Sauces hogged the limelight at Crabtree Farms' recent pig roast.
The menu at the annual fundraiser featured two, 200-pound hogs from Gordon Lee Farms in North Georgia, stuffed with chickpea and wild rice pilaf, wrapped in banana leaves and roasted on a spit for nine and a half hours, said chef Peter Barlow of Greenlife Grocery. "They were so succulent and tender with a nice crispy skin outside and such juicy meat inside."
Yet it was the flavorings for the meat that grabbed the attention of the several hundred people in attendance. For the Hittin' the Sauce contest, guests sampled the sauces and voted for their favorites by placing a button or bead in a Mason jar.
When all the buttons and beads were counted, Greenlife Grocery emerged as the overall winner, followed closely by En Fuego from Shan and Emily Webb's Senor Shan's Hot Sauce Co., a Chattanooga-based enterprise.
"We had seven phenomenal sauce entries, ranging from super hot to sweet and tangy," said Vanessa Mercer, Crabtree Farms executive director. "All of the sauces received lots of votes, showing how they appeal to a wide range of palates."
Greenlife's winning Tennessee Red sauce was a creative mixture of fresh orange juice, orange juice concentrate, a little tomato paste and ghee butter to help thicken the sauce.
"It was more tangy than sweet," said Barlow.
Shan Webb said his and wife Emily's entry is a traditional Louisiana hot sauce they plan to market sometime in the next year. He said they tasted the sauce but not the meat.
"Emily and I are both vegetarians, but everyone said our sauce tasted really good with the pork," Webb said. "We entered because it was a way for us to promote our new company and try something new and creative."
Mercer said the array of flavors in the contest is not surprising, as barbecue sauce can be customized to personal taste.
"It was fun to see how our different restaurants and local businesses put their own spin on sauces," she said.
Tennessee Red Sauce
1 1/4 cups oil or ghee butter (a type of Indian butter)
3 1/4 cups chopped onion
10 garlic cloves, minced to a paste
50 ounces 365 brand orange juice (available at Whole Foods/Greenlife Grocery)
5 cups vegetable stock
3 1/4 cups 365 ketchup
2 1/4 cups 365 steak sauce
2 1/4 cups Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon celery seeds
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat ghee, then add onions and sweat until they are translucent. Add garlic and cook until you can smell it. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for a half an hour. Strain and reduce if necessary to desired richness. Add salt and pepper.
-- Charlie Loomis, Greenlife
Peach and Sherry Pork Glaze
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 medium white onions, roughly chopped
4 cups sherry wine
6 peaches
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a medium sauce pot, heat vegetable oil over medium-low heat to begin caramelizing the onions, stirring occasionally and taking care not to brown onions (this will take 30-40 minutes). In another medium pot, heat sherry wine to simmer and reduce by three-quarters volume (approximately 15-20 minutes). In the meantime, peel and remove pits from peaches. Dice peaches and combine with brown sugar and honey in bowl. Once onions are tender, add peach mixture and reduced sherry wine to the onions. Then, add vinegar, water, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 20 minutes. Puree onion-peach-sherry mixture in food processor or blender.
-- Kenny Burnap, St. John's/The Meeting Place
Sweet and Spicy Island BBQ Sauce
1 medium red onion
1 each bell, banana, jalapeno and habanero peppers
64 ounces whole stewed tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
Finger-size pieces of ginger
1 each star fruit and mango
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon Sriracha (hot chili sauce)
1 teaspoon star anise
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pint hoisin sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
Smoke or roast onions and peppers. Remove seeds from peppers for less heat. Chop garlic, ginger and fruit. Combine all ingredients in large saucepan and simmer for 3 hours. Allow to cool. Blend thoroughly and strain with a fine mesh strainer. Makes approximately 1/2 gallon.
-- Danny Parrish, Table 2