I had my first Rufus Teague sauce recently. I’ve seen the brand in the supermarket for quite a while, but something about the marketing sort of made me hesitant to buy any. I think maybe I had read that Rufus Teague isn’t a real person(even though the label makes it sound like he is) , and the whiskey flask used as a bottle for some of their varieties seems a little gimmicky as does some of the label content. Later I read that the company is based in Lenexa, KS, so I figured they might know what they’re doing. Smoky Apple is what I’ve tried. It’s somewhat sweet, not heavily smoky, and very good. Has some ingredients that aren’t too common–apple juice, raisin paste, tarmari sauce, orange juice (along with the more typical ingredients.) First impressions are that I’ve added another favorite to my assortment of supermarket bbq sauces.
I really like the Trader Joe’s Organic Sriracha and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce mentioned in that Eater article. I also use it instead of ketchup on burgers.
Have you tried their breakfast burritos?
I didn’t realize you’re in Grand Junction.
We used to love the Black Canyon and Gunnison and on to GJ. A straight shot out US 50 from KC.
Haven’t had their breakfast burritos.
I bought bbq from there on Saturday. Got lean brisket which was too lean-even their lean brisket is usually fairly fatty. Pulled pork was great. Jalapeno cheddar sausage (which I think they have shipped from central Texas) was very good. Out of ribs which I was planning to get instead of the sausage.
Tried a couple of new sauces that I bought at Cabela’s a while ago.
Traeger Apricot tasted good but wasn’t assertive enough. I’m really not sure what it would work best on. I’ll see if it grows on me, but I don’t think I’d buy it again because it’s fairly expensive($9.99 if I recall correctly), and I ended up using quite a bit because of the mildness of the flavors.
Three Little Pigs K.C. Competition was pretty good. Thin for a K.C. Sauce but well balanced. Another I probably won’t buy again, just because there are other sauces I like better.
I hope to try them on ribs soon because I do like sauce on ribs.
Kinder’s roasted garlic and california gold are awesome, and you should be able to find them in the store. I’ve seen their sauces throughout norcal and socal. Costco also carries them in stores throughout California and the Mountain West (I’ve seen it in Utah, Idaho and Colorado)
I’m pretty sure Safeway here carries both of those. I’m sure I’ll get to them sooner or later. I’m about ready for a mustard sauce. I think I’ll get Cali Gold and put it near the head of the line. I have 5 opened sauces in the fridge right now and 7 unopened in the cabinet.
I had Kinder’s Cali Gold on kielbasa and some previously mentioned sauces on ribs.
The Cali Gold is very good. It’s not as mustardy as I was expecting it to be, but it’s definitely there. Kinder’s is two for two, and I will be surprised if it doesn’t go three for three when I get around to the Kinder’s Hot I have in the cabinet. I didn’t see Roasted Garlic at Safeway, but they had Spicy Roasted Garlic. Almost bought some but decided I should get through more of what I already have first.
Liked Rufus Teague Smoky Apple and Three Little Pigs K.C. Competition on ribs. Still not wowed by Traeger Apricot, neither on ribs nor the chicken nuggets I had a couple of days ago. Still looking for the right meat for it.
The mention of pig snoots got me wondering about out of the ordinary offerings from BBQ joints. I think cabrito is the most unusual I’ve seen on the menu of somewhere I’ve been (Cooper’s in Llano,TX), and they were out of it when I was there. I guess the least common thing I’ve actually had is bbq bologna which is an Oklahoma thing. I don’t think I’ve seen it anywhere else. And burnt bacon ends from Snooks here locally. I don’t know how rare those are, but I haven’t seen them anywhere else. I wish bbq joints would be a little more adventurous, but I suppose they have their reasons for doing what they do.
Cabrito actually is pretty common as a once-a-week offering, sort of like oxtail. You see bologna pretty frequently as a regular item in Tennessee. I’ve seen it at Helen’s and Payne’s, and I had some recently at Ramey’s. (Each of these places should, by the way, be a UNESCO site.) Burnt bacon ends are pretty new – I first heard of them in Heim in Dallas – but they seem to be taking off as a fattier riff on the ever-expanding burnt ends. The least common thing I’ve had was a pig ear sandwich, which was atrocious.
Helen’s, Payne’s, and Ramey’s are, in my experience, the best barbecue places in Tennessee. I’ve reviewed each on my blog, where you can also search “pig ear”
Oh, and apropos an earlier article, Helen’s and Payne’s are both run by black women. It’s my rough impression that the absence of women running barbecue places is mainly among the newer, more expensive places, and also the whole hog places.
The best book about barbecue out there now is “On Barbecue” by John Shelton Reed. He’s a great writer with a real sense of humor, despite being a/the leading scholar – it’s a fun read.
I really like the Unsweetened Original BBQ Sauce by Primal Kitchen; they have several others that are much lower in sugar than most brands without sacrificing flavor.
I discovered Ace Hardware has some bbq sauces beyond the usual supermarket sauces. One of my local Ace stores has a fairly decent selection. I picked up a bottle of Arthur Bryant’s Original a few days ago. I knew it wasn’t a typical sweet KC sauce when I bought it and figured it might not be my cup of tea. It’s very unusual, and while it’s not my cup of tea, I liked it better than I expected to. I’ve had it on ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and kielbasa. Can’t really decide what it was best on. Worth trying if you’re not a fan of sweet bbq sauces and maybe even if you are.
Shhh, that’s right! A holiday shopping goldmine.
https://www.acehardware.com/departments/home-and-decor/food-and-beverage/barbecue-sauces-and-rubs
Don’t think my local Ace Hardware would have quite that selection, BUT I’ve always maintained if you can’t find what you’re looking for anywhere else, check out Ace. Not exactly cheap, but good to have around.
