Product Review: Country Bob's

Generally, I'm not one for condiments. I rarely splash anything on my food; heck, I don't even use ketchup on French fries most of the time.

But I do love adding sauces and chutneys and the like to recipes. Back when I started cooking, you wouldn't believe the stuff I would toss into the meatloaf mixture. If my parents had it in the cupboard or refrigerator, odds are I used it at one time or another.

So when I was given the opportunity to sample Country Bob's Steak Sauce, I was happy to do so...I just wasn't sure what I was going to do with it!

The obvious application, of course, was to add it to some just-grilled burgers. I charged Matt with the task. He topped his burger with some sauce, and had this to say about it:

"A tamarind-flavored steak sauce in the A1 tradition, but a pretty good
one. It's easy to use too much (it can be very sweet), but if used
sparingly, it's very good with otherwise unflavored meats or under
some ketchup."

Which means, in his wordy way, that he liked it.

A further test, though, came when I added a bit to Alex's veggie burger (we usually go with Morningstar Farms, though occasionally pick up Boca, in case you're interested).

I was convinced that if he knew I was using the sauce, he'd protest. So, being a Smart Mom, I didn't.

After the fact, I asked him what he thought, and he told me it was, and I quote "so very yummy". When I revealed the 'secret ingredient', he decided it was an OK thing to use.

On another occasion, Matt grilled some chicken and poured on some Country Bob's; he'd finished it before I thought to take a picture!



What I really like about it is it's vegetarian-friendly status. Often, sauces like this contain Worcestershire sauce, which (for the uninformed) is made from anchovies.
This stuff is salty-fish free. And did I mention it's good?



Around this same time, I found another occasion to use the sauce: Blog Party Retro Party Redux.

I was making pigs in a blanket, and a cheese ball. I wasn't doing much with the first, so decided to add a drop or two of the Country Bob's sauce to each of the little sausages before rolling in puff pastry. Matt said it made all the difference.

The cheese ball called for a steak sauce, so I used more Country Bob's. Ok, this may have been the best cheese ball I've ever tasted. As evidenced by my eating just about the entire thing...

The sauce gave it a wonderful, smoky flavor...and just that touch of sweetness.

So, while you won't suddenly find me stashing a bottle of steak sauce next to the vanilla sugar, or the salt & pepper, I will be keeping this stuff around. It's versatility is limited only by your imagination, it has a great flavor, and hey...I just have a soft spot for smaller companies!