May's Best-Selling Products at Carolina Sauce Company

May was National Barbecue Month and marked the official start to the BBQ and grilling season. Curiously, however, it was hot sauce that dominated our list of the top ten best-selling products at Carolina Sauce Company last month. Several old favorites broke back into the top 10 after absences, and a great Father's Day gift idea made the list for its first time (check out #6 below). But most surprisingly, not a single one of Matouk's Hot Sauces finished in the top 10 last month! Here's the entire list of the ten best-selling sauces and seasonings for May:

1. Wells Hog Heaven BBQ Sauce: Our all-time best-selling product is back on top, after a brief dip in the monthly standings. Anyone who wants to make real North Carolina pulled pork barbecue needs this eastern NC vinegar BBQ sauce. You can also use Wells as a marinade for chicken, pork chops & other meats.

2. Jamaica Hellfire 2 in 1 Hot Pepper Sauce: This popular, all-purpose Jamaican hot sauce returned to best-seller list after a brief absence. Its sun-ripened peppers and island seasonings add bright, tropical flavor and fire to virtually any savory dish, without burning out your taste buds.

3. Walkerswood Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, Hot & Spicy: This best-selling Jamaican jerk wet rub or paste jumped up dramatically from its 9th place finish in April. But that should come as no surprise because Walkerswood is probably the best-known brand when it comes to authentic Jamaican sauces and seasonings, and their wet rub is our top seller among jerk products. Slather it on meats, poultry, seafood & veggies to impart intensely flavorful and fiery-hot spiciness to whatever you grill, bake, broil, slow-cook or cook on your stove.

4. Busha Browne's Pukka Sauce: A perennial top 10 hot sauce, Pukka Sauce is back on the list. Also from Jamaica but not a jerk sauce, Busha Brown's Pukka Hot Sauce is made in the colonial tradition, without exotic seasonings and instead focusing on bright peppery flavor with savory tang. Excellent on everything from breakfast through lunch and dinner -- except for dessert, of course.

5. El Yucateco XXXtra Hot Kutbil-ik Mayan Hot Sauce: For the first time in a long time, this super-hot Mexican hot sauce cracked the top-sellers list last month, perhaps because people were enjoying it as part of their Cinco de Mayo celebrations (or re-stocking afterwards). Using traditional ingredients and methods dating back to the ancient Mayan culture and still followed today, its unique flavor and seriously intense burn is appreciated by serious chileheads and fans of tradtional Mexican foods.

6. "Design Your Own" 4-Pack Hot Sauce Gift Box: This newcomer to our list is a great idea for Father's Day, or anytime you want a unique and thoughtful hot sauce gift. Made from sturdy white cardboard and easy to fold up into a gift box, the 4-Compartment Hot Sauce Box will hold four standard 5oz hot sauce bottles of your choice (buy hot sauces separately). You can then add a personalized touch by decorating the box with a label or sticker, or even using colored markers or paint, or write on it with a pen, etc.

7. Jamaica Hellfire 4 in 1 Hot Sauce: For the first time in recent memory, the "middle sibling" of the Jamaica Hellfire hot sauce line is on the top-ten list. Twice as hot as the second-place finisher but just as tasty, this concentrated hot sauce is made with sun-ripened tropical chilies for a powerful, yet not overwhelming, Hot heat level.

8. Scorned Woman Hot Sauce: An old favorite returns after a brief absence. This classic vinegar pepper sauce has endured the test of time with its layers of multi-pepper heat delivered in a straightforward savory-tangy base. It's excellent in bloody marys, with scrambled eggs & hash browns, on burgers & pizza, splashed over spaghetti or steak, mixed into chili and other recipes, etc.

9. Walkerswood Jamaican Jerk Marinade: The second-most-popular member of the Walkerswood jerk family is back on our best-seller list. This ready to use jerk marinade is ideal when you don't have the time (or don't want the mess) involved in applying a wet rub or jerk paste to your meats, chicken or seafood. Whether you're grilling, roasting or baking, simply marinate, slather and baste with it for true Jamaican jerk flavor.

10. Jim's Own BBQ Sauces & Rubs: The original Jim's Own Homestyle Bar-B-Que Sauce is a North Carolina legend that has inspired the creation of a Hot version, and more recently a Smokey and also a Mustard barbecue sauce. Each one starts with the same feisty, tangy-sweet vinegar & tomato base (typical of western NC or Lexington style sauces) that has won numerous awards for the mild original, and then adds either habaneros, natural smoke flavor, or a special blend of mustards for new levels of deliciousness. Jim's Own also makes flavorful BBQ dry rubs in Mild, Smokey, Pincho (spicy-savory) and Safari (lemony-herb). You can also order gift baskets, t-shirts and grilling aprons, all of which are perfect Father's Day gifts for Dads who love to barbecue or grill.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria