The weather is hot, your coals are hot and grilling and BBQ are hot as ever as May marks the unofficial start of BBQ Season and National BBQ Month. According to the Hearth, Patio & BBQ Association (HPBA), Americans purchased 17 million grills in 2006, a record-breaking 15 percent increase from the previous year.

Kansas City, KS (PRWEB) May 23, 2007 — The weather is hot, your coals are hot and grilling and BBQ are hot as ever as May marks the unofficial start of BBQ Season and National BBQ Month. According to the Hearth, Patio & BBQ Association (HPBA), Americans purchased 17 million grills in 2006, a record-breaking 15 percent increase from the previous year.

HPBA’s State of the Barbecue Industry report revealed that these grill owners will cook out once or twice a week during the summer, and the majority use BBQ sauce as their condiment of choice.

Many BBQ experts have noted the trend in the past decade toward hotter and spicier BBQ sauces. Joe Polo, president of Original Juan Specialty Foods, has noted an increase in his company’s sales of hot and spicy sauces.

“Our sales of BBQ sauce in general have increased tremendously in recent years,” says Polo, “but sales of our bolder and spicier sauces, as well as hot sauce, have really taken off.”

Polo attributes the increase in hot sauce sales to the trend of “doctoring” packaged sauces, employed by many home cooks to create their own “signature” flavor.

“Hot sauce allows the chef to customize the heat level,” adds Polo. “Instead of using a sauce where someone else has determined the amount of heat, by adding your own hot sauce, you can get the heat level exactly where you want it.”

Polo cautions chefs about using only heat at the expense of flavor.

“At Original Juan, we seek a balance between heat and flavor. Take, for example, our Jamaican Jerk hot sauce. It will light you up, but behind the heat are the undeniably intense flavors of the Caribbean.”

Polo’s recipe for Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings follows. Find more “hot” grilling recipes at www.originaljuan.com.

Pain is Good Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
¼ cup Pain is Good Batch #114 Jamaican Jerk Hot Sauce
16 chicken wings (raw)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup water

Instructions:
Rinse wings well under cold water. Transfer wings to a large bowl, and coat the wings with soy sauce. In a small bowl, mix the Pain is Good Batch #114 Jamaican Jerk Hot Sauce and the water, add the mixture to the wings and mix until evenly coated. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or overnight. Preheat grill to medium-high (350 degrees). Grill for about 20 minutes or until cooked throughout, turning frequently. Use additional Pain is Good Batch #114 Jamaican Jerk Hot Sauce for dipping if desired.

Original Juan Specialty Foods was founded in 1998. In its 60,000 sq. ft. facility located Kansas City, KS, Original Juan manufactures more than 150 gourmet food products, including salsa, dips, bbq sauces and rubs, hot sauces, and more. The Company has won more than 250 awards for business success, civic responsibility, and its products, which range from “wimpy” to “zesty” to “meltdown” and “off the charts.” For more information, visit Original Juan on the Web at www.originaljuan.com or www.painisgood.com.

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