQ sauce and successfully added enough heat to retain the integrity of the ‘BBQ’ aspect while providing the kick that spice heads look for. It isn’t an overpowering heat, as a matter of fact it is only slightly hotter than their ‘sassy’ variety.

I use the sauce on poultry as well as ‘heartier’ meats, but I enjoy spice (maybe too much). For most people, you may want to use this with brisket or pork.

There are few manufacturers that produce across the board quality. Russ and Frank’s is one.

* Repeated from the review of Russ and Frank’s mild sauce

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REVIEW: Russ and Frank's Sassy BBQ Sauce

Russ and Frank’s Mild BBQ Sauce

Manufacturer Russ and Frank’s
Website www.russandfranks.com

Quality ***** (5 out of 5)
Viscosity **** (4 out of 5)
Aroma ** (2.5 out of 5)
Appearance *** (3 out of 5)
Packaging **** (4 out of 5)

This sauce was used on ribs, pulled pork and chicken that was cooked low and slow over cherry and apple (ribs and pork) and birch (chicken).

Russ and Frank’s Award Winning BBQ Sauces are a product of Iowa and if they are indicative of local products, I’m going to be spending a lot more time buying BBQ stuff from Iowans. They offer three sauces, ranging from mild to fiery.

The sauces come in an 18oz mason jar like bottle. The labels on the bottles are a tan color with mostly brown and white lettering. The labels have a nice ‘retro’ feel. The labels are a welcome departure from the overly slick packaging that has anthropomorphized chickens, pigs or cows.

The sauce had a ‘ketchupy’ aroma that was pleasing but didn’t do the taste justice. You could detect the tomato, sweetness and a bit of vinegar. The color was a dark red without variation. You weren’t able to see any of the separate ingredients, which is often visually appealing in lighter sauces.

The sauce has a nice thickness with a viscosity that allows for great adhesion to the meat. The sauce thickens over time and also seems to thicken when refrigerated.*

The first thing that hits you is a sweetness that is pleasant and flavorful. Then a mild heat sneaks in and gives the sauce a jumpstart. The heat, which is certainly not overwhelming, is what elevates this sauce to the rarified ‘5 out of 5’ for quality. The spice lingers on the tongue and informs the entire tasting process. The sauce doesn’t overwhelm the flavor of the meat, it enhances it.

‘Sassy’ is an excellent adjective for this sauce. It wouldn’t fall into the ‘spicy’ category and certainly wouldn’t belong with ‘hot’ BBQ sauces. The heat level is moderate at best and perfectly blended with the sweetness of the sauce.

In general, I prefer spicy sauces that offer more heat than this; but in spite of that this sauce gets our highest rating for quality. Truly an excellent sauce.

* Repeated from the review of Russ and Frank’s mild sauce

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REVIEWS: Russ and Frank's Mild Sauce

Russ and Frank’s Mild BBQ Sauce

Manufacturer Russ and Frank’s
Website www.russandfranks.com

Quality **** (4.5 out of 5)
Viscosity **** (4 out of 5)
Aroma ** (2.5 out of 5)
Appearance *** (3 out of 5)
Packaging **** (4 out of 5)

This sauce was used on ribs, pulled pork and chicken that was cooked low and slow over cherry and apple (ribs and pork) and birch (chicken).

Russ and Frank’s Award Winning BBQ Sauces are a product of Iowa and if they are indicative of local products, I’m going to be spending a lot more time buying BBQ stuff from Iowans. They offer three sauces, ranging from mild to fiery.

The sauces come in an 18oz mason jar like bottle. The labels on the bottles are a tan color with mostly brown and white lettering. The labels have a nice ‘retro’ feel. The labels are a welcome departure from the overly slick packaging that has anthropomorphized chickens, pigs or cows.

The sauce had a ‘ketchupy’ aroma that was pleasing but didn’t do the taste justice. You could detect the tomato, sweetness and a bit of vinegar. The color was a dark red without variation. You weren’t able to see any of the separate ingredients, which is often visually appealing in lighter sauces.

The sauce has a nice thickness with a viscosity that allows for great adhesion to the meat. The sauce thickens over time and also seems to thicken when refrigerated.

