Food: Some "Awesome-sauce" BBQ Inspiration with Stonewall Kitchen

Get your Grill on...

In Toronto, we love summer. Everyone is in a great mood, we have more sunlight, longer days and generally, everyone wants to be outside as much as possible.

Cue the BBQ plans. Whether it's a quick weeknight meal or a full on fiesta with friends on the weekend, the grill is out and we vow to use it until October (at least).

When you want to fire up the charcoal every day or two, you need some inspiration to keep the menu mouthwatering. I often change up my side dishes but sometimes, you really want the main attraction (aka the meat) to stand out and steal the show.

Photography by Joel Levy courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen

Thankfully, I got the inspiration I needed when I had the chance to attend a Stonewall Kitchen event at the Drake Commissary last week. It was a social mixer with some fellow bloggers and we had a blast trying out all the delicious featured grille sauces. It definitely got my creative juices flowing in time for BBQ season.

Photography by Joel Levy courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen

What is Stonewall Kitchen?

Before I share about the amazing food we ate that night, a little about the brand - Stonewall Kitchen got their start selling jams and jellies at the farmers' markets in York, Maine in 1991. Over the last 25 years, they have become the most awarded specialty food company and have expanded their line to include sauces, mustards, ketchup, baking mixes and more.

Photography by Joel Levy courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen

Stonewall Kitchen makes craft batches and they remake each of their products on a monthly basis to ensure only the freshest products are on the shelves.

What I love about their line is that the focus is on creating a gourmet product using healthy, real ingredients. In fact, 95% of the ingredients are natural. There's no corn syrup in these sauces - they use real cane sugar - I checked!

Photography by Joel Levy courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen

As someone who cares about their health and looks for quality ingredients, this really matters to me. I love that some of the sauces only had about 4 ingredients in them and that they were all things I recognized!

In case you're wondering where to get some of their delectable sauces in the GTA, you can find their products at Sobey's, Metro, Hudson's Bay, Pusateris, McEwan's and Whole Foods.

Photography by Joel Levy courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen

The Spread

Now back to the food...

The Drake's Chef Ted Corrado really spoiled us that night with some innovative dishes featuring Stonewall Kitchen's delicious sauces.

Here's a look at the exclusive menu he created for us:

Roasted Apple Grille Sauce Pork & Cheddar Sausage
(Stonewall Kitchen Roasted Apple Grille Sauce)

Photography by Joel Levy courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen

Boozy Bacon Roasted Argentinean Shrimp
(Stonewall Kitchen Boozy Bacon BBQ Sauce)

Photography by Joel Levy courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen

Curried Mango Glazed Cauliflower, Pepitas, Puffed Lentils, Cilantro & Aleppo Chili
(Stonewall Kitchen Curried Mango Grille Sauce)

Commissary Brisket Maple Chipotle Style
(Stonewall Kitchen Maple Chipotle Grille Sauce)

Photography by Joel Levy courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen

Ready, Set - BBQ Season!

If you want to amp up your BBQ game and you're not sure what to pick up, you really can't go wrong with any sauce or condiment from Stonewall Kitchen.

Photography by Joel Levy courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen

But if you're looking for something tried and tested, my favourites so far are the:

• Roasted Apple Grille Sauce
• Country Ketchup (like a gourmet, adult version of ketchup with tomato chunks!)
• Mango Habanero Aioli 
• Spicy Corn Relish

Start with any one of these and you will definitely be coming back for more.

Photography by Joel Levy courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen

Need some inspo on how to serve them?

The Roasted Apple Grille Sauce would be perfect with some roasted veggies, sausage, pork chops or lamb burgers, while the ketchup, aioli and relish would make a flavourful accompaniment to a burger or hot dog.

Photography by Joel Levy courtesy of Stonewall Kitchen

Trust me, even the most discerning of palettes would love a simple hot dog if it was topped with some Country Ketchup and Spicy Corn Relish.

In fact, now I can't stop thinking about eating one myself....

Final word? Get your hands on some Stonewall Kitchen condiments this summer, your BBQs will be awesome-sauce!



Thanks so much to my friends at Stonewall Kitchen and Branding and Buzzing for sponsoring this post. As always, all views and opinions are my own.