Bone Suckin' Hot Seasoning & Rub

Fiery foods lovers rejoice: Bone Suckin' Rib Rub now comes in a new Hot version! From the makers of the world-famous Bone Suckin' Sauce (a western NC style BBQ sauce), Bone Suckin' Hot Seasoning & Rub features a spicy-hot cayenne kick, the perfect fiery addition to the proprietary blend of brown sugar, paprika, garlic and spices in the original rib rub. The result is a mouthwatering spicy, salty and sweet flavor combination with just enough heat to satisfy chileheads without destroying tastebuds or overwhelming your food. In other words, this tasty and versatile BBQ seasoning and dry rub is definitely hot by North Carolina standards, but a pleasantly peppery medium on a hotter (e.g., Southwestern or Asian) heat scale.

Bone Suckin' Seasonings & Rubs (both the original and the hot) are for more than just beef or pork ribs: Use them to add great flavor to all sorts of meats, poultry and even seafood and fish, veggies, dips, spreads, french fries, popcorn and salads. The bottle label includes a couple of recipes to help you get started. Bone Suckin' Rubs are also a healthy way to season your food as there's no MSG, and they're low-carb and Kosher, too. And you can get both the original and the new Hot Bone Suckin' Rub from the Carolina Sauce Company.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Spicy Mayonnaise

Who said mayo has to be bland and boring? You can spice it up and even make it downright fiery using pureed hot peppers! You choose which peppers you want to use: jalapenos, habaneros or smoky chipotle. This recipe makes 1 cup of spicy mayonnaise. Store it in the refrigerator, and use in place of ordinary mayo.

Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise (regular, reduced fat or fat free)
1 Tbs pureed jalapenos OR habaneros* (about 3-4 whole peppers should yield 1 Tbs) OR 1 Tbs pureed chipotle in adobo (available in cans in the Hispanic foods section of most grocery stores)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning (I recommend Slap Ya Mama, or salt-free Louisiana Bayou Blend)
Optional: a few sprigs of cilantro or parsley, finely chopped

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl until thoroughly combined, then refrigerate in an airtight container. For best flavor, make at least a few hours before serving, or the day before serving - this allows the flavors to meld and develop.

*Note: For some variety, you could substitute 1 or 2 serrano peppers for a jalapeno or habanero.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Susie's Burning Desire Hot Sauce

The West Indies are known for their fiery, mustard-based hot sauces, and if you're looking for an authentic example of this style of savory hot sauce, look no further than Susie's Burning Desire Hot Sauce. Made in Antigua using a traditional recipe with all-natural ingredients, Susie's Burning Desire packs a powerfully hot punch thanks to the generous amounts of scotch bonnet peppers included in this hot sauce. The flavor of the peppers comes through and pairs well with the savory and tangy mustard-vinegar base. Because of the mustard, the texture is more substantial and satisfying than that of vinegar-based hot sauces, and this thicker texture allows the sauce to cling to food, making it a good choice for dipping fries, onion rings, fried shrimp, conch fritters, chicken wings and more. In addition to being an intensely hot table sauce and condiment for any savory dish, you can also marinate and cook with Susie's Burning Desire Hot Sauce -- just be careful not to add too much or your food might end up being incredibly hot (of course, this isn't a problem if you enjoy incredibly hot foods).

Nearly impossible to find outside of the Caribbean, Susie's Burning Desire is now available at the Carolina Sauce Company, along with six other delicious and authentic West Indian hot sauces from Susie's Hot Sauces.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Spicy Mexican Hot Cocoa

A mug of hot chocolate on a cold, blustery winter day brings warming relief, and this spicy version is sure to add extra heat! This hot cocoa recipe makes 4 generous servings.

Ingredients
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate (use a good quality brand)
1 Tbs instant coffee (regular or decaf)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp mace or nutmeg
Pinch of ground red pepper
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups milk PLUS 1/2 cup half & half (whole milk is best but you can use low fat or skim, and for lower fat you can use 2 cups milk without any half & half)

Optional toppings: Whipped cream (the real stuff) and ground cinnamon

Combine the chocolate, coffee, sugar, cinnamon, mace/nutmeg, red pepper, salt and water in a 1 1/2 qt saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes at a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. Stir in the milk and half & half, and heat through being careful not to boil. Remove from heat and just before serving beat with a hand beater until foamy. Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream plus a dash of ground cinnamon if desired.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria
Carolina Sauce Company

PS:  If you are intrigued by the concept of spicy chocolate--or if you're already a fan of that exotic flavor combination--you should try Toad Sweat Chocolate Orange Dessert Hot Sauce.  This award-winning hot sauce is really more of a spicy dessert sauce:  Enjoy it over ice cream, cheesecake, pancakes or waffles, in brownie recipes, and even stirred into oatmeal and other hot cereals.

