Barbeque sauce

Where do you buy your barbecue sauce? Have a favorite local or not, comment here!

Jacksonville is barbecue country. One only has to look at the abundance of cue joints around town to realize that. Most of the good ones stick around for what seems like forever (Lou Bonos)but others fade away (Brown Brothers).

Even though barbecue is relatively cheap people are looking to be able to cook some at home. Even if you can't fire up the grill or smoke your own cue, you should at least be able to replicate some of that barbeque goodness at home.

The secret, as they say, is in the sauce.

Locals like to pick up theirs from their favorite barbeque places, from the blues kitchen of Mojos or the down home mustard sauce of Jenkins while some go all commercial with bottles of Sticky Fingers (not my choice, but still, to each their own).

I've just discovered Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce. I like my sauces to bring more heat than sweet, but it makes for a decent base to start with, especially when you're not actually grilling. As far as I'm concerned, it's too damn hot to grill in Florida right now, but I like barbecue flavor in the summer. I end up doing some faux grilling in my kitchen by using some barbeque sauce.

Because Country Bob's is neutral enough as a sauce base that you can build on, going more spicy (with pureed peppers) or more savory (soy sauce). They do have a barbecue sauce in their brand, but I prefer to keep their All-Purpose sauce in my kitchen.

While it doesn't do as well on the grill, the sauce isn't as thick as many barbecue sauces, so it's easier to use in regular cooking. I find that it's bit too sweet for me to start with, but as it's designed to please a variety of palates, I find it to be a good commercial sauce.

As it is All-Purpose, you'll find it goes well with a lot of things and can be used as a dipping sauce or a last minute topping for burgers.

You can get Country Bob's at any nearby Wal-mart.

http://www.countrybobs.com/