SuckleBusters Sweet-N-Spicy Gold BBQ Sauce - Test Results

[ChadMist]

Try the finger test + BBQed meat.
I did a finger test and baked it in the oven. I need to bbq it on because most of it baked off
-> Do you like it? Yes I did like it.

-> Is it the right sweetness? Yes it cut up the mustard and took out the tang i get from most mustard sauces

-> Does it have the right amount of tanginess? yes the sugar brings it to a good level. I don’t like a very vinegar taste and this had just enough.

-> Is the heat level right? Yes on the finger test. When i baked it in foil it lost most of the sauce so there wasn’t any heat. I will redo it this weekend on some pork sammies to give you a better taste profile
-> Does it have the right flavor profile? TBD i will let you know on the sammies this weekend

-> What meat did you test it on? baked chicken tried to use it as a marinade and need more time to sit.

-> Any suggestions? None right now I will see when i do the pork test this weekend.

[fshnrob]

Ok, I finally got to cook some meat. I tried two different methods, and 2 different kinds of meat.

First I used it as a marinade for some jumbo shrimp. I soaked the shrimp for 4 hours in a ziplock, and then cooked over direct flame gas pit.
They were good, but I felt the sauce lost something in the process. The sweetness was still there, but it seemed the rest of the flavor was lost, and all heat was gone. I left the recipe as it was delivered, because of the finger test, and wanted to see if the heat was progressive. Using it as a marinade just didn't seem to work as well as I thought it might.

Second I did some slow smoked center cut pork chops. Now this made the sauce come alive!
I still didn't mess with your recipe, but I did season my meat with a generous amount of black pepper, along with a couple other spices. I applied the sauce at the turn, and pulled the meat when the sauce became sticky.

All I have to say is WOW!! I wouldn't change anything, because if somebody want's more heat they can just add it themselves. By seasoning the meat like I did, it added the right amount of heat for my tastes. It was a little warm for the wife and kids, but perfect for me. If you leave it mild like you currently have it, more people will be able to enjoy the great flavor, and if somebody wants more heat they can just doctor it up themselves.
The flavor profile I feel is perfect for pork, and chicken, maybe fish but I would just need to play with it.

I think you have hit a home run with this one, as my whole family loves it. For the record I very rarely use sauce on any of my smoked meats because I just haven't found one that I like, but I think that is about to change.

Hurry up and get this in bottles, I need a gallon....

Oh, here is a pic of the chops with a side of red taters

[tex_toby]

Alright Gator - 3 of us in my office tried out the new sauce and the results can be found below:


-> Do you like it?
Toby - YES! I've made a few mustard sauces of my own and excited that I won't have to anymore!
Harry - Yes I did, but just a little mild
Paul - Yes

-> Is it the right sweetness?
Toby - Borderline too sweet
Harry - Yes
Paul - Maybe a little too sweet

-> Does it have the right amount of tanginess?
Toby - Could be slightly tangier
Harry - Kick it up a notch
Paul - Yes

-> Is the heat level right?
Toby - I could use more heat, but I like it hot
Harry - Kick it up a notch
Paul - Yes

-> Does it have the right flavor profile?
Toby - Yes
Harry - I would not think of it as a bbq sauce
Paul - Yes

-> What meat did you test it on?
Toby - Pulled Pork
Harry - Pulled Pork
Paul - Pulled Pork

-> Any suggestions?
Toby - as noted above, I wouldn't mind more heat
Harry - N/A
Paul - N/A

I'll have more results from Mrs. Tex soon. I'm ready to cook with it and see how it tastes in addition to just using it as a sauce.

tex

[SWI]

Tried the sauce on some pulled porks sammies last night. Liked the flavor didn't really get any heat from it, but I also didn't add anything to it. Taste was better then the sauce that I normally use (sticky fingers) wasn't as thick either which was good for me and the wife. I wouldn't change anything about it. Very good sauce Gator. Thanks for letting me be a guinea pig.

[Boots]

Do you like it? - A. Does the Pope look like a Polaris Missle?
Is it the right sweetness? - A. Dead on. Just enough but not overwhelming.
Does it have the right amount of tanginess? - A. Dead on. Not too tart, just enough that it doesn't get into a fight with the sweet.
Is the heat level right? - A. Definitely. Nice slow burn, not a rip your face off heat. Guys I know might appreciate just a skosh more heat, but not most ladies I know.
Does it have the right flavor profile? - A. Definitely. Very well balanced between the mustard body, the sweet, and the slow burn.
What meat did you test it on? - A. Pork Tenderloin, grilled not smoked.
Any suggestions? - A. Might offer it as a spicy (kick up a bit more) and a mild (this version) sauce, to appeal to a broader profile.

