Review - Draper’s BBQ Smokin’ Sauce and All Purpose Rub
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Shane Draper is the operator of Draper's BBQ, a family-owned 'que outfit based in rural Kentucky. Shane's grandfather James started the company as a small restaurant called Draper's Pit Barbecue. In the years since then, Shane picked up where his grandpa left off, developed Draper's BBQ Smokin' Sauce and All Purpose Rub, and metamorphisized the business into DBQ.
Both products sent to me for review are meant to be used in unison. Their combined complimentary flavors are supposed to be Shane Draper's best approximation of what barbecue heaven should be like, at least when it comes to the food enhancement (AKA sauces and rubs) department, and it was my turn up at bat to lend my opinion of the suace and rub...
Draper's BBQ A.P. (All Purpose) Rub
Ingredients:
Sea salt, turbinado sugar, spices including paprika, brown sugar, dehydrated onion and garlic, not more than 1% tricalcium phosphate as anti-caking agent
Aroma:
Salty, garlicky with a dash of cumin, onion and pepper are apparent.
Appearance and Texture:
4 out of 5. Very colorful malange of uniformly fine granules.
Taste Straight Up:
3.0 out of 5. This has a nice, low heat with a mild sweetness. If anything, it is more savory, salty and garlicky than your average barbecue seasoning or rub.
Draper's BBQ Smokin' Sauce
Ingredients:
Ketchup (red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, onion powder, spice, natural flavor), molasses, honey, brown sugar, mustard (distilled vinegar, mustard seed, salt, tumeric & spices), water, vinegar, worchestershire sauce (vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, water, salt, caramel color, garlic powder, sugar, spices, tamarind, natural flavor), spice, dried onion, chile powder, dried garlic, salt, cinnamon, soy sauce (water, salt, hydrolyzed soy protein, corn syrup, caramel coloring), nutmeg, basil, smoke flavor, thyme and spices
Aroma:
4 out 5. This has a very full, rich aroma that whiffs of sweetness from honey, molasses and a palpable tang from tomatoes. There's also hints of onion and an almost cumin-like scent to it.
Appearance and Texture:
4 out of 5. A deep reddish-brown hue encapsulates lots of black peppery specks. Draper's BBQ Smokin' Sauce
Taste Straight Up:
4.5 out of 5. Draper's BBQ Smokin' Sauce has a very, very unique taste. It's still unmistakably a barbecue sauce, but there's something to it that you may have never encountered in a product like this. It has a smokey and peppery zing to it, and there's an element making it very close to having a jamaican jerk-like slant to it, while still being a sweet & spicy tomato-based condiment.
The Sauce and Rub on Food
It was time to give these fine products a real test...on some juicy grilled animal flesh! I used a couple of St. Louis BBQ staples, pork steaks and St. Louis-cut spare ribs to try the BBQ Smokin' Sauce and All Purpose Rub out on.
As always, I apply generous amounts of rubs or seasonings to whatever I grill or smoke.
First the pork steaks get the A.P Rub treatment...
Notice the beautiful texture.
Next, a healthy, savory coating of A.P. Rub is worked in on the ribs.
After refrigerating the meat for approximately one hour, I set up the grill to have two zones of heat with the charcoal. The lower heat side served at a medium temperature smoker as I laid out several applewood chips and chunks on the charcoal to produce that loving smoke flavor in the meat. I gave the ribs, steaks, and miscellaneous pork pieces their turns on the high temp and medium temp sides.
Close to the end of the grilling process I slathered Draper's BBQ Smokin' Sauce on the meat.
The sauce in cooperation with the rub was absolutely fantastic! It wasn't quite the ultimate 'que nirvana, but it certainly was close enough to be knocking at its door.
They were sweet, a tad spicy, sticky and harmonized terrifically with the pork meat. It boasts balance and boldness; and especially the BBQ sauce gets high marks from me.
Labels:
2.5 out of 5. The "DBQ" abbreviation of Draper's BBQ is emphasized on the bottles on top of a graphic of flames. It looks sort of classy and simplistic, but it's on the verge of being too dull.
Overall:
Draper's BBQ Smokin' Sauce - 
Draper's A.P. All Purpose Rub - 
My verdict? The sauce is a must-have. If your food dollar can't stretch that far, I would suggest to opt for only that. However, if you have a few extra bucks to splurge, go ahead and grab a bottle of the A.P. Rub as virtually deficiencies melt away as it combines with the Smokin' Sauce.
Get the goods at the Draper's BBQ website; the direct link to their online store can be found at http://drapersbbq.com/store. An 18 oz. bottle of Draper's BBQ Smokin' Sauce runs about $6.00 and even with shipping costs is a steal. Draper's BBQ A.P. Rub costs $5.00 for a 5.5 oz. shaker container.
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2011-04-03 20:55:55
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