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The Democratic National Convention in Charlotte now has three official barbecue sauces.
The local convention host committee on Monday announced the winners of its “Taste of the Carolinas” barbecue sauce competition. The winning tomato-, vinegar- and mustard-style sauces are sold together at store.charlottein2012.com, and beginning Saturday at 7th Street Public Market, to raise money for the September convention.
The winners are:
• Dan Huntley, aka “Dan the Pig Man,” with Pig Pucker BBQ of Charlotte for the mustard-based sauce
• Mark Cieslikowski with Q2U Catering and BBQ Pit of Lake Wylie, S.C., in the vinegar-based category
• Tom Montgomery and Sabra Kelley with 12 Bones Smokehouse of Asheville, N.C., for the tomato-based sauce.
“It’s a high honor in barbecuedom to have my sauce chosen by the DNC,” Huntley said in the DNC announcement. “In the Carolinas, the epicenter of global BBQ culture, a good sauce is a holy vestment.”
Cieslikowski said, “Even though our particular sauce has our own recipe, its development was due to years of tasting some of the best vinegar sauces in the country right here in the Carolinas.”
“We are very excited to hear that we have been selected,” Montgomery said, “and hope that everyone enjoys our sauce when they come to the convention.”
The contest opened in February. Judges conducted a taste test of the 30 entries.
The judges were Mayor Anthony Foxx, host committee director Dan Murrey, S.C. BBQ Society judges Brian and Sherry Teigue, Jon Fortes, executive chef at Mimosa Grill, and Charlotte Observer food writer Kathleen Purvis.