So I wanted to try a little something different, so I decided on pork tenderloin, grilled. First, I scored the meat diagonally and them marinated it in the sauce in a foil wrap from Saturday through tonight (about 5 days). Pulled it out, did a quick sear directly on the grate on the infrared burner on the gas belcher, and then moved it over back into the marinade in the foil (open top), tuned the heat down to about 250 in the cooker, and went probably about 30 minutes with it. Re-glazed with sauce about 10 minutes before pulling it out. Rested 10 minutes then sliced into medallions. Results in photos below. Really super happy with the result. Excellent balance of flavors, best mustard based sauce I have ever had. Naturally, it set me to thinking about the probable ingredients, and so I broke it down into the three flavor components to try and puzzle it out. First, the mustard is obvious and very fine grained, with a distinctive flavor that ain't that cheap French's, and not so yellow as to overpower the other components in color (so not French's for that reason either). I am guessing a good fine ground dijon like Maille, this would also account for the tiny hint of vinegar. Second, the sweet. Given a little brown in the color tone and given the mildness, I am guessing honey but not too much. This would also account for the nice smooth finish and shine and the "clingability" as it really sticks and flows smoothly. Maybe even a tad brown sugar. Finally, the heat. This part has me twisting myself through a knothole thinking about it. It's definitely a slow burn vs fast, no dusky characteristics like a chile or poblano, etc., and no strong red hue in the color, so I am guessing it's a tiny amount of either a non-red pepper extract or some cayenne pepper juice like a McIlhenny's (which would also go to a tiny hint of vinegar).

One thing requires no guesswork, however. It's dern good. I would consider it as a glaze for ribs or even possibly chicken in a comp, maybe mixed 50/50 with somehing red based on the chicken for color.

[tex_toby]

Mrs Tex tried out the sauce last night. Results found below:


-> Do you like it?
Yes


-> Is it the right sweetness?
Maybe a tad too sweet


-> Does it have the right amount of tanginess?
Yes


-> Is the heat level right?
Doing the finger test, the heat seemed like a good level. Once added to a pulled pork sammich, the heat started to disappear. Could use more heat.


-> Does it have the right flavor profile?
Yes


-> What meat did you test it on?
Pulled Pork


-> Any suggestions?
This mustard sauce is a tad more thin (watery) compared to the SB original sauce. The original sauce is the perfect thickness, therefore I felt this sauce needs to be thickened up ever so slightly.

[Gator]

Many thanks for the feedback everyone - I wanted to let everyone have a chance to share their thoughts before making a few comments.

On the sweetness of this sauce, I think we pushed it right up to the border of being overly sweet (which was my intention). Many of the mustard sauces I see out there are not very sweet, so we are going to stick with the super sweet approach to make sure ours if different. Besides Gator likes it sweet...ha ha.

On heat level, I hear you loud and clear. I plan to bump up the heat a notch or two. This is a tough one, but I think adding a nice dollop of the gud stuff may do the trick. For those of you guessing - the current heat comes from pure Texas GunPowder. (hey wadda ya expect?) Additionally for those on the "too sweet" side, a bump in heat may help out here.

Tanginess - we gonna stick with the current level of tanginess.

Thickness, I think I will bump this up slightly as well. I prefer a thinner sauce in general, but the current version has no added thickeners, just sauce. A slight hit of thickener should help us there.

Thanks again - and please, any additional comments are always welcome. Had some grilled chicken kabobs this weekend and YUM -> Spicy Mustard was awesome on the yard bird.

[Gator]

Hi folks, just a quick update. We are running through the test batch process now, hopefully we will have sauce within a month or so...you know the government wants to have their say in it too.

The logo is ready, just need to work on the details of the rest of the label, here is a proof with the new logo.

Did I mention all that participated in the taste testing (and provided results) will get a freebie on the first run? I'll let you know when its ready.

Thanks again,

[tex_toby]

Did I mention all that participated in the taste testing (and provided results) will get a freebie on the first run? I'll let you know when its ready.

You da man! Thank YOU!

[ChadMist]

Did I mention all that participated in the taste testing (and provided results) will get a freebie on the first run? I'll let you know when its ready.

You da man! Thank YOU!

what he said two thumbs up

[fshnrob]

Did I mention all that participated in the taste testing (and provided results) will get a freebie on the first run? I'll let you know when its ready.

You da man! Thank YOU!

what he said two thumbs up

WOW!! Didn't expect that, Thank you! I have been waiting for it to go on sale so I could buy some. I am not a big fan of BBQ sauce, but I really love this sauce.

[Boots]

Rockin good news. Put me permanently on the test pilot list and thanks Gator.

[RWBTEX]

Havent been online as much the last month or two so I guess I missed the continuation of this thread some how so will re iterate what i said in the pm. Really good sauce, I would leave it alone except what you already are doing, just a tad more bit and a little more thick, other than that I expect to see some more awards from the shows. Home run Gator.

[rcart76]

Thank you Gator can't wait!!

[jmcrig]

Thank you Gator. When it's ready, I'd also like to purchase a bottle.