Hopefully you read my last post where I sang the praises of theSweetwater Spice Company and their amazing brines. I’m having a ball experimenting with these magic elixirs. They are awesome. I am even more pleased to offer this interview with Scott Sapire, the man behind the brine.
1. How long have you been selling brine?We had our first sale, to Wiggy’s Liquors on 6th Street in Austin, TX in April 2007.
2. Tell us a bit about your journey to where you are today – selling BBQ bath on a commercial basis
As a journey it’s been bumpy, winding, and thrilling, not necessarily in that order. Starting a company is a challenge in and of itself; doing so through a Recession is another thing all together. That said, constraint fosters creativity and we’ve won a lot of hands with the cards we’ve been dealt.
I would advise anyone who wishes to take that great leap to do so because the greater the challenge, the greater the reward. I would also advise them to start slow and small – get your legs under you before you try to run. In other words, keep your day job until the resources are there to command success when you hit the market.
3. With all of the rubs and sauces out there – why brines?
It made my barbecue better, plain and simple. When I moved to Los Angeles from Austin I searched high and low for Texas style barbecue, ultimately resorting to making it myself. It wasn’t very good at first and brining it made the difference.
Sauces and rubs taste great, but when it comes to making better barbecue brines are superior tenderizers and provide a margin for error so the meat stays juicy even if overcooked
4. Is there anything you don’t recommend brining?
I do not recommend brining scallops if you intend to sear them. The brine will force them to hold on their own juices and in the short cooking time for a scallop the extra steam can prevent a nice sear from forming.
5. For the outdoor chef or BBQ fanatic that has never used brine – what do you tell them?
This is not rocket science. Just soak your meat in BBQ BATH or FAJITA BATH for the recommended time – eg 20 minutes for chicken pieces – and it’s ready to go. Once removed from the brine bath the meat is seasoned, tenderized, and has extra protection from drying out.
You can make your own brines and season the meat on your own, just as one can make their own marinades and barbecue sauces. My goal is to make it easy and delicious.
6. What’s your favorite product?
The Smoked Habanero BBQ BATH. This is the one I reach for most often. It has a nice heat, but it’s not overwhelming. For people who love spice, it’s only a 6 out of 10 which allows for the sweetness of the apple juice and tamarind to come through, as well as notes of cinnamon and cumin to round out the palate. The heat sneaks up from the back, sits on your lips and tells you to reach for an ice cold beverage but that’s all.
7. Have a favorite recipe or technique you’d like to share?
We won 3rd Place at the Fiery Food Challenge with our baked hot wings – beating out 41 fried wings in the process. To make, simply soak the wings in the Smoked Habanero brine for 20 minutes then place in a 350 degree oven – on middle rack – for 15 minutes. At this point turn oven up to broil and brown the skins while still on the middle rack – the apple juice will help the skin caramelize.
One can brine 5 lbs of wings in a gallon size ziploc – and after 20 minutes you can swap out batches – cook one while brining another and within an hour you can make 15 lbs of baked hot wings of the highest caliber.
8. What’s next for Sweetwater Spice – more brine flavors or something else?
We have some new brine flavors we’d like to release throughout the year – CAJUN SPICE for our TURKEY BATH line, MOCHA JALOKIA flavor to our FAJITA BATH line, and SERRANO LIME MOJITO and ORANGE GARLIC MOJO to our BBQ BATH line.
We are also in development with a totally new line of products (which you’ll get a sneak peak at sometime in December) but mum is the word for now!
Thanks to Scott for taking the time to answer some questions. I can’t stress enough that folks should just try one of his products. Your meat will be juicy and tender, the flavor will be obviously there but not overpowering. I can almost guarantee you that you will be buying more! Poke around their website too. There’s some neat stuff hidden there – like these cool RECIPES
