April's Top Ten Sauces & Seasonings at Carolina Sauce Co.

Buy Wells BBQ Sauce

April's list of the Top Ten Best-Selling Products at the Carolina Sauce Company features some surprises, namely, a couple of rich and flavorful sauces that deserve far more popularity than they've had in the past, and the return of a couple of favorites. The list also has something for everyone, whether you like tangy eastern NC BBQ sauce, exotic Jamaican jerk flavors, fiery hot sauces, old-fashioned marmalades, and even a savory Caribbean brown sauce that doubles as a steak sauce. Here's the complete list:

1. Matouk's West Indian Hot Sauce is back in first place after finishing second in March. True to its name, Matouk's West Indian Hot Sauce is made from an authentic recipe that blends aged, pickled scotch bonnet peppers with sweet papaya in a tangy mustard-vinegar base for fabulous tropical flavor and a good solid burn.

2. Wells Hog Heaven BBQ Sauce is our best-selling sauce of all time. Made in eastern NC and true to its roots, this vinegar barbecue sauce is thin and spicy (no tomatoes and a touch of pepper) and best enjoyed either with pulled pork BBQ or as a marinade for chicken.

3. Wells All-Purpose Ribs & Chicken BBQ Sauce makes its first-ever appearance on our monthly best-sellers list. The "younger sibling" of Wells Hog Heaven is deliciously different: Plenty of tomatoes add thickness and natural sweetness that's balanced with a bit of spice, smoke and savory seasonings. As the name suggests, this sauce is for slathering on ribs, chicken, chops, kabobs, and anything else you grill.

Buy Jonkanoo Sauce

4. Walkerswood Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning is back up in the top five after a 7th place finish in March. Walkerswood is THE name for Jamaican jerk products, and this concentrated jerk paste or wet rub packs a powerfully spicy and aromatic punch. Enjoy Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning with any type of meat or poultry, and it also adds exotic island flavor to roasted potatoes.

5. Walkerswood Jonkanoo Pepper Sauce hasn't been on our top-ten list in a very long time, which indicates what a well-kept secret this feisty, food-friendly Jamaican hot sauce really is. Named after a colorful street festival, Walkerswood Jonkanoo Sauce is spicy-hot with a hint of sweet and will complement virtually anything on which you splash it.

6. Susie's Original Hot Sauce used to be nearly impossible to find outside of Antigua and other Caribbean destinations, and thus when we were able to add it to the Carolina Sauces online store it quickly became a hit. After a brief hiatus this savory mustard-based hot pepper sauce is once again back on our list of the top ten best-selling sauces.

7. Matouk's Flambeau Hot Sauce is hands-down one of the hottest "natural" (not spiked with capsaicin extract) hot sauces you can buy. Made with an incendiary mash of aged, pickled scotch bonnet peppers in a tangy and savory mustard base, Matouk's Flambeau Sauce delivers flaming-hot heat that should be enjoyed with care.

Buy One Stop Savory Sauce

8. Georgia Peach & Vidalia Onion Hot Sauce is one of our all-time best selling hot sauces, no doubt because it's so approachable: Sweet ripe peaches blended with mellow Vidalia onions and judiciously-selected hot peppers give this sunny sauce a food-friendly flavor and mild heat level that virtually everyone will enjoy. Georgia Peach & Vidalia Onion Hot Sauce is wonderful with summertime fare (especially grilled food) as well as with steamed or broiled fish, roast chicken or pork, and even veggies, rice and beans.

9. Walkerswood One Stop Savory Sauce makes its first appearance on our best-seller list. Similar to a steak sauce but with a touch of bright tropical spice, this Caribbean brown sauce is an ideal table sauce and marinade for all sorts of meat (including steak), and will also complement chicken, portobello mushrooms, hearty bean dishes, stews, casseroles and other robust recipes.

Buy Mrs. Picky Chutney & Marmalade

10. Mrs. Picky Fanicky's NC Chutney & MmmMarmalades are back at the Carolina Sauce Company after a long absence, courtesy of our new partnership with Abe's Market. Made the old-fashioned way using wholesome, all-natural ingredients, the apple-peach North Carolina Chutney delivers a subtly exotic sweet-savory flavor and spice that makes for a mouthwatering condiment and doubles as a unique BBQ sauce. The thick, lusciously sweet and chunky MmmMarmalades are available in Apple Pie, Peach Cocktail, and Strawberry Sundae.

You can view this list on the Carolina Sauce home page. And if you're curious to find out which were our top-selling products for all of last year, visit our Best-Selling Products page where they're listed by type of product (e.g., hot sauces, BBQ sauces, dry rubs, etc.) as well as the over-all top 10 list for 2011.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria