Last-Minute Gifts for Dad (no shipping required!)

Still haven't found that perfect Father's Day gift?

Missed the shipping deadline to send Dad a Father's Day gift?

No time to spend at the mall searching for a special gift that Dad will truly love?

No problem: The Carolina Sauce Company is here to help, no shipping or gift-wrapping or trips to the mall required!

Simply select one of our many different email Gift Certificates for everything from hot sauce & BBQ sauce to bacon, seafood, exotic meats, gourmet imports and more, select the amount for the Gift Certificate, enter Dad's email address, and you're done! The e-gift certificate will be delivered to Dad in time for Father's Day -- and usually within minutes, in fact. Dad can then pick out exactly what he wants in the flavors, heat levels or varieties that he loves. They NEVER expire and can be used multiple times until the total amount is spent.

To save you precious time, here are links to some of the e-Gift Certificates and e-Gift Cards we offer (you can view them all on our Gift Certificates page):

Click here Carolina Sauces Gift Certificates (for hot sauce, barbecue sauce, North Carolina products, zesty condiments like spicy mustards & ketchups, BBQ dry rubs, salsa & dips, limited-edition hot sauces and so much more):

Click here for Bacon Gift Certificates (old-fashioned dry-cured hickory smoked bacon, gourmet & specialty bacon, flavored bacon, nitrate-free bacon, other bacon-flavored foods, bacon novelty items, & even bacon-scented cologne):





Click here for Seafood Gift Certificates (fresh & flash-frozen fish, shrimp, crabs, crawfish, lobster & more, plus seafood seasonings, cookbooks, etc.):





Click here for Exotic Meats & Game Gift Certificates (farm-raised venison, bison/buffalo, alligator, boar, kangaroo, emu, antelope, kobe beef, quail, duck and more):





Click here for Gourmet Imports Gift Certificates (olive oils & vinegars, pasta, olives, spices, condiments, cheeses and other specialty foods from Italy, Spain, France, etc.):




Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Top 10 Best-Selling Sauce & Food Gifts for 2012

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so now's the time to get your sweetheart that special gift that says "I love you," "You're HOT!" or "Let's get saucy." Let the Carolina Sauce Company be your Cupid -- Our list of the top 10 best-selling sauce gifts for 2012 is a great place to shop for a zesty Valentine's Day gift: 

1. NC BBQ Sauce Gift Set, Mild:  Despite being added fairly late in the year to the Carolina Sauces online store, this gift set quickly rose to #1 on our top sellers list. Featuring three barbecue sauces representing the 3 regional styles of North Carolina BBQ sauce (eastern vinegar, western/Lexington tomato & vinegar, and coastal mustard) plus a savory-sweet Carolina BBQ dry rub, this gift set is the perfect way to send someone a taste of the Old North State.

2. Dave's Insanity 2012 Private Reserve Sauce:  This limited-edition, specially-crafted ultra-hot sauce from Dave's Gourmet is made with the ferociously hot ghost pepper (jolokia) for extreme heat. Each bottle is numbered and hand-signed, and comes packed in a wooden "coffin" that's sealed with yellow "Caution tape" for an eye-catching presentation. A great gift for hot sauce collectors!

3. Anchor Bar Wing Sauces Gift Set:  For the hot wing lover who adores authentic Buffalo wings, you can't go wrong with the Anchor Bar gift box, featuring three bottles of wing sauce from the birthplace of Buffalo wings. Comes with a full-size bottle each of Medium (original), Extra Hot and Suicide wing sauce from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY.

4. See Dick, Jane & Spot Burn Gift Box: For the hot sauce lover with a silly sense of humor. Remember the old Dick & Jane storybooks from elementary school? These hot sauces (and the gift box) feature the childhood stick figures plus their dog Spot, with cartoon flames coming from all the wrong places. The hot sauces are classic all-purpose cayenne-vinegar sauces for everyday use. Surprisingly popular with teachers as well as with people named Dick or Jane.