The flavor was sweet without owing too much to the ketchup that can be detected from the aroma. There is a very nice tartness that follows the initial sweetness and provides a great contrast. The sauce lived up to the billing of ‘mild’ and could easily be used on any meat. Oddly, the site recommends using the sauce when grilling but doesn’t mention BBQ. Let me correct that oversight right now. The sauce will enhance any ‘Q you are making.

Although I’m not a fan of sweet or mild sauces, there is no denying the excellence of this sauce. I have family members and friends who are adverse to any application of spice at all. I would be happy using this sauce for them and wouldn’t feel that I had compromised the integrity of the food I was preparing.

Russ and Frank’s manufactures excellent sauces and they deserve to be better known in the BBQ community.

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REVIEWS: BBQ Joints

BBQ Joints - stories and recipes from the Barbecue Belt

By: David Gelin

Publisher: Gibbs Smith

168 pages

David Gelin is the author of the recently published BBQ Joints – stories and recipes from the Barbecue Belt. David was the subject of an earlier interview on the Home of BBQ where he related a bit of his background and how he went about writing the book.

Gelin’s book is a travelogue of some of the most ‘authentic’ BBQ joints throughout the nation. In an industry as idiosyncratic as BBQ, you are going to be hard pressed to find a uniform definition of an ‘authentic’ or ‘true’ BBQ joint; but I would be very surprised to hear anyone having any qualms with Gelin’s choices.

The book is replete with anecdotes, snippets of history, recipes and photos. If (like me) you are a yankee, this book opens up a window through which you can take a glance at a romanticized south. Each entry contains a little history, a bit of background, the restaurants name and address and a recipe. Mixed in throughout is a liberal dose of social commentary, discussing what is, what was and helping to form conclusions about what should be.

These are the stories of people who take their ‘Q seriously. It is a way of life that they are helping to preserve for their children and ours. No one in this book is going to become wealthy from selling BBQ. No one is going to be able to live a life of leisure while being a BBQ dilettante. The restaurant business is difficult and the BBQ niche is an exemplar of that credo. The pitmasters and restaurant owners featured in BBQ Joints love what they do and sharing that passion is their reward.

The book is well written and well organized. What is more important is that the author knows what he is talking about. You can disagree on matters of personal preference, but there is no denying that David Gelin is a BBQ aficionado. The book is an easy read that will have a permanent home in my collection.

You can visit David’s site at http://davidgelin.com

You can (and should) purchase the book at most major booksellers and online through retailers such as Amazon.com.

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REVIEW: Chipotle Sauce and Marinade

Manufacturer Borderline Gourmet








Website www.borderlinegourmet.biz

Quality **** (4 out of 5)
Viscosity ** (2 out of 5)
Appearance **** (4 out of 5)
Packaging ***** (5 out of 5)
Aroma *** (3 out of 5)

This sauce was used on pulled pork that was cooked low and slow with apple wood.

Let’s clear something up right away. I’m pretty sure that ‘Borderline Gourmet’ is meant to imply that the food is gourmet and has a southwestern influence. It is not meant to be ‘borderline gourmet’ like I’m ‘borderline nuts’. It is quite clear that the dazzling array of food that they offer on their website seems to all be of the highest quality.

Borderline Gourmet's sauce comes in a beautiful and elegant bottle with a sophisticated but simple label.

The sauce has a mild but pleasing aroma that does a great job of representing the taste that is offered.

In an odd departure from the picture provided on their website, the sauce is actually a light brown, not the red depicted. The seeds and spices are visible in the sauce, providing a nice visual.

The sauce itself had a mild tomato and vinegar taste with an excellent underlining chipotle’ish’ flavor. The sauce would be well suited for chicken or even fish. The best use for stronger meats may be to use this sauce as the marinade that it is double billed as.

The sauce has the viscosity of a marinade or a true vinegar sauce, which may result in running and a lack of pooling or adhesion.

If I’m setting up the smoker or heating up the grill and I’m looking for a sophisticated and nuanced sauce with a unique flavor profile, this is where I’m turning.

