Part II- Best Sauces and Marinades

In my quest to bring you some lip-smacking BBQ sauces, I've sampled no less than over a dozen glazes, marinades, rubs and spice mixes to offer you a variety of flavours and quality products. In this instalment, I bring you a wonderful array of products made by Kermit's Key Lime Shoppe in Key West, Florida. Closer to home, the enterprising and spicy ladies at Hot Mamas make two hot and delectable offerings sure to put some island heat in your food.

Those of you who have been reading my missives know I'm a HUGE key lime fan- The Magic of Key Limes-whether it's a slice of pie, the juice in concentrate form or even better, added to a wonderful BBQ sauce, I'm game. When I discovered that Kermit's offers sauces made with the magical citrus fruit- I was delighted. First stop - Kermi'ts Golden Key Lime Mustard Barbeque Sauce. Managing Director John Meyer III kindly suggested a few choice ways in which to use this mustard and vinegar based sauce, made popular by cooks in North Carolina.

John's tips include:

• Use the Golden Key Lime Mustard BBQ Sauce on pulled pork, ham or pork chops for juicy meat.

• Or use as a marinade for chicken.

• When grilling, brushing the sauce on the chicken is recommended and it can be used as a dipping sauce as well.

This sauce is one of John's favourites- and I can taste why. The cooking process mellows out any vinegar-sharp notes, leaving you with a wonderfully flavourful sauce that reminds me of the pulled pork I've had in the Carolinas. I marinated chicken breasts and the sauce not only tenderized the meat, it was the perfect accompaniment as a side sauce afterwards.

Triple AAA beef patties got the royal treatment with some Kermit's Key Lime Barbeque Sauce in Medium Mannered (you can get a milder Sweet & Tasty or a hotter Hot & Spicy version as well). The sauce was an overwhelming success. As with previous taste-tests, our friends loved this sauce so much, they pleaded to keep the bottle. I gave in and said my final farewells to the sauce with the last mouthful of burger. John suggests you apply the sauce after the final turn (otherwise it can caramelize and taste burnt), or use it as a wonderful dipping sauce (we all gave our burgers an extra coat and passed on the ketchup!). He also suggests using the sauce when grilling salmon to add another flavour dimension to your fillet.

If it's wings you're looking to prepare, give Kermit's Golden Spicy Hot Sauce a sample. The sauce is also great with any cut of chicken if you're after a little heat. Now if it's a dry/wet rub you're after in a host of tasty flavours, I'd recommend the selection available through the Key Lime Shoppe's site. Florida Bay Mango Madness, Caribbean Sweet Heat and Key Lime Orange Habanero are some of the flavour combos available. The wet portion of the spice packets is the marinade side which will do its magic in as little as 15 minutes (but I found it best to use for at least 2 hours). The dry spice contains NO MSG which in my books is always a bonus and offers quite a flavourful pack- so John rightly recommends to "season to taste." Each packet will marinade up to two pounds of meat - so you get good value for your dollar as well.

Keeping with the flavours of the island, the Hot Mamas offer a Jamaican style Jerk'n Hot Scotch Bonnet BBQ Sauce that adds just the right amount of kick to your meat. Yes, it is spicy, but it's NOT incendiary. It has a very enjoyable, sweet start with a hot finish that doesn't leave you crying for mercy (memories of trying to out-eat my brother in a hot wing competition- guess who lost?). Just the right amount of spices and even fruit juice round off this sauce- perfect for a steak, burger, piece of pork or chicken. I'd even brush it on some red onion slices and red pepper halves for grilling.

The Hot Mamas also have a Hot Cranberry Jelly that's perfect for turkey or chicken that needs a little zing. Whether it's grilled or not- this jelly adds the perfect amount of tang and heat to get your taste buds working. The Hot Mamas also very generously offer a host of tasty recipes on their site at: Hot Mama's site.

Happy grilling, eating and savouring the last few summer weekends with flavours from the south.

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