Give me Liberty or Give me Sauce: Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce launches to shelves in style!

The official launch of Jay D’s Lousiana Barbecue Sauce is finally upon us, and it is one week of activities you won’t want to miss! Unique in flavor and consistency, this barbecue sauce redefines a Southern summer staple and does it in style. This isn’t your mom’s barbecue sauce launch—from bottle signings to hot dog eating contests, Jay D’s has you covered for your fourth of July week happenings.

While most barbecue sauces are thin and vinegary or as thick as molasses, Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce has a consistency somewhere between the two with flavors of tomato, Louisiana cane syrup and brown sugar. Follow that with flavors inspired by the heat of Louisiana cuisine including cayenne, Creole mustard, and Cajun pepper sauce and you’ve got a locally made and inspired concoction.

The schedule of events for launch week, all of which are free and open to the public, include samplings, and bottle signings is as follows:

July 1st – The week kicks off with the official launch party at Beausoleil Restaurant & Bar from 6-9pm. Executive Chef Nathan Gresham will prepare a variety of eats featuring Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce. This is going to be the coolest thing you could be doing on July 1st!

July 2nd – Red Stick Spice Company will be hosting me from 4-7pm for a cooking demo featuring Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce. Slow-cooked brisket sliders and grilled sausage will be served. They have tons of great products and if you've never had the chance to stop by, this is the day to do it!

July 3rd – Calandro’s Supermarket will be hosting a big local foods blowout in preparation for the Fourth of July at their Perkins at Siegen from 3-8pm. There's going to be a lot of great things to try that can really kick up your game for the 4th that are made and sourced locally. It's going to be a party for sure!

July 4th – On this day of national celebration, Frankie’s Dawg House is holding its 3rd hot dog eating contest at noon. Frankie’s was one of the first places to use Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue sauce on a menu item, so stop by and try a Jay Ducote Dawg, watch the competition, or see if you have what it takes to compete against yours truly!

July 5th –From 8am-noon, I will be selling bottles of Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue sauce for the first time ever inside the Main Street Market at the Red Stick Farmer’s Market! This is one of my favorite Saturday morning activities and I can't wait to sling some sauce, so come by and see me!

Mark your calendars for each of these barbecue-licious activities! A bottle of Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce can be purchased at any of these events or at Calandro’s Supermarket (both locations), Red Stick Spice Company, Ambrosia Bakery, or online at Indie Plate and HugJayD.com. Look for the sauce on menu items at Ambrosia Bakery, Mason’s Grill, Leroy’s, Brew Ha Ha, and Frankie’s Dawg House.

Cheers!

Hogs for the Cause 2013

Team Bite and Booze will be present at this year's Hogs for the Cause.  Iverstine Family Farms will provide the pigs.  I'd love for you to join us!  When you buy a ticket, you'll be prompted with the question “Would you like to credit one of the competitors with this purchase?” There will be a dropdown box with every single team name, so make sure to pick "Bite and Booze."  Credits go to our team fundraising tally, so spread the word!

We'll be cooking whole hog, pork shoulder, pork ribs, and porkpouri (anything goes)!  Come eat, enjoy the music, and have a great time.

Pre Sale tickets are only $10 throughout January. I assure you this is an incredible value like always. The line-up is kicked up a notch this year but still maintains the Hogs “vibe.” Pre Sale jumps to $15 in February until March 22. $20 at the gates.

Virtual Potluck, OXO, and Bite and Booze present Cruzan Rum and Cane Syrup Brined Turkey Wings with Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce

Cruzan Rum and Cane Syrup Brined Turkey Wings

OXO recently sent me a gift pack with all sorts of amazing goodies for a Virtual Potluck Thanksgiving.  There were silicon pot holders with magnets, poultry shears, a turkey baster, a fat separator, an adjustable potato ricer, a digital thermometer, and a silicone basting brush.  Happy holidays, indeed.  So the challenge was to cook up something for Thanksgiving using a handful of the products.  Since chicken wings wouldn't be all that "Thanksgiving" of me, and since I recently re-established my love of turkey legs at the State Fair, I thought that perhaps some Sasquatch sized turkey wings could hit the spot!  I started them off in an overnight brine of Cruzan aged rum and Steen's cane syrup.

