Get Your BBQ Saucy On – with Rufus Teague

Dec 6, 2021 by Chef David

By Chef David

Barbeque sauce is a way to add flavor to your meal, but it is commonly overused drowning out or overpowering foods. This may be due to the heavy-handedness of the cook, or the overzealous inclusion of sauce as a complete flavor profile. I recommend applying barbeque sauce moderately and caringly, enhancing the flavor profile of your food without a sugar overload. Yes, BBQ sauce is high in sugar. Barbeque sauces work by providing a complex blend of sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, which in combination tantalize the palate. Though not known for being a healthy condiment, barbeque sauce has become a taste we crave, enhancing the flavor of meat and chicken. Dry rubs offer another way to apply flavor but without guilt.  Rufus Teague offers BBQ sauces, steak sauce, and rubs that are certified kosher by the OU.  They are ideal for treating your taste buds to unparalleled flavor.  

Rufus Teague raises the bar on flavor possibilities

Their line called ‘made some sauce’ contains eight BBQ sauces, each presenting a distinctive flavor profile. I sampled two of their sweeter varieties. KC Mustard Gold BBQ has a sweet, tangy mustard flavor, and Honey Sweet which presents a thicker darker-colored more traditional sauce. I immediately thought that Honey Sweet could be a good compliment for my brisket, burgers, and chicken wings. KC Mustard Gold provides a distinctive change of pace that works well on fries and chicken. 

In addition to the BBQ sauces I sampled, Rufus Teague also makes other flavors – Touch O’Heat, Blazin’ Hot, Whisky Maple, Smoky Apple, as well as two sugar-free varieties Slim N’ Sweet, and Smoke’n Chipotle. 

What’s the Rufus Teague BBQ Sauce difference? 

They use pure, recognizable ingredients which do not include corn syrup. The Honey Sweet Sauce contains tomato puree, brown sugar, sugar, honey, molasses, distilled vinegar, water, salt, raisin paste, tamari soy sauce, orange juice, dried onions, garlic powder, smoke flavor, spices, and celery seed. In combination, they provide a complexity that makes this sauce different from the rest. There are 80 calories in two teaspoons, however, the sugar content is high with 18 grams of added sugar. 

From product to packaging Rufus Teague provides quality, beginning with the bottle which is made of heavy glass. It is designed to look like a flask which makes it easy to grip and consistent with the brand. The flask is part of the Rufus Teague legend, according to the story, his sauces were sold in whisky flasks. 

The bottle shares the tale of Rufus Teague who reminds us that “Good sauce makes bad barbeque good and good barbeque gooder.” 

It didn’t happen overnight, but Rufus Teague’s sauce has sure come a long way. From the ol’ pot he used to stir it in, to winning competitions all over the place, this sauce hasn’t changed much. If he was still around, there’s no doubt he’d be tellin’ everybody within earshot of how he knew he had something with this recipe from day one. 

Taste and Aroma

Take off the cap, inhale and begin your culinary experience.  The mixture of aromas hits you immediately, KC Mustard Gold is a sweet, mustard with a punch of vinegar, a full-bodied flavor. Honey Sweet has an entirely different flavor profile, it begins with tomato with hickory smoke, which is complicated by competing overtones of sweet and tangy.

I found that the sauce thickness is just about right. The Honey Sweet comes out of the bottle slowly, one drip at a time, leaving the glass bottle with a thin coating, a demonstration of how this sauce will cover your food.  The KC Mustard Gold is less viscous. It pours faster but still leaves an opaque coating on the bottle. This sticky factor makes it ideal for coating chicken wings.

Main Varieties of BBQ Sauce

BBQ sauce is an American culinary staple. It was originally the dipping of meat in wine, cider, malt, vinegar, and herbs during meals. In the kosher kitchen, BBQ sauce is a versatile condiment. It can be placed on the table beside ketchup or used in the kitchen to flavor meatloaf, cholent, in addition to wings or steak, and of course brisket! 

The core ingredients in BBQ sauce are American in origin, molasses, tomato, and chili peppers. The first sauce, a combination of vinegar and pepper, can be traced to the Carolinas. BBQ sauce varieties are associated with their region of origin. South Carolina is known for a mustard-based sauce popularized by the German settlers. North Carolina uses vinegar and pepper with a dash of ketchup. It presents with a thinner distinctive southern tang, skewing toward the spicier side. 

Kansas City may be the most common flavor. It is thicker thanks to the heavier tomato and sugar content. Typical ingredients include tomato paste, molasses, brown sugar, vinegar, cayenne pepper, onion, and garlic powder. Leaving out molasses creates Texas and St. Lewis varieties. The most unusual BBQ sauce may be the Alabama white BBQ sauce, which consists of a mayonnaise base thinned with vinegar and lemon juice. This unique blend works well when used to make coleslaw.

Rufus Teague Dry Rubs and Steak Sauces

In addition to BBQ sauce, I experimented with their dry rub. A dry rub is a mixture of ground spices made to be rubbed on raw food before it is cooked. I tried the Chick N’Rub which combines salt, sugar, chili pepper, dehydrated garlic and onion, citric acid, and lemon juice solids. The unique tastes from the premixed spice combination accentuate the natural flavors of the chicken.  It smelled heavenly, the aroma of fall, deep, warm, and comforting. 

Rufus Teague steak sauce is extremely tasty, with a spicy sweetness that is uncommonly good or as the bottle says ‘One Tangy Topper’. Certified OU fish because it contains anchovies, this sauce is worth the splurge. I found it a great compliment for topping veggie burgers. 

Rufus Teague products can be purchased online or in your local supermarket.

BBQ sauce offers a variety of strong flavors which change a routine meal into an adventure, creating a simple, but a messy meal. While I like the idea of barbecuing, it is just as easy to make steak or chicken wings indoors on a skillet or cast iron pan. You can enjoy the flavors of summer in the winter! 

Happy eating!

Simple Chick N’ Fajitas for an easy dinner (Modified from Rufus Teague)

Ingredients

• • 1 ½ lb. boneless chicken breasts (cut into thin strips), I used chicken thighs
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons Rufus Teague Chick N’ Rub
  • 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic (optional)

Method

• In a pan caramelize an onion. Add peppers and garlic and cook until they are soft. Set aside.
• Coat chicken with Rufus Chink N’Rub cook on the stove-top until it reaches 165 degrees F
• Remove the excess oil, and add onion/pepper mixture.  Serve.

Side dishes to compliment this dish can include avocado, rice, corn, salsa, and refried beans. For an authentic dish serve with tortillas.