Inspiration in a Bottle - Chef Duffy's Chocololate BBQ Sauce
Nothing says Southern cuisine like BBQ sauce. The mustard/ketchup base debates rage on. Now there's a newcomer to the sauce competition. Its secret weapon: chocolate.
Ciarán Duffy, the executive chef of Charleston's Tristan restaurant, has been wowing guests for two years with his signature flavors. His Chocolate BBQ sauce (served at the restaurant on savory lamb ribs) has been a crowd favorite. Guests often ask for the recipe. "One lady wanted to take home a gallon of it," he laughs.
The sauce was inspired, as is so often the case, during a moment of quiet reflection. "It just struck me one day that all the complexity of a mole sauce could be captured in a BBQ sauce." Duffy mixed up a batch in his kitchen, and "everyone who tasted it pretty much loved it."
National Recognition
The final push from kitchen to store shelf came earlier this year, when Duffy was one of just two Charleston chefs chosen to appear on the nationally syndicated Wheel of Fortune.
"Here I was, with a chance to tell my story to 48 million guests," he says. "It was pretty clear that if ever there was a time to bottle that sauce, that time was now."
Online Ordering
Indeed. Duffy's Chocolate BBQ Sauce (which also comes in a chipotle and a pomegranate version) debuted on national television in February. The same night, more than 1,000 viewers clicked to order bottles. Two weeks later, the sauce was a prize for winners of the Whatd'ya Know national public radio show, which broadcast out of Charleston.
Within weeks of his February launch, Duffy had re-ordered 100 cases. Specialty markets, and the web, are proving to be successful points of sale. Bottles are priced at $8 each.
"Chocolate is universal. People love it; they crave it. We hope soon that thousands of them will crave it in BBQ Sauce form," Duffy says.
When Sweet Meets the Meat
Consumers who take a bottle home will find it a perfect match for numerous dishes. The pomegranate version partners well with beef and pork - the chipotle and chocolate with most meats, as well as firm fish.
Looking for the perfect wine to pair with the savory chocolate sauce? Tristan's sommelier Brian Austin suggests a Syrah or Zin. "You want something that can stand up to the flavors and complement the sweetness."