Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS APRIL 2014 www.gourmetnews.com SPECIAL FEATURE 2 1 BY LORRIE BAUMANN Barbecue and fine wine do not usually come up in the same sentence, but they can be paired if the barbecue is made with the right spice rub and sauce, according to Dan and Barbi Slick of Slick's Big Time BBQ. The sauces from Slick's Big Time BBQ are lighter and thinner with more flavor than many traditional barbecue sauces. Slick's designed their sauces and rubs to compli- ment the flavor of the protein rather than to disguise it. "I want the best of the best, the available sauces and rubs weren't doing the job," Dan says of his original decision to make his own barbecue sauces. "The meat needs to be the star of the show, not the sauce or the rubs ... Whether it's fish, chicken, pork or beef, our products help highlight the flavors." The Sweet and Tangy and the Sweet and Spicy sauces are lower in sodium and sugar than most products on the market and con- tain no fat, says Barbi. "Both sauces are a thinner consistency and can be used in a variety of ways, as a marinade, dipping or cooking sauce," she says. While Dan was developing the sauce, he set up numerous blind taste tests with pan- els that included international sommeliers who evaluated how they would pair with wines. At first, the sommeliers objected that as a given, barbecue and wine do not pair, but Dan asked them to give it a try anyway. The sommeliers changed their minds, Dan says. "Our sauces do not coat the palate, so you can take a bite of our barbecue and then enjoy your next sip of wine," he says. Barbi and Dan became interested in bar- becue after their careers as a dietitian and fitness professional, teaching people how to take care of their health. Dan was look- ing for ways to cook meat and reduce its fat content at the same time, and he bought himself a smoker to add flavor without fat. The couple does a lot of entertaining at home, and when Dan served up the food that came out of his smoker dressed in his sauce, people started asking if they could take home a bottle of the sauce. From his background in the fitness in- dustry, Dan had the contacts with retailers to develop a clientele, so he took his friends' advice, bottled his sauce and of- fered it to the market. "We were in 200 stores in a matter of about six months," Dan says. "With meat markets as are biggest fans. They think it's great because they're big fans of meat, and we're making their meat taste better." Since then, Slick's Big Time BBQ has started a catering operation that is active in the Portland, Ore. region, catering for corpo- rate events for Intel, Nike, Home Depot and many others. "In four years, that business has grown about 750 percent," Dan says. "We also have a food truck, and we're the first drive-through barbecue joint in Oregon. You can roll right up and get our champi- onship barbecue right at the window." Then came the rubs. The Original Beef & Seasoning Rub is based on a spice mix that Barbi likes to rub on steaks, and it can be used on chicken as well as beef. The Original Pork Butt & Rib Seasoning is also good for fish, and both can be used on eggs, popcorn, salad or grilled vegetables. As Dan says, "People don't want compli- cated. They just want flavor." For more information, visit www .slicksbigtimebbq.com. GN Slick's Big Time BBQ Sauces Enhance the Meat Three entrepreneurs and barbecue sauce experts opened up with Gourmet News about what will be making an appearance on their picnic tables this summer. Patrick Ford Vice President, Ford's Gourmet Foods I'll be serving steak with Bone Suckin' Sauce Steak Seasoning. I take a 14-ounce ribeye. I put it on the counter, put the steak seasoning on both sides, let it sit for half an hour and then cook it on the grill. I have one side [of the grill] that's really hot and one side that's low. As soon as you sear both sides for fifteen seconds each [on the hot side], put it on the slow cooking side at a lower temperature. Sharone Hakman President and CEO, Hak's BBQ I'll do Hak's Thai Chili Tamarind barbe- cue sauce with some nice prawns. Mari- nate some prawns in that and then just finish it on the grill. Simple—a little salt, a little bit of pepper, a little olive oil. Let them swim in that barbecue sauce a little bit. And then let that just caramelize and crust right onto the shrimp. Enjoy that with a cocktail, and I'm happy. Charlie McKenna Chef and owner, Lillie's Q I cook a lot of ribeye steaks. That's one of my things that I always like to cook. I use our Q-Rub on it, heavily season it. I have a Big Green Egg ® . I get it to 600- 700 degrees, super seared on the out- side, so you get that Maillard browning on the outside. Take it off and be done— medium rare. What's Going on Your Grill This Summer?

• Cover