Who Dat? Hot Sauce

If you're from Louisiana or a fan of the New Orleans Saints, you're probably familiar with "Who Dat?" and the Who Dat cheer. That's the inspiration for Who Dat? Hot Sauce from Mossy Bayou Foods in Mansura LA, the makers of authentic Cajun products including Louisiana Swamp Scum Hot Sauce and Bayou Blend Seasoning. Who Dat Hot Sauce is a honest vinegar-pepper hot sauce made with three ingredients: golden Louisiana hot peppers, vinegar, and salt. That's it, nothing artificial, no fillers, and no other flavorings, so what you get is pure pepper flavor and heat in a tangy vinegar base that's just tart enough without overwhelming your palate. The color of this all-natural hot sauce is an intense yellow-green (almost neon) and you can see the little bits of pureed pepper. The heat level is about medium (or mild-medium if you're into really hot hot sauce), and because there are no additional seasonings in this sauce it is perfect for adding heat without altering or overpowering the flavors in your food. If you use Tabasco Sauce or Frank's Red Hot or Texas Pete and are looking for a less vinegary and more peppery hot sauce, then you will love Who Dat Hot Sauce.

Use Who Dat as an all-purpose basic hot sauce to add heat to finished dishes and also to recipes. It's especially good in collard greens and other cooked greens and vegetable dishes, and also works well sprinkled on fried catfish, shrimp and other seafood. And because of its food-friendly flavor and relatively mild heat, it's even good on broiled seafood and breakfast foods like scrambled eggs and omelets. Add it to gumbo and other Cajun or Creole recipes, as well as chili, casseroles, ground beef dishes, and anything else you want to spice up without changing the flavor. If you're a member of Who Dat Nation, you need this sauce for your next pre-game tailgate or game-viewing party. And if you need a gift for a Saints fan, Who Dat Hot Sauce is sure to please! Get Who Dat Hot Sauce now from the Carolina Sauce Company.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Dave's Insanity Private Reserve 2009 is in Stock!

Hot sauce collectors and serious chileheads rejoice: If you didn't get a bottle of the limited-edition Dave's Insanity Sauce Private Reserve 2009 Edition last year, you can still get it if you hurry! We were able to obtain a few more bottles recently, and you can order the 2009 edition of Dave's Private Reserve from the Carolina Sauce Company while supplies last. Each bottle is individually numbered and hand-signed by Dave himself, and comes in the trademark wooden coffin with yellow "crime scene" caution tape. The 2009 edition was made with the Naga Jolokia or "Ghost" pepper, the hottest pepper in the world, and the heat level is 2 to 3 times hotter than the original Dave's Insanity Sauce, making the Private Reserve one of the hottest hot sauces on the market. Each year Dave issues only a limited number of his Private Reserve hot sauce, so most folks collect them instead of actually using it. But if you're brave (or crazy) enough to want to use this ultra-hot hot sauce, be extremely careful and use only 1 drop at a time. Get it while supplies last, as when the 2009 edition is completely sold out, it'll be gone for good!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Sweet & Spicy Bacon

This simple recipe makes mouthwatering spicy-sweet bacon that you can use to top salads and casseroles, or enjoy in sandwiches and even on its own. I prefer to use a naturally-cured, high quality bacon. And you can double the recipe to make more (this recipe makes about 1 cup of bite-sized bacon pieces).

