During the 2011 Fancy Food Show that was hosted here in Washington D.C., we had a chance to meet with many barbecue sauce makers. One sauce maker that we met with was Robin Rhea the creator of Slather Brand Barbecue Sauces. So for this week’s Barbecue sauce review we are going to be reviewing the Slather Brand Barbecue Sauces. Like we always do, here is some background on the Slather Brand of Barbecue Sauces:

Early one Sunday morning while musing over ideas and dreams for the future while drinking a cup of coffee,Robin Rhea decided that the time had come for me to pursue a career path that involved my true passion – sharing my love of wholesome, healthy, and delicious food with others.

As a proud native of Johns Island, South Carolina Robin grew up eating foods that my family raised and grew in our backyard. We raised chickens, pigs and goats, and grew summer and winter vegetables that would feed our family of eight. Her passion for cooking began at the age of three when, with supervision of course, she cooked her first meal. Robin’s uncle Willie said it was the best eggs and toast he had ever eaten. She wasn’t sure if it was her cooking or the fact that those delicious eggs had come from the yard and were so rich in nutrients that the yolks were orange, not the pale yellow you find today.

After mastering scrambled eggs, she learned to cook her mother’s down-home Southern recipes. Most of her recipes had been passed from generation to generation, but none were actually written down anywhere. It was the “a pinch of this and a bit of that” cooking method. Later in life, I developed a deep appreciation for gourmet cooking and ethnic foods. My love of entertaining family and friends while delighting their tastebuds resulted in years of being encouraged to market some of my treasured recipes.  In May of 2010 Slather Brand Foods™ launched its flagship product, Slather Brand Slatherin’ Sauce™, Original Recipe.

Okay, now that we got the background out of the way about the Slather Brand Barbecue Sauces, it is now time for the review:

Original Barbecue Sauce Review: As we opened the bottle of the barbecue sauce, we took in all the great flavors. Once we tasted the barbecue sauce, we wondered what was that perfect combination of sweetness and tangy barbecue flavoring? After taking a look at the ingredients we noticed that the ingredients included Pineapple and Honey. We thought to ourselves, what a interesting but great combination of flavors. One wouldn’t think to use those two flavors together but they surely do work together. Another plus to the sauce, was the texture of the sauce, it wasn’t too thin or too thick, it was perfect. The one thing though that we would have liked to see was a bit of “smoke,” but we think that if you added these flavors we aren’t sure that it would in fact be a great barbecue or grilling sauce.

Spicy Slatherin Barbecue Sauce Review: As we opened the bottle of the Spicy Slaterin Barbecue sauce, and took a whiff of the sauce, you can really smell the spicyness of the sauce so we were a bit nervous about the amount of heat that was going to be in the sauce. Once we tasted the sauce, we were pleasantly surprised that the sauce didn’t pack a lot of punch. Another plus to the sauce, was the texture of the sauce, it wasn’t too thin or too thick, it was perfect just like the original barbecue sauce

Slatherin Barbecue Sauce Bottle: We really liked the crispness of the barbecue sauce label and it really projected a Southern Carolina feel. (if that is even something to project).

Overall Review: Overall, we really enjoyed both the Spicy and Original Slatherin sauces. They had the perfect combination of flavor and texture and also they were enjoyable to taste. We know that for our next fall grilling adventure even though we aren’t in South Carolina, it will surely feel like we are with Slatherin Barbecue Sauce!

To learn more about the sauces and to pick up your own bottle click here

If you like Slatherin Barbecue Sauce then you will love this recipe! Try it out!

Slathered Shrimp over Pimento Cheese Grits
Nothing says true Southern more than a Lowcountry Shrimp and Grits recipe.  Entire cookbooks from award winning chefs have been written about this dish with all its variations and cooking methods.  Although there is an abundance of amazingly delicious Shrimp and Grits recipes, I chose to share this one because Slathered Shrimp and Grits is more than delicious ingredients melded together yielding a taste that tantalizes the palette.  There is story behind each layer of this recipe. It represents an evolution and culmination of over 100 years of cooking history and draws on my rich family heritage. It is one of my family favorites and one that I am proud to share with you.

Pimento Cheese Grits
Makes 6 cups

6 cups water
1 ½ cups coarse stone ground yellow grits
8 oz. cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped red bell pepper.
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
Dash of white pepper

Bring water to boil in heavy-bottom stockpot. Slowly add grits, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to low and continue stirring to prevent grits from scorching. Once grits have started to thicken continue cooking over low heat for another 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients and continue cooking for about 10 minutes until cheese melts and roasted peppers are well blended.
Grits should be very creamy and smooth. If mixture is too thick, simply add water ¼ cup at a time to get desired consistency. Season grits to taste with salt and pepper.  Keep covered and warm until ready to serve adding water as needed to maintain creamy consistency.

Roasted Peppers
You can use store bought roasted peppers, however I prefer to roast my own. Roasting peppers is very easy to do and can be refrigerated and used for other recipes.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Rub washed and dried peppers with olive oil and place on baking sheet in top rack in oven. Roast for about 25 to 30 minutes turning once or twice until skin is blistered and charred in some places.

Remove peppers from oven and place in bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Peel the skin, remove stems, cores, and seeds.

Slathered Shrimp

1 ½-2 lbs. fresh, domestic wild caught, shrimp peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
½ – 1 bottle Slather Brand Foods Original Slatherin’ Sauce
12 slices premium crispy bacon (without hormones and antibiotics)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

While grits are cooking, place bacon slices on foil lined baking sheet and place in 350 degree oven until crispy.   Remove from oven, drain on paper towels, crumble and set aside.

Place oil in heavy bottom saucepan over medium high heat; add shrimp and stir, moving shrimp to sides of the pan. Pour Slatherin’ Sauce in the middle of the pan. Sauce will quickly begin to caramelize. Fold the sauce and shrimp together in the pan for about 3 minutes until shrimp are thoroughly cooked but being careful not to overcook.

Plating

Spoon hot pimento cheese grits on plate. Top with heaping spoonful of Slathered Shrimp. Generously sprinkle with bacon crumbles and finish with sprinkled chopped parsley.  The colors and smells are beautiful and the taste is amazing, so don’t be surprised when you family ask you to “Slather It On” more often!!!!