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REVIEW: Grumpy's Bold Sauce

Grumpy’s Private Reserve Bold Sauce
Manufacturer Grumpy’s Foods
Website www.grumpysbbq.com



Quality *** (3.5 out of 5)
Viscosity **** (4 out of 5)
Aroma *** (3.5 out of 5)
Appearance *** (3 out of 5)
Packaging **** (4 out of 5)

This sauce was used on pulled pork and brisket that were cooked low and slow over cherry wood. The opinions are both mine and Will Breakstone’s, owner and pit-master of Willie B’s Award Winning BBQ.

I have a bit of a quandary here. Do I review the sauce on its own merits or what it is labeled as? Unfortunately, I didn’t find the sauce to be ‘bold’ at all. As a product that is labeled ‘bold’ I would hope that they would at least attempt to live up to that claim. Now here is where the problem comes in; the sauce is really good.

The aroma is nice, with a strong tomato influence. The bottle and packaging are fine, with the white pig image standing in stark contrast to the rest of the bottle. The sauce has a great thickness, having just enough viciousness to stick to the meat and having a great ‘feel’ to it.

Although I wouldn’t call the sauce bold, it did have a nice lingering flavor with mild spice overtones. There was an excellent distinction between the various flavors and the sauce offered a nice contrast to the overly blended varieties found in most supermarkets.

The sauce was appealing for ‘across the board’ use. I would feel comfortable using it on pretty much any BBQ except fish. It would also make a nice grilling sauce and I can easily see myself using it with steak.

Their website offers photos, recipes and a listing of awards. The awards that they have won were impressive, but it would have been nice if they listed which of their sauce won.

You can order the sauce (and I recommend doing so) from their website or pick it up at various locations in Colorado.


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REVIEW: Pecos Bill's Widow Maker

Pecos Bill’s Lindsey’s Widow Maker

Manufacturer Pecos Bill’s BBQ
Website www.pecosbillsbbq.com

Quality **** (4 out of 5)
Viscosity **** (4.5 out of 5)
Aroma ** (2.5 out of 5)
Heat **** (4 out of 5)
Appearance *** (3.5 out of 5)
Packaging **** (4 out of 5)

This sauce was used on pulled pork and brisket that was cooked low and slow over cherry wood. The opinions are both mine and Will Breakstone’s, owner and pit-master of Willie B’s Award Winning BBQ.

Pecos Bill’s is a family run sauce company out of northeastern Pennsylvania. In addition to their sauces, they do local catering. Their sauces seem to have been created and manufactured in a staggered process, as opposed to everything being released simultaneously. I would like to believe that this indicates that the sauces are slowly worked on and developed, being released after serious deliberation and research.

The sauces packaging feature ‘wild west’ motifs, with photos of family members in western regalia on the label. I believe that the personalities of the family members are matched to the style of sauce. The packaging is eye catching and has a nice ‘retro’ feel.

The aroma of the sauce did not capture the essence of the taste. That’s not to say that it was bad, it just wasn’t indicative of the intensity of the flavor. The aroma gave you hints of the sweetness and the tomato, but not the robust heat provided by the capsaicin.

The sauce itself was an attractive red sauce that was a bit thicker than the traditional KC style sauce (we seem to be using KC style sauces as our baseline lately). The sauce had an enjoyable variation of mouth feels, as it wasn’t the overly pureed product you often see in mass produced sauces.

The sweetness is the first thing that stands out when you try the sauce. It’s a nice, light sweetness that avoids the overpowering and artificial flavor imparted by most sauces using corn syrup variations. After a second or two the heat comes. And it comes strong. The heat is considerable, but is by no means overpowering. If the average ‘hot’ BBQ sauce is a 5, this would be a 6 or 7. The heat is integrated well into the overall flavor profile. It is long lingering and yet it doesn’t overpower the taste of the meat or destroy the sweetness.

I didn’t detect any spice variation. If I were to suggest anything, it might be that they add some ancho or other low heat base to the sauce to provide a layered taste (and it may also help the aroma).

If you enjoy some kick in your BBQ, pick up Lindsey’s Widow Maker. You won’t be disappointed. If heat isn’t your thing, you may want to look elsewhere.

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