Ingredients
1/2 lb sliced bacon
2 tsp Bear-Man Tummy Rub Seasoning
2 Tbs light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425F degrees. In a small bowl, thoroughly combine the Bear Man Tummy Rub Seasoning and the brown sugar. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, and lay the bacon slices on it. Sprinkle the bacon evenly with the seasoned sugar. Bake until the bacon is crisp and browned, around 10 to 15 minutes. While the bacon is cooking, place a few sheets of paper towels over a wire rack, to be used to cool the cooked bacon. Once bacon is fully cooked and crisp, carefully transfer the strips to the prepared rack to drain and cool. You can now use it as crispy strips, or chop into bite-size pieces for sprinkling. If not using right away, allow the bacon to completely cool and then place the strips between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Carolina Sauce is Open Again

Happy New Year! The Carolina Sauce Company is open again, and all hands are working furiously to fulfill the orders that we received while we were closed for the holidays. We're also busy re-stocking our shelves, returning phone calls and replying to emails, as well as taking care of more mundane (but necessary) year-end administrative work. Now that I'm back, I'll resume posting more regularly, including some great new recipes, the best-selling sauces and seasonings for 2009 (coming soon, probably by end of the month or early February), and other zesty information to keep you well-fed and eating well throughout the coming year. We also have some tasty new products in the evaluation queue, so stay tuned for those as we add them to our online offerings. And as always, I'll be reviewing new products on this blog.

We hope everyone had a joyous and safe holiday season, a Merry Christmas, and that 2010 is starting off well. Thank you for your patience as we process and ship pending orders, and a special thank you for your continued patronage.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

December's Top 10 Best-Selling Products

BBBRRRRRRrrrrrrr it's cold out here in rural Person County! Yep, I'm still out of town, presently lying on the couch in our RV, listening to the Hurricanes post-game show and quaffing a Carolina Brewery oatmeal porter (the local market here carries their growlers), so technically I'm still on vacation... but thanks to the modern miracle of wireless internet, I was able to tally the totals for December and compile the list of the top ten best-selling sauces and seasonings across all categories at the Carolina Sauce Company online store for December. So without further ado, here's the list:

1. Castle Sauce, our overall best-selling product since we've been in business, was also the best-selling sauce for December 2009. This tangy & rich mustard-tomato steak & burger sauce from Greensboro NC is a real classic, with generations of fans all around the country.

2. Matouk's West Indian Hot Sauce from Trinidad & Tobago was the second most popular product last month, featuring sweet & spicy tropical flavors with ripe papaya and spicy scotch bonnet peppers in a thick & savory mustard base.

3. Busha Browne's Pukka Sauce finished in third place for December, and this fiery & flavorful Jamaican table sauce is great with just about any savory dish, from breakfast (scrambled eggs, omelets, sausage) to lunch (burgers, sandwiches, wraps) to dinner (pretty much any savory entree or side dish!)

4. Wells Hog Heaven BBQ Sauce from Burgaw NC (just outside of Wilmington) is our all-time best-selling barbecue sauce, and came in 4th last month. This is an authentic eastern NC vinegar-based barbecue sauce that's perfect for Carolina style pulled pork BBQ, as well as for marinating and grilling or broiling chicken and other meats

5. Capsicana Zing Gourmet Sauce is a perky, mildly spicy and subtly sweet all-purpose sauce from Mebane, NC, and a regular on our top 10 best-seller list -- and it comes with free recipes!

6. Scorned Woman Hot Sauce has been around for years, and this food-friendly, fiery vinegar-pepper sauce is quite popular with folks who enjoy hot sauce with most meals

7. Matouk's Calypso Sauce is an authentic Caribbean hot sauce with a sweet & savory mustard base and plenty of aged pickled scotch bonnet peppers for a good burn

8. Walkerswood Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning is regularly on our list of best-selling products, finishing 8th in December 2009, and this traditional Jamaican jerk paste (wet rub) delivers real Jamaican flavor and fire

9. Walkerswood Jonkanoo Pepper Sauce is named after a colorful street festival, and this feisty and tasty Jamaican table sauce is great on everything from meat and chicken to seafood and veggies

10. Bad Byron's Butt Rub rounds out our list of December's top ten best selling zesty products. Made in Texas and excellent as a seasoning for ribs (beef & chicken), Boston butt and other meat cuts, Bad Byron's is flavorful and pleasantly spicy (not fiery).

As time permits (and so long as our internet connection doesn't flake out), I'll update the best-seller lists in each product category with the December 2009 results -- and then in February we'll have the complete totals for all of 2009 posted here as well as on the Carolina Sauce site.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria