Review: Draper's BBQ Rub & Sauce

I love the "microbrew" movement in BBQ sauces and rubs.  It has created many new products and companies that share the love of good BBQ with a passion to make a great product.

Shane Draper at Draper's BBQ is one of those folks who is sharing his passion and family traditions via his own "microbrew" BBQ sauce and rub.  Shane is a 3rd generation pitmaster from Western Kentucky and as the label states, there's "3 generations of pride and flavor in a bottle" that honors his family hertiage.  While I had met Shane on line awhile back, it was only recently that I actually got to chat with him a little at the Kentucky Bluegrass festival where he was sharing samples of his products.

I came home with a bottle of both the A.P. Rub and the Smokin' Sauce.  I'd planned to cook with these products righ away, but a little knife accident sidelined me for a couple of weeks.  I finally had the opportunity to fire up the grill and try out Draper's rub & sauce.  I like to sample rubs and sauces with pork tenderloin or chicken.  I think flavors stand out a little more with these meats.

So, we had a couple of pork tenderloins ready to go for dinner last night.  I applied the A.P. Rub to both and grilled them on the Bubba Keg.  When they were nearly done, I gave one of them a coat of Smokin' Sauce as a finish.  Then, I sliced them and the family sat down to dinner.  

Now usually, my wife and I like a finish sauce on pork tenderloin, but my kids prefer them dry.  The Smokin' Sauce definitely changed that.  Much to my surprise, the kids couldn't get enough of the sauced tenderloin.  In fact, one of my daughters said, "I can't eat any more, but can I lick the sauce off that last piece?"  Now if that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is!  

In all seriousness, Smokin' Sauce is a tomato based sauce with a slightly sweet finish and just a little kick.  Don't think "Kansas City" when I say sweet, cause that's not what I'm talking about.  This is more Memphis than KC, but I'd even hesitate to put it in the category of Memphis style sauces.  I have also tried the sauce on brisket and for me, I'd have to say that I prefered it on pork.  But it was a good compliment to both.

The A.P. Rub is a really nice balance of salt, spice, and sweet.  In fact Shane was sampling the product sprinkled on popcorn in Danville, KY.  I found it just a little sweeter than the rubs I've been using most often.  That's probably what makes it more all purpose than rubs targeted at a specific meat.  For comparison, I'd definitely put it in the cateogry of a Dizzy Pig or Yardbird type of rub.  Truly, it's an all-purpose (or A.P.) rub. 

I'm very happy with the products and I'll continue to cook with them.  I'm also anxious to try the other sauces that Shane's working on.

Check out Draper's BBQ at http://www.drapersbbq.com

Cheers,
Braddog

Rub & Sauce

For the month of June, I'm booked solid.  My BBQ commitments shape up like this:

• June 4th - Pigapalooza, where I'll be cooking for a fund raiser to support Jacob's Ladder
• June 11th - cooking pork butt for a graduation party.
• June 18th - my first BBQ competition
• June 25th - pork butt & brisket for my cousin's wedding reception

So with all that to do over the next month, I realized that I needed to lay in a few supplies and settle on a flavor profile (at least for the month of June).  Since I've been using Plowboy's Yardbird, it's become my go to rub.  Likewise, Blueshog BBQ sauce has become my go to sauce for ribs.  I'm still in search of a go to sauce to apply to sandwiches, but for now I think I'm set.

Plowboy's Yardbird Rub Blues Hog BBQ Sauce

Home to see some of you at one these fine events!

Cheers,
Braddog 

Review: Pork Barrel BBQ Sauce

I began following the boys at Pork Barrel BBQ on the interwebs awhile back.  What caught my attention was the catchy name and the story of how they chose it.  It seems the founders were US Senate staffers in Washington, DC.  While their bosses were debating Pork Barrel Spending, they were debating their BBQ dining options in the greater DC area.  The two things collided and what you have is a catchy name for a line of BBQ sauces & rubs.

Recently, I was perusing the sauce selection at my local grocer in the midwest and was surprised to see their Pork Barrel BBQ sauce on the shelf.  I snapped up a bottle of the original sauce, headed for home, and put together a couple of sandwiches from the leftover pulled pork that was waiting for my in my refrigerator.

