The high of Memorial Day Weekend is wearing off and I’m getting back to work despite the hot weather tempting me to sneak outside. That included a fair amount of daydreaming about barbecue, which helped me straighten out my Father’s Day Gift situation.
In my opinion, there’s no better Father’s Day Gift than one that you can also reap the benefits of. For me, this has always meant getting my dad something for the grill. One year, it was a smoker and a smoking cookbook. That proved to be an extremely helpful gift on both ends.
This Memorial Day, I was fortunate enough to have the full lineup of Lillie’s Q barbecue sauces and chips to make my family’s cookout amazing. My dad handled smoking the pork butts for pulled pork (in his father’s day present, let me add), and I made all of the sides to accompany it, from homemade rolls to a zucchini salad.
The Father’s Day Scoop: Lillie’s Q
Do you and your dad a favor and order him a package full of Lillie’s Q products. The recipes were developed by Chef Charlie McKenna for use in the Lillie’s Q restaurant, named after his grandmother.
After achieving so much success on the barbecue competition circuit, he decided to start bottling his sauces, allowing his loyal customers to enjoy them at home. Here are the sauces approved by not only my dad and me, but the rest of my family as well.
1. Gold: South Carolina Mustard
When I first put such a wide variety of sauces in front of my family with a whopping 10 pounds of smoked pulled pork, I was worried they’d all go straight for a traditional barbecue sauce and turn their noses up at the ones they weren’t familiar with.
The gold sauce proved me totally wrong. None of my family had ever tasted this style, and it ended up as an almost unanimous favorite. The mustard flavor was prominent without being overwhelming.
I’d recommend this sauce exactly as we enjoyed it, on a pulled pork barbecue sandwich.
2. Hot Smoky: Memphis-Style Sweet with Heat
While there was a regular smoky sauce as well, even my most timid family members went for the hot smoky version. The spice wasn’t overwhelming at all and provided the perfect counterpart to the traditionally super sweet memphis-style sauce.
I would highly recommend this on chicken because it can lend its smoky flavor to the meat without having to deal with the tricky process of smoking chicken without drying it out.
3. Carolina: Western North Carolina Tomato
If there was one Lillie’s Q sauce that was the OG according to my tastebuds, it would be the Carolina sauce. This is what I grew up eating on barbecue, but the Lillie’s Q version puts a creative spin on the tomato and vinegar base.
At first, I wasn’t quite able to identify the taste, but when I learned it was apple and lime juice, I went back and could pick it out perfectly. Chef Charlie uses it in the restaurant on pork shoulder, but I think it would taste amazing on ribs.
4. ENC: Eastern North Carolina Vinegar
There seem to be two fairly distinct camps when it comes to traditional barbecue sauce: sweet and vinegar. The ENC sauce is what you should grab if you’re in the vinegar camp. It was a little too runny for my taste, but I really loved the bold blend of cayenne, red, and black peppers. Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of spice, because the apple cider vinegar balances out the hot with sweet.
Call me crazy, but if I could pick anything to have this sauce on, it would be oysters. Maybe it’s my Virginia Beach roots coming through.
5. Ivory: Northern Alabama Style
My family didn’t believe me at first when I told them this was actually barbecue sauce. I actually have Top Chef to thank for educating me in the story behind Alabama’s white sauce.
Although it didn’t go perfectly with pulled pork, all of my family agreed that it would be great spread on sandwich bread, especially for a fried chicken sandwich, or as the base for making cole slaw.
To Mix Up the Gift Basket
Along with all those sauces on some great barbecued meat, you’re going to want to get a few more Lillie’s Q products. They offer delicious chips in unusual flavors that evoke tastes of southern barbecue.
My family’s favorites were the Hot Pepper Vinegar and Pimento Cheese, but my personal recommendation is the simple but flavorful sea salt and black pepper flavor.
Last, but certainly not least, do your dad a favor and add a big jug of bloody mary mix to his father’s day gift basket from Lillie’s Q. It’s the perfect mix of tangy from the tomato and hot from the pepper.
Even if you’re not so into the actual drink, try using it as a dipping sauce for shrimp or as the base for a chili.
I’ve done all the work for you. Now all you have to do is go on Lillie’s Q website and order a sampler box of sauces for a fun and flavorful Father’s Day Gift. Or, if you’re feeling especially loving, build your own box with a little bit of everything Lillie’s Q has to offer.
You won’t regret it when you’re sitting down to your family’s next backyard barbecue.
#SpoonTip: Lillie’s Q was awesome enough to provide my family and me with free samples to try. Obviously, we fell in love instantly. I’m currently figuring out when I can make a trip to one of their restaurants.