Can your Independence Day celebration be complete without barbecue sauce, pimento cheese and sausages to grill?
Barbecue sauce
Barbecue sauce gets used in Fourth of July meals in a variety of ways besides basting what’s on the grill. Buzzy’s BBQ Sauce from Atlanta-based Built by Bees was a finalist in the University of Georgia’s 2024 Flavor of Georgia competition and it’s the sauce we’ll be using this Fourth. Sweet from dark brown sugar and honey, tangy from Worcestershire sauce and infused with rich smoky flavor, it reminds us of Kansas City barbecue, and we understand why it tantalized the judges’ taste buds. It’s so tempting, we’ve seen guests dip carrot sticks into it.
$10 per 11-ounce jar. Available at builtbybees.com/product/buzzys-bbq-sauce.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Pimento cheese
In 2014, Robin Allen and her husband, Glenn, decided to make pimento cheese as a one-day project for a farmers market in South Hill, Virginia. The response was so great their project turned into Birdie’s Pimento Cheese, named for Robin’s family nickname. Our guests couldn’t choose a favorite from the five flavors we tried, but the cream cheese and black pepper was the first to be finished. We appreciated that all the flavors start with a base of sharp cheddar and each package comes with cards suggesting the best beer and wine pairings.
$43.35 per pack of four 8-ounce containers. Available at Viking Alchemist Meadery in Smyrna and birdiespimentocheese.com.
Credit: Grant Freeman
Credit: Grant Freeman
Sausages for grilling
Just over 100 years ago, Valdosta cattleman Walter Carroll began what would become Sunset Farm Foods, selling smoked meats, souse and more than a dozen varieties of chicken, beef and pork sausage. We grilled the company’s bell pepper and onion smoked sausages, a finalist in this year’s Flavor of Georgia competition, and served them to our guests. You could smell the aroma of the peppers and onions while the sausages were cooking, and they delivered those flavors and more. We just might need to order the 12-pound case for the Fourth of July.
$40 per mini sampler of five varieties, $64 per 12-pound case of bell pepper and onion variety. Available at Food Depot and sunsetfarmfoods.com.
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