5. Holiday Heat XMas Hot Sauces Gift Box: These Christmas-themed hot sauces are a little bit naughty (no worse than PG-13) and feature Rudolph, Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman on the labels.  There are two different habanero sauces and a feisty Cajun style sauce, all which are well-suited for cooking and enjoying at the table.

6. Carolina Sauce Company Gift Certificates:  Not sure what to get your beloved? Overwhelmed by the choices at our online store? Or perhaps you're not a fan of hot sauce or BBQ sauce but you're looking for a gift for someone who is....  Simply send them a Carolina Sauce Gift Card! You choose the dollar amount, and they choose exactly what they want to spend it on, so there's no worrying over whether you picked out a sauce or seasoning they'll like. All you need is their email address, and we'll take care of the rest. Best of all, our gift certificates never expire and need not be spent all at once.

7. 16 Million SHU Pure Capsaicin Crystals Kit: This one is for the serious hot sauce fanatic or the "mad scientist" type who's always brewing up their own secret hot sauce recipe. The kit comes with pure capsaicin crystals rated at 16 million Scoville Units of unadulterated heat, plus forceps, lab gloves, a surgical grade mask and more.

8. Blair's Super 6 Death Sauces Gift Set: Blair's Death hot sauces are made from all-natural ingredients and range in heat from very hot to almost-deadly HOT. They're also known for the trademark skull keychain that adorns the neck of each bottle. This gift set comes with six of the most famous Blair's Death Sauces including Jalapeno Death with Tequila, Sweet Death, Ultra Death, Original Death with Chipotle, Sudden Death with Ginseng, and the new Golden Death with Chipotle.

Swine & Wine Valentine's Bacon Bundle

9. Bacon Gift Bundles: If your sweetheart loves bacon almost as much as he or she loves you, they deserve a Bacon Bundle. These bacon gifts come in a variety of flavors to suit every palate and in a variety of themes to fit any occasion. Select from nitrite-free bacon, Valentine's Day bacon gifts, international bacon, Bacon Club samplers and more.

10. Personalized Steak Branding Irons:  Anyone who enjoys grilling a big, juicy steak exactly the way they like it has probably fantasized about branding their slab of beef with their initials. Make their fantasy come true by giving them a personalized branding iron. You select the 3 initials for the brand to create a unique gift that comes in a handsome cedar box stamped with the brand.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Need a Last-Minute Christmas Gift? This is It!

Still need a last-minute Christmas gift? One that'll be there in time for Christmas but doesn't have to be shipped?  And one where YOU decide exactly how much to pay for it... and happens to be EXACTLY what the recipient wants?

Here it is:  A Carolina Sauces Gift Certificate!

Click to send a Carolina Sauces Gift Certificate (email gift card)

A Carolina Sauces gift certificate is an email gift card that you can buy in any amount from $5 to $5000, and which is emailed to the recipient within 24 hours of your purchase. Because the gift certificate is sent via email, you don't have to pay for shipping and it won't get lost in the mail or delayed by inclement weather (in other words, it'll arrive by Christmas Day if you buy it today or tomorrow). The lucky recipient can use the email gift card to buy anything and everything that's available on the Carolina Sauces online store (except another gift certificate), from hot sauces to barbecue sauces, zesty salsas to savory condiments, limited-edition collector's items and themed sets, and anything else they really want.  The email gift card can be reused until all funds on the e-certificate are used up.  Best of all, the gift certificate never expires, so there's no "use it or lose it" risk.

To send a Carolina Sauces email gift card, all you need to do is click HERE then enter the amount, the recipient's email address, and complete your purchase.

And yes, you'll still be able to order them on Christmas Day and any day thereafter (the internet never sleeps...)

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS:  For other electronic gift certificate ideas, including bacon gift certificates and more, visit the Gift Certificates page on the Carolina Sauce Company website.

