Pendleton Barbecue Sauce - Yes That is Pendleton Whiskey BBQ Sauce

Pendleton Barbecue Sauce - Original and Hot/Spicy

I try not to read much about a barbecue sauce before I do a grill test. I like to see if I can catch the flavor layers without having read them.

It was cold outside, but I wanted to try out Pendleton's BBQ Sauce. I went with boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, because they grill fast. Good thing. If you look close, you will see it started snowing after I put the chicken on the O Grill.

Chicken Tenders with Pendleton Whiskey Barbecue Sauce

I popped the lid on the barbecue sauce, and the smell was fabulous. That does not always mean it's great grilled, but I had high hopes.

Since the chicken would grill quick, I lathered it in Pendleton's and put it right on a small gas grill. It only took a few minutes on each side.

Grilled Chicken with Oregon Growers and Pendelton sauce

Yes. The chicken looked yummy. And, YES, it was delicious. The original is great, but I lean to hot and spicy, so that was my favorite.  There are a number of other flavors too like Brown Sugar and Molasses from Pendleton.

There was one flavor I could not pinpoint, and it was a key flavor. I then went back to the information, and it was the Pendleton whiskey. Bam. I should have guessed that, but I've never had that brand whiskey which is aged in oak barrels using glacier-fed, spring water from Mt. Hood in Oregon. I'll have to see if they carry the whiskey around here, because it sure was a nice mix with barbecue sauce. I'm sure the whiskey would be very good based on the flavor it added to the sauce.

The Oregon Growers & Shippers sent me the barbecue sauce to see what I thought in exchange for an honest review (the only kind I do). They specialize in farm-direct products and have an award winning product line. Hood River Distillers produces the Pendleton Whiskey. They have a number of products in their line too.

I would recommend both sauces for almost anyone. The hot and spicy does have a kick, but I don't think it's too much for most people. If you really can't handle heat, then go for the original.

Pork Ribs with Big Butz Barbecue Sauce

I wasn't really planning to grill tonight, but it's such a beautiful day that I could not help myself. Since I have some work to do this evening, I got some pork ribs and put them on the Traeger which is a wood pellet grill. It's really no more difficult to smoke on a Traeger than to bake in the oven.

For the ribs, I went medium heat for an hour and then 1/2 hour on smoke. Now, I have sauced the ribs and will just let them sit on smoke for another hour or roundabouts.

These are small pork rib racks, so they do not take as long as bigger ones.

A good check to see if ribs are done is to get ahold of a bone and tug. The meat should be soft, and the bone ought to be close to pulling out. I guess that's why they call it "fall off the bone" ribs sometimes.



The sauce here is Big Butz. That's some heap good barbecue sauce. This is the original blend which is sweet but with a little kick of heat. Big Butz has hot and extra hot, but I am doing the regular tonight, since the younger son does not like his food too hot. The regular works for him, so it is not super hot. I think few people would find it too hot. I'm a hot freak, but I tone it down depending on who is eating. So, Big Butz original is a nice go-to sauce for any group or occasion.

Game Day Eats Barbecue Sauce - Excellent on BBQ Ribs

I was playing around over at Twitter and came across Game Day Eats (@gamedayeats) talking about barbecue sauce. I'm always looking for new bbq sauces, so I clicked over to their GameDayEats web site to find the sauces. They have a nice ballgame themed site with lots of information, so it took me a bit to drill down and find their private label sauces, but I found them. I'm like a dog with a bone on things like that.

The sauce came quick and was packed nice. It was in the old fashioned Mason type jars that my Grandma always used, so that was a plus from the get go.

I had to screw off the jar ring and pop the lid open, and this sauce smelled like a winner. It had a rich smell but not too heavy on any one scent. And, yes, I did try a little dab and also found it to be a nice balanced sauce just as it smelled.

It was dark, but I couldn't hold myself back. I cranked up the grill and put on some chicken. I hadn't really planned to grill, but grilled boneless chicken breasts are about as easy to cook for dinner as anything I can think of. So, it was a dinner with Game Day Eats, but the lighting was not good to get photos like I usually do.

