Intro by Josh Gregory
Article by Gregory, Debra Freeman and Fitz
Reaching back to 1795, Isaac Weld noted people along the James River were fond of a tradition they deemed as barbecue. The history of sauce as a crucial player in the barbecue game goes back as far as Isaac Weld’s observation, with O.G. food influencers such as Jasper Welch, known for his sauces (and as a mint julep perfectionist), which were heavy with cayenne pepper, mustard and mushroom ketchup. The history of sauce in Virginia also includes the likes of Mary Randolph, known for her vinegar based sauce, steeped with cayenne and bird peppers, noting pepper vinegar was “greatly superior to black pepper,” when seasoning her pigs, which had also been stuffed with sweet herbs, nutmeg, lemon peel and salt. Sauces in Virginia have always varied by location, owing to the greatly experimental nature of local cooks. As barbecue expert and Virginia culinary history godfather Joe Haynes puts it, “everyone added their own influences.” The tradition continues today as the market for barbecue continues to grow, so does the sauce market. While some purists turn their noses up, our affinity for sauce on everything from barbecue to tacos is as deeply ingrained in our culture as our love for the distinctly Virginian tradition of barbecue.
Sometimes your lips find a sauce so good that you just have to have the recipe. The following barbecue sauces, made in Hampton Roads, Virginia are just that. So we begged and pleaded with their makers to give up these closely held secrets, reserved for competitions and family gatherings – until now. Enjoy!
Chef Forrest Warren is known as “The Real Boss Hog” by his peers in Hampton Roads due to his barbecue exploits. As the Pitmaster at Smoke in Newport News and the 2017 winner of Barbecue Wars: Hampton Roads, Warren has been playing with barbecue sauces for some time. One of his favorite personal sauces is Momma D’s Sauce, which is a recipe from his stepmother’s family that goes back generations.
Warren pouring Momma D’s Sauce at Barbecue Wars 2: Hampton Roads
Warren’s stepmother’s mother, Momma D, made this sauce, and it is said to have come down through her family. Momma D was born in Bertie County, North Carolina, and her family also has ties to the Appalachian region of Virginia. The sauce gets its richness from the butter, and the ketchup and vinegar are pronounced. Warren particularly likes it with chicken on the smoker and it’s always served with pickles and potato salad.
For more on Warren and Smoke, visit smokenn.com
Pitmaster Floyd Thomas first made a version of his “Tidewater Style” barbecue sauce several years ago, and at the time he was not versed in traditional Virginian barbecue sauce styles. For the two whole hog cooks Thomas did each year (one on Memorial day and one on Labor day), he would make up to seven styles of barbecue sauce and get the opinions of his friends and family.
Thomas spraying brisket at Redwood Smoke Shack
Ironically the one he called Virginia Original stood out. Years later after becoming familiar with Virginian author Joseph R. Hayne’s work with traditional Virginian barbecue sauces, Thomas was surprised to see that the components of his sauce was similar to Tidewater’s Regional sauce, which was found in Hayne’s research. This year, Thomas made a few slight changes, and Virginia Original became the Tidewater Style BBQ Sauce.
For more on Thomas and Redwood Smoke Shack, visit redwoodsmokeshack.com
The roots of American barbecue are in Virginia, but an essential accompaniment also hails from the Old Dominion – barbecue sauce. In preparation for this year’s Barbecue Wars, Theresa Bell, owner of Big Dog Barbecue VA recreated the historic regional sauces of Virginia, based on the recipes from Joseph R. Hayne’s landmark book Virginia Barbecue: A History. The sauces are not exact, but rather they are used for reference and reflect the flavor profiles from barbecue in each area of the state. And just like everyone has a preference in the kind of sauce they prefer, there are just as many sauces that range from sweet to savory. Although all of the sauces are unique to each region and have different tastes, the common denominator that ties them together is apple cider vinegar.
Pitmaster Theresa Bell (top) and Author Joe Haynes
There are two sauces that originate from the mountainous region of Virginia, which includes the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Virginia Mountain Barbecue Sauce (thin, red Virginia sauce) is popular in the mountainous area of Virginia, and is vinegar based, combined with herbs, although some add tomato juice or red wine. The Shenandoah Valley Barbecue Sauce (thin Virginia brown sauce) is similar, with the addition of lemon, garlic, and oil. The Southside/Tidewater Barbecue Sauce (tangy Virginia brown sauce) can easily be identified by the addition of mustard to the vinegar and tomato base sauce. Central Virginia/Piedmont Barbecue Sauce (sweet Virginia red sauce) is sweet and flavored with a variety of spices, and are similar to the barbecue flavors that can be found in cookbooks from the 1800s. Some areas also add peanut butter, which honors the peanut tradition in the state. Finally, Northern Virginia Style Barbecue Sauce (sweet Virginia mahogany sauce) is usually the sweetest of all Virginia sauces, and can include apple butter or other fruits. We may not all agree on vinegar or tomato based, or whether a thick or thin sauce may reign supreme, but we can all agree on one thing – it’s all delicious.
For more on these Virginian barbecue sauces and Virginia Barbecue History, Haynes’s book, Virginia Barbecue: A History is available for purchase HERE. For more on Haynes and his work, visit facebook.com/VirginiaBarbecue101
As with many other realms of Hampton Roads’ food scene, the hot sauce game in the Seven Cities deserves more respect. Here are just a few standouts that bring the heat without sacrificing the flavor!
Hunger’s Table Red Hot Sauce
Bursting onto the 757 scene out of Newport News, Virginia, Hunger Hot Sauces is poised to make a run at a familiar favorite in the hot sauce game. The brain child of Chefs David A. Francis and Andres F. Sandoval, Hunger is inspired by the duo’s love of food and they as a team are quite prolific in the kitchen.
Chefs David A. Francis and Andres F. Sandoval
While they tout everything from rubs, marinades, and barbecue sauces, their Table Red Hot Sauce steals the show (like Alex Newel in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – don’t act like you haven’t seen it). Although a similar option branded by a lasso swinging cowboy serves as the standard for amateur dabblings in the world of hot sauce, the garlic notes as well as the vinegar balance from Hunger’s offering place it firmly in the conversation as a versatile and regionally produced alternative.
For more on Hunger’s hot sauces and rubs, visit hungershop.com
In his ongoing effort not to work for “the man”, Speedy’s Hot Sauce creator, Jimmy Miller, in a bit of irony befitting his sense of humor, became “the man” behind the sauce. Inspired by time spent at Old Dominion University’s popular hangout Mister T’s Tacos (located on 44th Street in Norfolk), Miller concocted his original batches of sauce as an homage to a local professor’s “Death Sauce,” which the educator often used as barter to cover his bar tab. From those humble beginnings, Speedy’s #44 was born. Miller seeds and piths habanero peppers (a painstaking process which removes the inner membrane that contains the majority of the heat), and when this is combined with other ingredients such as carrots, celery, onions, and garlic, it leaves the consumer with an intense, yet clean, pop of heat.
For more on Speedy’s #44 and their line of sauces, visit speedyshotsauce.com
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