Five BBQ Gifts for Father's Day

1. REAL smoked BBQ ribs, pulled pork & more, delivered! Our partner Pig of the Month smokes ribs the old-fashioned way for results that are sure to please any and all rib-lovers: Perfectly seasoned, tender-on-the-inside but crispy-on-the-outside, smoky and succulent—just tear-off-the-bones good barbecue. They also offer genuine Carolina pulled pork, gourmet sausages, bacon and traditional BBQ sides, desserts, complete barbecue feasts or create your own perfect BBQ package... all fully cooked, specially sealed & frozen for shipment, and delivered to you or to Dad with instructions for reheating. Sounds too good to be true? It's not! This is the real deal, as seen on Good Morning America and recommended by Iron Chef Michael Symon and lots of satisfied customers around the country. They also have gift certificates, so that Dad can design his own BBQ feast.

2. GrillGrate award-winning grates to fit any grill: Made from high-tech anodized panels for superior cooking without sticking or flare-ups, GrillGrates feature a unique raised surface that evens out cooking temperature over coals or gas, produces appealing sear-marks while sealing in juices for the most flavorful, mouthwatering results you've ever tasted. Whether Dad likes to grill steaks or burgers, fish or chicken, veggies or even pizza, and whether he's a BBQ veteran or newbie, he's sure to be blown away by how much better everything tastes AND looks when cooked on GrillGrates. Available for round and rectangular grills in all the common sizes, and custom GrillGrates can also be ordered. Browse their entire selection--plus grill tools & accessories--here.

3. Jim Beam Grilling Gift Pack: For the Dad who enjoys a good grilled steak, burger, ribs or chicken, this gift box of gourmet sauces is sure to please.  The Jim Beam Gift Pack comes with a full-size bottle each of Jim Beam Marinade to tenderize and complement meats, poultry and game with robust, savory flavor; Jim Beam Original Barbecue Sauce, a thick and rich tomato-based based sauce that balances tangy and sweet flavors with a splash of Jim Beam Kentucky bourbon whiskey and a pleasantly spicy kick; and Jim Beam Steak Sauce, a big, bold restaurant-quality sauce that will enhance the natural flavor of steaks and burgers without overpowering or overshadowing the food's natural flavors. And yes, all three sauces are made with Jim Beam's famous whiskey. But that's not all: This BBQ gift box comes with an exclusive Jim Beam basting brush! We recently added this Jim Beam Sauces Gift Pack to the Carolina Sauces online store, and it's proven to be one of our more popular Father's Day sauce gifts.

4. Personalized Steak Branding Iron with Wood Gift Box: Now Dad can leave his mark on his steaks as they grill to perfection when he uses his very own personalized branding iron! Widely regarded as the finest steak branding iron on the market, the stainless-steel "HeatBacker" letters retain heat better than ordinary steak brands for a perfect brand every time. The sturdy metal shaft is finished with a beautifully lacquered wood handle topped with a leather hanging strap, and the branding iron is enclosed in an attractive cedar box that's branded with the enclosed personalized brand for a unique and memorable presentation. This elegant gift is made in the USA and comes with a one-year warranty, and it's just one of the many different BBQ and grilling tools & accessories that we have available through our partners on the Carolina Sauce Company website.

5.  North Carolina BBQ Sauce: If Dad's a native North Carolinian living elsewhere, send him a taste of home when you order one or more of our genuine NC barbecue sauces and other hard-to-find North Carolina products. Whether he prefers tangy-spicy vinegar based eastern NC barbecue sauce like Wells Hog Heaven, or craves the mellower tang of tomato-vinegar western (aka Lexington or Piedmont style) NC BBQ sauce like Bone Suckin' Sauce, we have what Dad wants. We also have John Boy & Billy's Grillin' Sauce which is a special concoction of vinegar-tomato-mustard available in milder Original and feisty Hot, as well as North Carolina BBQ rubs and seasonings, too.

Father's Day is this Sunday, so don't wait too much longer to place your order!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Four Valentine's Day Gifts for Guys (& Gals) Who Grill

Stop racking your brain trying to figure out what to give your sweetheart this Valentine's Day.  If they love to grill, barbecue or cook outdoors, any (or all!) of the following Valentine's Day gift ideas are sure to thrill, and to show them how much you love them:

1.  The Grill Grate Gift Bag:   This is the perfect gift for the BBQ enthusiast or grill chef, especially if they enjoy tailgating, camping, or otherwise taking their BBQ grill on the road. The bag features two pockets and a carrying strap so that you can take your GrillGrates and BBQ tools anywhere you go. Ideal for camping, tailgating, beach trips, picnics and neighborhood barbecues, you can buy the bag alone, or have your GrillGrate order packed in it (GrillGrates are available in a variety of sizes to fit virtually any charcoal or gas grill), OR you can select from two GrillGrate Gift Bag Sets containing GrillGrates, The GrateTool, the Grate Chef Steaming Grill Brush and a GrillGrates user guide.

