Gettin' Sauced

In case it hasn't already been established I really love free things, bevies, and food. Lucky for me these things go together often in Austin.

Everyone knows that Texas has great BBQ ... and I am not talking hot dogs and hamburgers. A true Texas BBQ will have sausage and brisket, but what makes it special is the way it's cooked and of course... the sauce.

Man Up Texas BBQ, a blog about a group of men and their adventures with BBQ, decided to have a  BBQ sauce tasting in a parking lot on the side of the freeway. The idea seems a little sketchy but with the promise of live music, door prizes, free beer, free sauce, and free dessert it was basically impossible for me to pass up the offer. I gathered a few friends and my Dad (a sucker for something different) to test out the first annual Gettin' Sauced event at held outside the Franklin BBQ trailer.

It wasn't a big event but I did get a free beer from St. Arnold's to help cleanse the palate while I dutifully ranked the 45 sauces presented. Yeah I said 45 sauces. Not shocking but they all kinda ran together. I lost my scorecard but  I still remember that #17 burned my mouth; and that was not OK.  I think #12, #18, #20, #23 or maybe it was #28 and one in the #40s were my faves.  My brother and my Dad seemed to go through the list pretty quickly making their decisions with certainty. On the other hand, my friends Sara,Casi, and I evaluated each sauce and went back and fourth between our top favorites writing down what we liked and descriptions as to why we liked them and then we tried them again. It was kinda like shopping. The men figured out what they liked and were finished in minutes while the women debated, evaluated, and considered the very best sauce for the specific setting and if they would really use the sauce on their meat. At least the guys had live music and beer to entertain them while we deliberated. It was pretty hilarious.

Since the free beer ran out quickly and it was thinking of raining we didn't stay long after we cast our ballots. The results can be found at http://manuptexasbbq.blogspot.com/. I am not sure if my favorites won and I don't know which ones are which at this point so what I learned from the event was... well... I guess that I love trying new things... especially if they are free!

http://www.franklinbarbecue.com/