Fire up the Grill - it's Summer Cookout Season
Get out there and Grill this Memorial Day with Julian Van Winkle's Famous BBQ Sauce
As Memorial Day approaches, and spring melts into summer, we excitedly enter one of our favorite seasons of all - the season of outdoor entertaining. Which really just means outdoor dining and porch time Pappy Hour!Which really just means not just dining al fresco- but cooking al fresco as well. Which means - it's time to fire up the grill!
Grilling has always been our dad, Julian Van Winkle’s, domain. Summer to us meant the outdoor grill on the porch in Michigan, where we have grown up spending our summers, was pretty much always open for business. It is a simple routine, full of nostalgia, comfort and enjoyment. He would pour a drink, grab a cigar, and we would wait with anticipation to enjoy something delicious and fresh from the grill. 
Either fresh lake trout, smash burgers, ribs, chicken, garden plucked summer veggies…or just his famous grilled bread, everything that comes off of the grill in summertime is delicious and devoured quickly by a crew of hungry, sun soaked revelers. Sometimes we use the grill for all three meals - with bacon and pancakes on the griddle top in the morning, with hot dogs, burgers or grilled cheeses for a quick midday beach break, and then back again for dinner.
The true beauty of grilling out is that it can be as complicated or as easy as you want - and it combines a few of our favorite things - eating and cooking - in our favorite place - outside! Summertime entertaining is simple. You already have the ideal ambiance, setting, and natural decor, all you need to add is the fresh flavor, good food and good drinks!
Since summer entertaining for us also means we are usually feeding at least 20 people for each meal, we need some classic go-to recipes. One of the reoccurring crowd-pleasers is a famous Van Winkle summer staple - BBQ! Having an essential BBQ sauce that always delivers on flavor, that you can slather on chicken, ribs, pork, you name it, for a quick, easy and yet always mouth-wateringly tasty is an absolute must. Especially if it is one like ours, that can be made ahead of time (and actually gets even better a few days later)!
While we prefer to stay out of the great BBQ wars, we have heard of (and tasted) the best from Kansas, North Carolina, Memphis and more…and well, we are equal opportunity enthusiasts. For us, BBQ is about the experience, the rich flavor, and gathering together on the porch for a simple summer supper.
It also just so happens that the flavors of our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pure Maple Syrup and OG Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pepper Sauce are perfect accompaniments for a BBQ sauce. Our dad's recipe has just the right amount of natural sweetness, oaky heat and a hint of spice with the signature Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon barrel-aged undertones of charred oak, and the rich, buttery hints of caramel and vanilla. Combined with a splash of actual bourbon for deeper flavor, the bite of Worcestershire and apple cider vinegar, intensely aromatic ground mustard, and complex sweetness of brown sugar for a BBQ recipe that is sure to become your favorite as well.
Our dad’s particular favorite way to enjoy this Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged flavor infused BBQ sauce is slathered over baby back ribs, which are then baked for three hours to fall off the bone perfection, coated again and tossed on the grill to caramelize the flavor.
Of course, to achieve true true grill master status, pair our BBQ sauce with our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel Stave Grilling Toolsand Pappy & Company X Hedley & Bennett Essential Apron. You will certainly look the part - and when you deliver on this delicious BBQ flavor, you will officially earn the mark of King or Queen of the Grill.
Happy Grilling!