2.  The Gourmet Grilling Gift Set:   This is the ideal gift for the grilling foodie and outdoor chef.  The Gourmet Grilling Gift comes with a bottle each of Mediterranean style Tuscan Marinade and French-inspired Burgundy Marinade, plus a zesty Garlic Rosemary Citrus Sauce that does double duty as a marinade or dipping sauce, all of which are fabulous with poultry, fish, pork, beef or vegetables.  There's also a bottle of White Truffle Oil by Ranieri to add an elegant finishing touch to grilled food, Parameswaran Black Pepper for piquant flavors, and Maldon Smoked Sea Salt to enhance savory dishes including rice or pasta.  The professional-quality Silicone BBQ Basting Brush makes saucing on the grill a breeze. And for a cooked just-right meal every time, we include a "Glow in the Dark" Instant Read Meat Thermometer. 

3.  The BBQ Sauce of the Month Club:  Give the gift that keeps on giving long past Valentine's Day when you order the "Barbecue Sauce of the Month" club. Available in 6-month or 12-month subscriptions, each shipment arrives with a different bottle of barbecue sauce each month, selected from award-winning sauces and hard-to-find specialty sauce makers. You can include a short message and have the first shipment delivered gift-wrapped if you'd like. With the BBQ Sauce of the Month Club delivery, your loved one will be reminded of how much you care even after Valentine's Day has come and gone.

4.  Mix & Match BBQ Sauces & Seasoning Rubs:  Personalize your gift by picking out a combination of barbecue sauces and BBQ seasoning rubs as unique as the one you love.  From traditional or mild sauces to fiery-hot or wild flavor combinations; tangy vinegar barbecue sauces from NC to sweet tomato Memphis sauces or even savory mustard BBQ sauce; savory-smoky dry rubs to spicy-hot BBQ seasonings; the Carolina Sauces online store has something for every taste and heat preference, all at bargain prices.  Throw in some spicy snacks or even some hot sauce if you want to light a fire (and if your Valentine can handle the heat).  We also have themed hot sauce gift sets for the fiery-foods fanatic, all priced at a discount off what the sauces would cost if purchased individually.  And you can use our special coupon code VALENTINE12 to save an additional 5% off when you order online!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS:  For more BBQ & Grilling gift ideas, be sure to browse our BBQ Accessories page as well as our Gourmet Gifts page and the Gift Baskets page, or simply send a gift certificate for his or her favorite food, from bacon to seafood and more!

Five Fiery Gifts for Hot Sauce Lovers

Looking for an unforgettable gift for someone who loves hot sauce?  Here are some suggestions:

1.  Bhut (Naga) Jolokia Ghost Pepper Sauce Gift:  Some people call it the naga jolokia pepper, others the bhut jolokia, and its common American name is the Ghost Pepper--but one thing we can all agree on is that it's ridiculously hot!  Considered by many to be the hottest chili pepper on the planet, the Jolokia hails from northern India where it's used in some of the hottest foods and believed to provide protection from the "evil eye."  This Ghost Pepper gift set comes with 4 bottles of incendiary hot sauces made from the Jolokia pepper, plus a bottle of fiendishly delicious, super-hot Jolokia BBQ sauce. 

2.  Danny Cash's Jolokia Havoc Hot Sauce with Metal Flask:  This ultra-hot sauce captures the true essence of the ghost pepper in all its fiery splendor and without any additional flavors (it's made with jolokias, vinegar & salt).  Danny Cash's Jolokia Havoc Sauce comes with a reusable metal flask that is both eye-catching and practical in that it allows you to take the sauce with you without worrying about a breakable glass bottle.  You'll make quite an impression when you give this striking hot sauce gift to a serious chilehead!