I piled a couple of buns high and applied a liberal amount of Pork Barrel sauce.  It's a thin sauce and the vinegar twang outpaces the catsup base that's listed on the label.  I'd call it a variation on a Carolina style sauce.  While I enjoyed the sauce overall, it was a little too"vinegary" for my taste and I'd like a little more pepper.  But that hasn't stopped me from continuing to use it.  I'll also try their sweet sauce the next time I'm in that grocery store.

You can check out Pork Barrel BBQ sauce at their website:  http://www.porkbarrlebbq.com

Cheers,

Braddog

Review: Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce from Tastefully Simple

My cupboard overflows with a variety of sauces & rubs. Every now and then, one of them really jumps out at me. That is true of the Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce from Tastefully Simple.

This is a very thick sauce with a great balance of sweetness and spice. I especially enjoy the taste of this sauce on pork tenderloin. I like to warm it up to thin it out a little, then brush it on when I'm finishing the meat. It's also a versatile sauce, and I'll leave you with this little recipe that goes over great at holiday gatherings.

Pomegranate Chipotle, Cream Cheese Dip

• Ingredients:
  • one 8 Oz. Package of Cream cheese
  • Tastefully Simple Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce
  • 6 strips of crisp bacon
• Preparation:
  • Place block of cream cheese on plate
  • Pour warmed Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce over the cream cheese
  • Crumble bacon strips over the top
  • Serve with crackers

It's a very simple recipe and requires no mixing, etc.  The hardest part is frying the bacon.

If you're looking for something to add a little variety to your collection of BBQ sauces, I highly recommend you give this one a try.

Cheers,
Braddog

My "Go To" BBQ Sauce

I don't usually make my own sauce or BBQ rub, cause I find that there are so many good sauces & rubs on the market. 

I'll bet you're like me and you find that you have a standard sauce that you go to for most things.  Mine is Sweet Baby Ray's original sauce.  As a result, I typically have a few open bottles with just a little bit left in the bottom.

Recently, I was doing BBQ beef on the Big Green Egg and as I got ready to pull and sauce the chuck roasts I realized that I had 5 partial bottles of Sweet Baby Rays.  I snapped this picture of all the wounded soldiers on my Big Green Egg table.

What's your "go to" sauce?  Drop me a comment and let me know.

Cheers,
Braddog

Review: Alford's BBQ Sauce

I've talked about the brotherhood of BBQ fans before, and once again a member of the brotherhood has come bearing gifts.  A co-worker recently returned from a trip to his hometown and brought me a bottle of sauce from his favorite BBQ joint.

Alford's is a BBQ joint in Kennet, MO and apparently folks in that part of the country will drive for miles to enjoy some of their BBQ.  I haven't gotten a chance to eat there, but I do have the pleasure of sampling their sauce.

It's a thin sauce with a vinegary taste and a decent kick.  I applied it to some left over brisket and over the course of a couple of days, I think I went through half of the bottle on my own. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the sauce and can't wait till I find myself in that part of the country to try some of their BBQ.  If you're passing through here's their information, but apparantely you need to go early.  Cause as I understand it, they sometimes run out of BBQ.

Alford's Bar-B-Q

1009 St Francis St, Kennett, MO

(573) 888-4539 ‎

Cheers,
Braddog

DIY BBQ Sauce

If you've ever been bitten by the BBQ bug, you've probably tried to make your own BBQ sauce or rub.  I know I have.  But what I've found over time is that I never create anything quite as good as I can buy, and the ingredients tend to get pretty expensive.  So I've pretty much resigned myself to enjoying the sauces and rubs that I can buy.

However my brother recently shared his BBQ sauce recipe with me and while it starts with a bottle of commercially available sauce, he adds his own style to it with the following recipe.

• Start off with your favorite BBQ sauce. I like the  Sweet Baby Ray's sweet BBQ in the  40 oz bottle
• 12 oz can of Coke
• 2 tblspn of chili powder
• 2 tblspn of Lawry's seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• Mix together
• You can acquire a 40oz. squeeze bottle at your local discount store.

I gotta admit, this was pretty tasty and I'll be using it on pulled pork in the next week or so.  Give it a shot and I think you'll find you can personalize a sauce to your own taste.

Cheers,
Braddog