| BBQ Sauce & Salsa | ||
| You might notice that this is a pretty short list. I've tried just about every sauce and salsa on the grocery store shelves. Simply put, these are head and shoulders above the rest. Many are good; these are great. They will always have a place reserved in my pantry. I will still try more, but these will be the baseline for judgment. | ||
| BBQ Sauce | ||
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◄ Bandana's Carolina
Smokin' Hot BBQ Sauce Bandana's BBQ opened in 1996 in Arnold, Missouri. They quickly spread to about 30 locations throughout Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. It's successful for one simple reason: they consistently serve up excellent food. I've eaten ribs everywhere. Any time I visit a new BBQ joint, I will always order the ribs. Bandana's ribs are the best (next to mine ;). BBQ sauce has many variations depending on where you live. You can narrow it down to it's base ingredients, either tomato, mustard, or vinegar. Bandana's approach is genius, use all three then throw in some hot sauce! If you don't like the spice, stick with their Original. The Original can be found at your local (St. Louis) grocery store. The Carolina is only available at the restaurant or online. Annie Chun's Korean Barbeque ► Here's a crazy find. When I see something different sounding at the store, I try to paint a mental flavor in my mind. I had no idea what to paint when I saw this. So ... throw it in the cart and see what happens. All I can say is that Annie rolled up all the umami she could find and squeezed it into this bottle. It's kinda sweet, kinda fruity, kinda salty. You can pour this on everything: steak, pork, chicken, shrimp, fish. It all works fabulously. Direberg's carried all five of Annie Chun's sauce varieties, then they decided to discontinue this one. Bastards! I always keep my pantry happy and pick this up by the 6-pack case online. |
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| Salsa | ||
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Frontera Chipotle Salsa There are literally hundreds of salsas out there. I've sample as many as I can find. Frontera alone makes about a dozen flavors. I've narrowed the best of the best down to one: Frontera's Chipotle Salsa. It's got some heat, but won't burn your mouth. It serves up a healthy dose of smokiness from the smoked jalapeņos. It offers the sweetness from the tomatillos, tomatoes, and onions. It's not too thick, not too thin. It is perfection! Throw a splash on your fajitas. Dump a few tablespoons on your burritos. Man ... mix this up with some melted Velveeta and you're in cheese dip nirvana. This is the only salsa in my pantry. |
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