Removing Turkey Wings from Oven with OXO Silicone Pot Holders

Brine:
1 Cup Cruzan Rum
1 Cup Steen's Cane Syrup
2 Tbs Salt
2 Tbs Black Peppercorns
Water to Cover

Mix together rum, syrup, salt, and peppercorns.  Our over turkey wings in a container to brine overnight.  Add water to cover the wings, shake to mix everything together, and refrigerate over night.

The OXO Digital Thermometer

After the brine, I dried the turkey legs off and placed them in a large pan.  I rubbed the outside with my own Jay D's Blazin' BBQ Rub, then put them in the oven at 350F for an hour.

Jay D's Blazin' BBQ Rub:
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Black Pepper
1 Cup Smoked Paprika
1/2 Cup Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Chile Powder
1/4 Cup Garlic Powder
1/4 Cup Onion Powder
2 Tbs Cayenne

Whisk all ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  Store extra in a spice jar or shaker of some sort.

OXO Basting Brush is Perfect for BBQ Sauce!

 After an hour in the oven, I used the OXO digital thermometer to ensure I had reached at least 165F inside the turkey wing.  That's the "cooked throughout" temperature for chicken and turkey, in case you were wondering.  I flipped the turkey wings over to get to the under side.  Using the OXO silicon basting brush, I slathered a generous portion of Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce on the wings (you don't get that recipe!).  I put them back in the oven for 10 minutes, then flipped them over, gave the other side a fresh coating of sauce, and returned them to the oven for another 20 minutes.  After that, I feasted on my rum and cane syrup brined turkey wings with Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce!  Tasty!

Cruzan Rum and Cane Syrup Brined Turkey Wings with Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce

But wait... there's more!

Do you want some OXO goodies of your own in time for Christmas?  I've got some to give away!  Here's how you enter:

1) Share this post on your Facebook wall tagging Jay D's Bite and Booze Blog for one entry
2) Share this post on Twitter tagging @biteandbooze for a second entry
3) Leave a comment on this post for third entry giving me another boozy brine idea besides cane syrup and rum

All entries will be tallied and I'll use random.org to pick the winner!  One lucky person will receive the exact same gift bundle from OXO that I did, which means silicon pot holders with magnets, poultry shears, a turkey baster, a fat separator, an adjustable potato ricer, a digital thermometer, and a silicone basting brush! I'll keep taking entries through Cyber Monday!

Also, make sure to like OXO on their Facebook Page and follow them on Twitter too!

Cheers!

Fourth of July Bonus: Barbecued Spare Ribs with Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce

St. Louis Style Pork Spare Ribs, Smoked, with Jay D's Louisiana Barbecue Sauce

One of my favorite meats: barbecued spare ribs.  Works pretty well with my sauce!  Happy Fourth of July, America!

Jay Ducote Dawg!

Baton Rouge's own Frankie's Dawg House is under new management (Brian Medlin of All-Star Catering) and also has a new featured hot dog.  The "Jay Ducote Dawg" (yes, I have a hot dog named after me, I guess I'm big time now!) features a Nathan's 100% beef frank on a locally baked bun and topped with shredded cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, jalapeno's, and the new "Bite and Booze Louisiana BBQ Sauce!"  You probably ought to go give one a try and let me know what you think.  Nathan Lemoine did, and I quote, "Sauce was boss."  Brian Haldane from Talk 107.3 tweeted, "...@biteandbooze had the Jay Ducote dog from Frankie's! Unbelievably good!!!"  Here it is in all of its glory:

Jay Ducote Dawg from Frankie's Dawg House in Baton Rouge, LA 

Menu Board at Frankie's Dawg House Describing the Jay Ducote Dawg

Bite and Booze BBQ Sauce, you wonder?  I've been playing around with my own BBQ sauce and I'm very happy with the results so far.  I'm calling it a Louisiana BBQ Sauce because of the notable choices to include certain Louisiana ingredients such as Cane Syrup, Creole Mustard, Pepper Sauce, and, of course, Louisiana Craft Beer (Tin Roof Perfect Tin Amber, to be exact).  Aside from those, it is cooked down with fresh onion and garlic instead of the powdered crap and is a tomato based sauce with layers of sweet and spicy flavors that I feel pay tribute to what people around here like in their barbecue sauce.  I'm hoping to be making more soon and getting it out there a little bit before I try to figure out the next steps of nutrition labels and bottling.  With a little luck, you might actually see it in a store before too long!  Until then, let me know if you'd like a bottle and I'll do my best to accommodate!

Batch #3 of the Bite and Booze Louisiana BBQ Sauce

Frankie's Dawg House off Perkins near the Overpass