3.  Dave's Insanity Sauce Deluxe Gift Set:  This ever-popular gift set features all four of Dave's classic Insanity Sauces (original Insanity, Temporary Insanity, Total Insanity, and Ultimate Insanity) in full-size bottles, PLUS full-size jars of Insanity Mustard and Insanity Salsa, AND a package of Dave's Insanity microwave popcorn, all at a special discounted price that's less than what you'd spend if you bought each item separately.  But wait, it gets better:  Our Dave's Insanity Deluxe Gift Set is currently on sale at the Carolina Sauces online store, and you can use our holiday coupon to save even more!  (You can find the coupon, along with others, on the Carolina Sauce Facebook Page when you click on the "coupons" tab.)

4.  Hot Sauce of the Month Club:  This Christmas, give the hot sauce gift that keeps on giving (in a good way!) when you give the Hot Sauce of the Month Club, available in a 6-month club as well as a 12-month club.  This is THE hot sauce gift that was featured on The Food Network's "Unwrapped" series.  Each month the recipient will receive a different full-size bottle of hot sauce specially selected from among award-winners, best-sellers, and hottest sauces.  And each month you'll be remembered for your thoughtfulness and excellent taste!

5.  Ultra-Hot Hot Sauce Gift Set:  This is one of our best-selling hot sauce gifts and features full-size bottles of each of the following ultra-hot hot sauces and pepper extracts:  Blair's Sudden Death Sauce, Da Bomb Ground Zero, Dave's Ultimate Insanity Sauce, Liquid Stoopid, Mad Dog .357, Marie Sharp's BEWARE, Predator Great White Shark, Vicious Viper, and You Can't Handle This Hot Sauce.  As with our other exclusive Carolina Sauces gift sets, the Ultra-Hot Gift Set is sold at a special discount from the price of the bottles if bought separately.  It's also on sale and eligible for our coupon discount, for extra savings for you.

Still not sure what to get the hot sauce collector or fiery foods fanatic on your Christmas list?  Send them a hot sauce gift certificate from our partner InsaneChicken and let them pick out exactly what they want!

For more great hot sauce gifts, make sure to visit the Carolina Sauce Company online and browse through our extensive selection of hot sauces, themed hot sauce gift sets, ultra-hot sauces, capsaiacin pepper extracts and other hot & spicy sauces and condiments.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS:  Stay tuned to this blog because I'll be posting great last-minute gift ideas for BBQ lovers and for other folks who enjoy good eats.

Gift Certificates Now Available at Carolina Sauce!

Just in time for the holidays, Gift Certificates and Gift Cards are now available at the Carolina Sauce Company!  And these aren't your run-of-the-mill, unoriginal gift certificates, either--take a look at some of these possibilities:

*Gift certificates for gourmet bacon, bacon-flavored foods, bacon candy, bacon-themed apparel & novelties, and every imaginable gift for the person who loves bacon

*Hot Sauce and BBQ Sauce gift certificates from InsaneChicken, for the chilehead who says there's nothing hot enough (let them pick their own poison) and the master of the barbecue grill or smoker who's always looking for new sauces to try

*Gift certificates from Cooking.com, redeemable for over 60,000 different kitchen and cooking items, from cookbooks to cookware, tableware, small appliances, cutlery and virtually anything else a home chef would ever want

*Gift certificates for exotic meats like wild boar, antelope, kangaroo, alligator, pheasant, buffalo, venison, etc., all naturally raised and of the highest quality, previously only available to professional chefs

And that's just a sampling!  So if you have someone on your Christmas list who is notoriously difficult to shop for, or if you're running out of time or ideas, make sure to visit our Gift Certificates and Gift Cards page to find the perfect gift.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS:  And for the gift that keeps on giving throughout the year, check out our Monthly Food Clubs, including Sauces of the Month, Salsa of the Month, Swine & Wine clubs, Rib or Sausage of the Month, Gourmet Food Clubs and more!