The guys thought Game Day Eats was excellent, and so did I. It was not too overpowering on the chicken. And, the balance held through the cooking process. So, the regular blend of Game Day Eats went on my "love it" list and would be a bbq sauce that I would recommend across the board, since it's got a very nice flavor but is not over the top. It would work for any gathering.



Then, last week when we had the big North Carolina snow in (8 inches - wow - a lot for NC), I cranked up the Traeger pellet grill to make a bacon wrapped pork loin. As an after thought, I tossed on some pork ribs I'd had in the freezer. Thought those might be good to have as an appetizer while waiting on the grilled bacon pork loin.

Since the little individual pork ribs were a last minute idea, I didn't marinate or rub them, so I had to think about which of the sauces to use when the ribs got close to done. With thicker sauces, you only put that on the last part of the cooking time. In the case of the Traeger with a low heat smoke, I sauced for the last 15 minutes.

Hum. Decisions. Decisions. I finally grabbed Game Day Eats sauce, since I'd not had that on pork before - only the chicken.



Boy howdy. The ribs were absolutely fabulous even if they were just on the fly. Game Day Eats did them proud. The sauce was great on the chicken, but I liked it even better on the pork ribs. The contrast was perfect. We got the full effect of the smoked ribs plus the robust but not a shock-to-the-system taste of the barbecue sauce. Nailed it.

If you're looking for a delicious all purpose barbecue sauce that tastes great but will not freak out folks who do not venture way off the culinary trail, then Game Day Eats is a great pick. It went over well here with both the mild and the wild crowd. Game Day Eats was just plain yummy and is one of the best ever sauces I've put on my ribs.

Dan's Southern Barbecue Sauce - Sweet or Sweet and Hot - Yum

I bought a bottle of Dan's Sweet n' Hot Southern Sauce at the Cleveland Spring Festival. The elementary school was selling bbq sauce to raise funds for extra projects which is sure better than wrapping paper and knickknacks they sell. I vote for barbecue sauce, and Dan's is a really good one.

Actually, Dan bills his mixtures as general sauces, and they are more versatile than most North Carolina barbecue sauces which are generally designed to be mopped on pork or chicken. But, you can certainly use Dan's as you would your favorite barbeque sauce plus also for general dipping or as a base for stir fry with a Southern twang.

Dan's sauces are tomato based, but there's some vinegar in there and spices. You can taste the Carolina influence, but his sauces are different than others from the area.

I got the Sweet 'n Hot Southern Sauce, since I love spicy foods. I tried a little taste sample first to be sure it wouldn't be too hot for my son who is not a big "hot" fan. The sauce comes on pleasantly sweet with a nice back kick. There's some heat, but the sauce would not be too hot for most folks.

We used Dan's BBQ Sauce on some chicken last night. As you can see, we grilled the chicken close to done (below) and then lathered on some Dan's. With the tomato base, it needs to go on close the end of the grilling time as do other sauces that are thicker and with sugar.

Yum. That was some good chicken. Dan's Southern Sauce was a great contrast to the chicken and added some punch with the hot version.



Sharon Phillips, as in Mrs. Dan, of Dan's Southern Sauce sent a really nice email. She said they are small and sell local at both Fresh Market stores in Greensboro, at "The Extra Ingredient" also in Greensboro, as well as the Greensboro Farmer's Market.

You can also find Dan's Sauce at the Winston Salem Fresh Market and "A Southern Season" in Chapel Hill.

If you can't road trip it to NC, then head back to the web site. That's one thing I love about the Internet, I can get small, local sauces that are full of flavor and history. I look for those when I travel, but I can't hit every state and find every sauce. Can't do that online either - but it does expand my sauce habit.

Free - Country Bob's Barbecue Sauce

If you love barbecue sauce, then try out a free bottle of Country Bob's. Just click here and fill out a simple form. They don't actually pack up and mail out the barbeque sauce. Can't say I blame them. That would get expensive. They send a coupon, so you can get a free bottle of Country Bob's at the grocery store.