Now don’t forget the regional variants of BBQ sauce. There are some really good ones. Here are a couple of my favourites:
Firebud Brands are a small one(?)-man operation based in Atlanta, Georgia, and they produce two of my favourite sauces:
Alabama Salvation Sauce is a mayonnaise-based white sauce with strong hints of horseradish and black pepper which is awesome on white and red meats. I haven’t tried it with roast beef yet, but I’m looking forward to it.
Slap Sauce is a Carolina-style, mustard-based sauce that really works well with pork, the meat most commonly barbecued in the Carolinas. Personally, I’ve also used it as an excellent salad (can I say that word here?) dressing, and it is stunning on cheese-on-toast. I describe Slap Sauce as ‘a strong piccalilli without the veg’.
Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q is an iconic family-run restaurant in Decatur, Alabama, that started operating in 1925 and, more recently, has been extremely successful on the competition circuit in the States. In addition to their own Original Seasoning & Rub and Steak & Burger Rub, they have developed 4 top BBQ sauces which they use in the restaurant: Original White, Championship Red, Backyard Mustard, and Habanero Red.
All are very good, but my personal favourite is their Original White BBQ Sauce, which is a vinegary, mayonnaise-based sauce. As I understand it, BBQ chicken is one of Big Bob Gibson BBQ’s signature dishes and all their BBQ chicken is dipped in a vat of their Original White BBQ Sauce prior to serving. And I know why. Original White BBQ Sauce is good when you taste it on its own, but on BBQ chicken or pork, it’s just incredible.
I don’t know why, but of all the many BBQ sauces I’ve tried over the years, I don’t think I have come across a sauce that works so well in combination with barbecued chicken and pork – the sauce really enhances the meat and vice versa.
Well, I won’t cover all the sauces we stock in this article so I have something to write about another time, but I will highlight one more range of BBQ sauces that I feel are worthy of mention, even if they have been developed
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