If you’re looking for sauces, we’ve got suggestions, including a mustard-based barbecue sauce from South Carolina, a pepper sauce from Barbados and an all-purpose sauce from Waycross.
Barbecue sauce from Bessinger’s
Bessinger’s Barbeque opened in 1939 and still is going strong in Charleston, South Carolina. Any barbecue restaurant that’s been around that long must be doing something right. We think its success is due to the original golden recipe barbecue sauce the Bessinger family has been serving for more than eight decades. This type of mustard-based sauce is the hallmark of South Carolina barbecue. Not content with just one flavor, the Bessingers created a spicy version, and a hickory-smoked red sauce. We’re sticking with the robust original. We love the big kick from lots of black pepper. We enjoy it on anything from the grill, but we also stir it into potato salad, use it to dip French fries, and have been known to pour it over collard greens. It’s available at the Charleston restaurant and probably every grocery store in the state of South Carolina, but you also can purchase it online.
$28 for four 16-ounce bottles, in your choice of original, hickory red or spicy golden, or $14 for your choice of two flavors. Available at shop.bessingersbbq.com.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Bajan pepper sauce, marinade from Gitts
When Akilah Thomas says Gitts Bajan pepper sauce is hot, you best believe her. When Thomas’ grandmother immigrated to the U.S. from Barbados in 1916, she brought the recipe for the sauce with her. Now, Thomas’ Atlanta-based company, Gitts Bajan Pepper Sauce, makes the original recipe, as well as a marinade. The pepper sauce is made with habaneros and Scotch bonnet peppers, and offers lots of fire, with the vinegar, onions, garlic, mustard, herbs and spices making it plenty flavorful. The marinade is made with deseeded jalapenos, so it’s not as incendiary, but it’s still full of flavor. We also tasted a bit of turmeric, which we liked when marinating chicken and pork kebabs for the grill. Thomas suggested trying the marinade drizzled on fruit, and we also can see using it in place of salsa on scrambled eggs.
$5 for a 6-ounce bottle of pepper sauce and $10 for a 12-ounce bottle; $10 for a 14-ounce bottle of marinade. Free delivery within metro Atlanta. Available at gittspeppersauce.org.
Credit: Jeff Braddy
Credit: Jeff Braddy
Dipping sauce from Braddy
Tired of the same old boring ketchup, but don’t want to scare the kids? We promise you that the sweet and mild version of Waycross-based Braddy Sauce will please pretty much everyone. With a hint of mustard and vinegar, plenty of sweetness, and no heat, it’s like ketchup’s grown-up big sister. It’s perfect for dipping fries, topping a hamburger or a meatloaf, brushing on grilled meats, or even stirring into sliced cabbage to add a little zip to your slaw. Besides the sweet and mild version we tried, Braddy Sauce comes in sweet mustard and sweet and spicy varieties. We found ours browsing the aisles of a Stripling’s General Store. If you’re visiting near the Georgia coast, you can find it in Brunswick, Darien and Waycross. Otherwise, you’ll have to shop online.
$29.99 for a three-pack of 12-ounce bottles. Price includes shipping. Available at braddysauce.com.
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