Vidalia Onion BBQ Sauce

North Carolina is known for its vinegar-based barbecue sauce that's used on smoked pulled pork barbeque. East of I-95, the BBQ sauce is usually a mixture of vinegar with peppery seasonings and little or no tomato. West of I-95 and especially in the Piedmont region -- home of the fabled Lexington barbecue -- sauces start including some tomato along with the vinegar, although still relying primarily on vinegar for the base. These western or Piedmont style barbecue sauces allow for a little more creativity, both in terms of sauce ingredients and also uses for the sauce. We recently discovered a delicious all-natural barbecue sauce from the Piedmont that featured sweet Vidalia(R) onions mixed in with the tomato & vinegar base. We liked it so much that we decided to offer it under the Carolina Sauce Company name, and now our Vidalia Onion BBQ Sauce is available online for your enjoyment at home.

Made by a small family-run enterprise, our Vidalia Onion BBQ Sauce comes in savory Mild and peppery Hot. Both varieties deliver the traditional tangy vinegar-tomato flavor that put Piedmont style barbecue on the map. These sauces are full-flavored and robust without any discernible sweetness, and there are lots of little pieces of Vidalia onion for terrific flavor and mouthfeel. While the Mild has just enough pepper to perk things up without burning, the hot delivers a nice medium-hot fire that's perfect for folks who enjoy hot & spicy food but like to taste the flavors without getting scorched. In addition to using these barbeque sauces on pulled pork, you can use them for marinating, grilling and basting all sorts of meats and chicken, fish and seafood, and "absorbent" veggies like portobello mushrooms and summer squash -- just be sure to mix in a little bit of oil if using as a marinade with anything other than meats or poultry, to protect the food from burning or sticking on the grill.

Speaking of adding oil to these Vidalia Onion BBQ Sauces, I made a zesty salad vinaigrette by whisking together equal parts of sauce with olive oil. In addition to drizzling on a green salad, you can use the sauce either "straight" or with some olive oil on all sorts of steamed or grilled vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, etc.) To make the traditional "red slaw" that's often served in the Piedmont with pulled pork barbecue, simply stir in some of our Vidalia Onion BBQ Sauce into regular cole slaw. You can also splash our Vidalia Onion BBQ Sauce on collards and turnip greens or add a bit to your baked beans for depth of flavor. Both varieties come with our free instructions for making authentic NC pulled pork barbecue, and they're both on sale at the Carolina Sauce Company online store!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria