Thu Jul 5, 2012
Sauced: Cochon Volant BBQ Sonoma BBQ Sauce & Giveaway
Sauce Stats
Cochon Volant Sonoma BBQ Sauce is a great all-purpose sauce, hitting the sweet, tangy, and smoky notes you'd expect in a very bright and fresh fashion.
Background
This bottle was sent to me by Rob Larman, the man behind Sonoma's Cochon Volant BBQ—a mobile barbecue business that focuses on slow smoked meats that have been naturally raised and are hormone-free. To compliment these chickens, hogs, and steer, Rob created this Sonoma BBQ Sauce that carryovers the same focus on all natural ingredients to strike a balance between sweet and spicy, with a light smokiness.
Aroma
A sweet chili aroma fills the nose of first whiff. A slight tanginess that's easy on the nose comes out next. Smell a little deeper and there's a spice mixture that has distinct notes of garlic and chipotle, which also brings with it a very light smokiness.
Thickness & Texture
This orange-red sauce weighs in right below the medium line. It has a textured look that isn't chunky, yet not smooth either, reminiscent of a smooth restaurant salsa. A few specks of black pepper and chili seeds can seen, but otherwise there are few visible spices. Drizzled from a suspended spoon, the sauce falls off quickly in chunks with just a thin coating of sauce left clinging to the silverware.
Out of the Jar
Just as with the aroma, the first taste is of sweet chili. This gives way to a mild vinegar tang, which then fades into a pleasing heat that leaves a little kick on the tongue. Beyond the main contenders, Worcestershire and garlic pop out the most, mainly at the same time the vinegar starts to kick in. The sauce has a textured feel on the tongue, with a few little chunky pieces that add just a bit of crunch here and there.
Slathered & Cooked
The medium-thin sauce coated the chicken lightly, but baked in well over indirect heat. There was a little burn off over direct heat, which was fixed by a final brushing of sauce once the chicken was finished cooking. The flavors were all very bright and fresh. A sweet and tangy chili and tomato dominated, while a slight kick at the end left a trace of heat lingering. Overall, this sauce created an exemplary pice of barbecue chicken, hitting the right notes of sweet, spicy, tangy, and smoky.
Put to Use
Standing somewhere between bold and mild, Cochon Volant Sonoma BBQ Sauce is an all around great standard barbecue sauce. It traverses all the flavors you want from a barbecue, and does it with a very fresh feel. These properties held up both on and off the grill, making the sauce perfect for both basting and dipping. It did the chicken great justice, and would easily be a top choice of mine for coating even more birds. A good all-purpose solution, this sauce would pretty much work well anyway you'd want to use barbecue sauce—topped on burgers, slathered over pulled pork, a dip for fried chicken, and so much more.
Giveaway
Meatwavers, give thanks to Rob Larman, who was generous enough to send a second bottle of sauce just for you. A great opportunity to get your hands on this excellent sauce, I'll be giving the second bottle away in a giveaway. To enter the giveaway, comment on this post with how'd you'd use this sauce on or off your grill. Deadline for entries is 11:59pm on Tuesday July 10, 2012. Read the official rules for more details. One entry only per individual. Good luck!
Comments
I would use this sauce on various meats -- chicken wings, for thinly sliced skirt steak, and even a glaze for meatloaf.
Posted Thu, Jul 5 2012 11:34am
1st - I would never pay $12 bucks for a jar of sauce, so this will be the only way to try it
B- your are my favorite nephew
Lastly - you will save on shipping as you could bring it on the 15th....
Posted Thu, Jul 5 2012 11:53am
Just read the rules
Mixed into a meatloaf...... Oooozed all over a piece of salmon
Posted Thu, Jul 5 2012 12:01pm
Not an entry - I already have too many jars of sauce around the house (I'm sure you know the feeling). But I did post this on my FB page and will tweet it to get the word out.
Posted Thu, Jul 5 2012 12:13pm
You an never have to many BBQ Sauces. You can rest assured this sauce would get used. I'm thinking pulled pork or country style ribs would be a could main course to give this sauce a try.
Or maybe some smoked and braised pork belly...yeah that's the ticket. Pork Belly.
Posted Thu, Jul 5 2012 12:19pm
A good all purpose BBQ sauce is hard to find. Especially of this texture and quality. I can almost taste its spicy sweetness from the pictures alone. Definitely slather it on some pork or beef ribs smoking on my Big Green Egg, or use it as a finishing sauce for my pulled pork. While you shouldn't need to put any sauce at all on pork that has been smoking slowly at 220 for 16 hours I would love to use some Cochon Volant Sonoma to add some sweet, spicy, tangy heat. Looks like a great dipping sauce as well. Cheers and Happy Grilling!
Posted Thu, Jul 5 2012 12:32pm
I'd grill up a mess of BBQ chicken wings and wash it down with some Colorado Native lager!
Posted Thu, Jul 5 2012 1:04pm
Finishing sauce on some dino bones.
Posted Thu, Jul 5 2012 1:15pm
I have to give bbq sauces a first shot on pulled pork.
Posted Fri, Jul 6 2012 11:44am
I would use this on ribs. I'm always looking for the perfect BBQ sauce and I'm pretty sure this is much better than store-bought sauces.
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
Posted Sat, Jul 7 2012 10:22pm
my husband loves grilled chicken an BBQ sauce - this would be right up his alley!
Posted Sun, Jul 8 2012 3:09pm
I have some beef ribs in the freezer I'd use it on.
Posted Mon, Jul 9 2012 1:23pm
i'd use to sauce to make some killer baby back ribs on the grill, of course.
katherinedibello (at) gmail (dot) com
Posted Tue, Jul 10 2012 3:01pm
Been looking for a good sauce. I have a pork butt, and 2 slabs of ribs in the freezer ready to hit the smoker! From the description, it sounds great!
Posted Tue, Jul 10 2012 3:09pm
Sounds like this could be excellent on grilled shrimp!
Posted Tue, Jul 10 2012 3:15pm
Always looking for an exciting new sauce to try.
Posted Tue, Jul 10 2012 3:49pm
I'd like to try it on some BBQ oysters!
Posted Tue, Jul 10 2012 10:50pm
The contest is over. Congrats to Katherine D for winning the sauce!
Posted Wed, Jul 11 2012 11:48am
no grill but i would use it a baked chicken
Posted Wed, Jul 11 2012 2:56pm
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