Hak’s Chipotle Bourbon
BBQ Sauce
by Hak’s BBQ Sauce
310-500-0137
www.haksbbq.com
From Los Angeles comes this
distinctive sauce made by
self-taught chef and contestant on TV’s “Master Chef,”
Sharone Hakman. Chipotle
peppers and bourbon are
added to a delicate mix of
molasses, apple cider vinegar,
dried chili peppers, mustard
flour, onion, garlic and spices
for a robust, sweet and tangy
sauce redolent of smoked and
roasted chilies. Hak calls it a
“gentlemen’s sauce” and, with
its masculine flask and graphics, it is muy guapo indeed.
With the advances in barbecue grills and smokers, your customers can be enjoying barbecue all year round. From tabletop
grills and stovetop smokers to outdoor kitchens complete with
state-of-the-art tools like Ole Hickory (page 13), there’s plenty
smoking in this category – everything from the tools to create
it to the rubs that make it special.
While not all consumers will head to your store to purchase a
grill – the top retailers for outdoor grills are Lowe’s, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Target – specialty retailers still hold a little
over 20 percent of the market share. One would predict sales
in these channels to focus on higher-end items and tabletop
products.
Kevin Gilbert, The NPD Group’s director of Home Improvement,
notes that while overall sales in the grill category are down,
unit sales are up 2. 3 percent due to the increase of sales at
the mass discount channel, such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot.
When it comes to what consumers want in a grill, brand is key,
with features and pricing following second and third.
If you have a cooking school, this is a great category to promote. Grilling aficionados will appreciate the tools and gadgets
you have on hand, as well as sauces, rubs and all the accoutrements. It’s also an opportunity to work up the best range
of grilling equipment to illustrate to your students how really
great tools can make the process much simpler and the final
product that much better.
