Take a bow McCaffrey’s Market, Gillian’s Gourmet, Jade Asian Sauces, and FunniBonz.
McCaffrey’s for selling flanken ribs (short ribs cut across the bone), which can be hard to find (and they weren’t too expensive, either). And to the others for making such tasty sauces. What’s more, Gillian’s and FunniBonz are local companies, often to be found handing out samples in area markets.
Pictured from left to right – Gillian’s Cherry Balsamic BBQ sauce is slightly sweet, but doesn’t hit you over the head with it. The balsamic adds a nice tang, and salt content is low. I’ve gone through my first bottle quickly, and made sure to purchase a backup recently.
Jade’s Mekong Ginger Sauce is a little sweeter and a fair amount saltier, but still, when cooked, I did not notice it, expecially compared to more “mass market” brands of Asian sauces, which often have 3 or 4 times as much salt.
And FunniBonz Spicy BBQ Sauce was the highest in sugar and salt (but not by much), which had me concerned, but, again, once cooked, it did not taste either too sweet or too salty. It has a lot of black pepper in it too, but it all mellows out in the end, to just a mild kick.
I don’t have a place to grill, so I broiled these in my electric oven, several inches from the element, in a broiler pan so the fat would drip off. About 6-7 minutes per side, and a couple of brushings with the sauces during the broiling. (I put some of each in 3 oblong dishes, and swished the meat through, to make it easy.) Jucy, fairly tender (they should still have some pinkness), and packed with flavor. Oh boy! (And you can see the baked beans on the side…)
NJ SPICE 