2012's Best-Selling Products at Carolina Sauce

The data has been downloaded, the numbers have been crunched, and we are excited to release the list of the Carolina Sauce Company's Best-Selling Sauces, Seasonings, Gifts & other Zesty Products for 2012! This list will soon be available on our Best-Selling Products page, which we are in the process of updating. We will also be releasing the category-specific (e.g., hot sauces, BBQ sauces etc.) lists of top-selling products for all of 2012, so be on the lookout for those on this blog as well.

1. Matouk's West Indian Hot Sauce dethroned the previous #1 (which fell to second place) to be the best-selling hot sauce AND overall best-selling product for 2012. This thick and zesty hot sauce from Trinidad & Tobago boasts tropical flavor and fire with its feisty blend of aged scotch bonnet peppers and sweet papaya in a tangy mustard base.

2.  Wells Hog Heaven Barbecue Sauce might be our best-selling sauce of all time and also the best-selling BBQ sauce for 2012, but it was edged out for #1 last year by our most popular hot sauce. Wells Hog Heaven is a traditional eastern North Carolina barbecue sauce from the almost-coastal town of Burgaw. Vinegar-based with no tomatoes, this thin and tangy sauce is best enjoyed on pulled or chopped pork BBQ but it also works well as a marinade for chicken.

3.  Busha Browne's Pukka Sauce from Jamaica is made in the colonial, not indigenous, style and thus it tastes more like a classic vinegar pepper sauce (but with a richer, more flavorful taste) than it does a Jamaican jerk sauce. It's an excellent choice as an all-purpose, any-meal table sauce and your go-to hot sauce in recipes.

4.  Scorned Woman Hot Sauce is another perennial top-seller at the Carolina Sauce Company, and a longtime favorite of chileheads throughout the country. Made with a blend of chili peppers and black pepper in a savory vinegar base, it's fiery-hot without being scorching, and it will add heat without altering or masking the natural flavors in your food.

5.  Jamaica Hellfire 2 in 1 Hot Sauce blends native Jamaican spices and peppers for bright island flavor that complements any savory dish, whether you're using it to wake up your scrambled eggs & hash browns or spicing up your lunch sandwich or pizza, or boosting the heat in dinner entrees and sides.

6.  Matouk's Calypso Hot Sauce is similar to our best-selling product but hotter and without the mellowing influence of papayas. If you're looking for a full-bodied and full-flavored Caribbean scotch bonnet pepper sauce for firing up savory dishes (whether meat, poultry, seafood or vegetables), Matouk's Calypso will not disappoint.

7.  Walkerswood Traditional Jerk Seasoning (Hot & Spicy) is most likely the best-known authentic jerk seasoning or wet rub to come out of Jamaica. This fiery-hot aromatic paste lets you enjoy real Jamaican jerk chicken, pork, lamb, goat, fish or roasted potatoes at home. Simply spread on the surface (a little goes a long way) and marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight (or 30 minutes for fish and seafood) and then cook any way you like.

8.  NC State Wolfpack Hot Sauce was a surprise arrival on our best-sellers list, no doubt boosted by strong holiday sales. This classic cayenne pepper sauce is made with all-natural ingredients and comes labeled with the officially licensed logo of NC State University, making it a great gift choice for NCSU students, grads, faculty, staff, and anyone else who's a Wolfpack fan.

9.  Matouk's Flambeau is the hottest of the Matouk's family of hot sauces, and considered by many fiery-foods connoisseurs to be the hottest non-extract hot sauce. Assuming you can handle the flaming fire of the specially selected aged scotch bonnet peppers that are the primary ingredient in this hot sauce, you won't be disappointed in the pure pepper flavor and thick, food-coating texture.

10.  Walkerswood Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce is a traditional vinegar pepper hot sauce that's made with scotch bonnet peppers from Jamaica. If you crave the distinctive flavor and intense heat of this particular variety of chile pepper, this hot sauce will satisfy your craving and keep you coming back for more.

11. Matouk's Salsa Picante Hot Pepper Sauce ranks somewhere between Matouk's Calypso and Matouk's Flambeau on the heat scale, with more of a robust, savory flavor than Calypso. Pair it with grilled meats or chicken, add it to hearty stews or bean dishes, or enjoy as a fiery sandwich or burger condiment.

12.  Busha Browne's Authentic Jerk Seasoning Rub is an intensely concentrated jerk paste or wet rub that's made according to a traditional recipe and delivers authentic Jamaican jerk flavor and heat to meats, poultry and seafood. Don't be fooled by the cute little jar: This is serious stuff, and powerful, too!

13.  Bone Suckin' Rib Rub is the original Bone Suckin' Seasoning Rub from the makers of the internationally-renowned and award-winning Bone Suckin' Sauce from North Carolina. Its sweet-savory flavor is finger-lickin' good, whether rubbed on ribs, brisket, chops or chicken, or sprinkled over any type of kabobs, or even used as a popcorn or french fry seasoning.

14.  Dave's Ultimate Insanity Sauce is an extreme or ultra-hot hot sauce from the makers of the original Dave's Insanity Sauce that's credited (or blamed, depending on your perspective) for starting the extreme hot sauce craze. At least twice as hot as the original, this extract-enhanced sauce is more properly categorized as a "food additive," meaning that it should be used only by the micro-droplet to season food as you make it (e.g., in recipes), rather than used on served ready-to-eat food. You've been warned....

15. Pickapeppa Gingery Mango Sauce is the same zippy-sweet sauce that was made years ago by Ruth's Mango Sauces. The original recipe is now owned by Pickapeppa of Jamaica, and this gem of a tropical sauce adds mouthwatering spiciness and mango brightness to chicken, seafood, stir-fry dishes, and anything else that could use some saucy sunshine.

16.  Bacon Hot Sauce brings together two beloved flavors: Meaty, smoky bacon and peppery, tangy hot sauce. Use it anytime you want some heat along with bacon flavor, but don't want the added fat or greasiness from actual cooked bacon. Great on pizza, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, nachos, scrambled eggs and other savory fare.

17.  Susie's Original Hot Sauce can be very difficult to find outside of Antigua and the Caribbean, so we're thrilled to be able to offer it on the Carolina Sauces website. This unique pepper sauce has just the right amount of peppery bite in a savory, food-friendly base, to serve as an everyday hot sauce choice that will never disappoint.

18.  Several different styles of North Carolina Country Ham proved to be very popular products last year on the Carolina Sauce website, and we're happy to have partnered with Johnston County Hams to bring you their award-winning country ham. Traditionally smoked and cured, these hams are famous for their rich, salty flavor and buttery texture. Available whole or sliced, bone-in or boneless, cooked or uncooked.

19.  Bacon from Bacon Freak was also a much sought-after item last year, from traditional choices like hickory smoked or applewood to nitrite-free, vanilla-bourbon, chipotle-seasoned and other gourmet or exotic selections. Bacon gift boxes and bundles including themed packs for holidays and special occasions are also available.

20.  Completing our list of the best-selling products for 2012 were the different Wood Chips and Chunks that we now offer online. From hard-to-find Pacific alder and cedar to fruit woods like cherry and apple, as well as traditional hickory, southwestern Mesquite and elegant whiskey-barrel oak, you can find it on our Wood Chips, Chunks & Planks page.

Be sure to follow this blog if you want to see the upcoming lists of 2012's best-selling salsas, dry rubs, jerks, gifts, meats and more...

Zestfully yours,
Gloria