Barbeque lovers know that the right sauce makes all the difference, and these locally made gems make meat go from fine to fabulous. Fielder’s Choice is an all-purpose sauce that “goes with everything.” Made by KARE-11 anchor Mike Pomeranz, it can be found at Target Field’s Twins Majestic Clubhouse Store and local supermarkets (aroundthegrill.com). Breezy Point, Minnesota, newcomer Demon Pig’s Blaze Orange BBQ Sauce took first place in the spicy tomato category at the National Barbecue Association sauce awards. It’s available at all metro Lunds and Byerly’s (demonpigbbq.com). After a decade of taste-testing and tweaking, Denny’s Famous BBQ Sauce now flies off the shelves at Denny’s 5th Avenue Bakery (7840 Fifth Ave. S.; Bloomington, 952-881-4445; dennysbakery.com).
For more local goodies, you can’t beat the Twin Cities’ farmers’ markets. If you can’t get to the market, head to Laurie McCann Crowell’s Golden Fig (790 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 651-602-0144). The gourmet-food store specializes in such products as Mademoiselle Miel honey-infused bon bons, Carlsbad Oblaten wafer cookies (oblaten.com), and Smude premium cold-pressed virgin sunflower oil (smudeoil.com). For a gluten-free chocolate treat, try the deliciously dense devil’s food cake mix from Beyond the Grain (beyondthegrainglutenfree.com).
Above all, don’t let summer slip by without grilled corn on the cob from Untiedt’s Vegetable Farm, roasted each weekend at the Minneapolis Farmers’ Market (312 E. Lyndale Ave. N., Mpls.).
Sue Zelickson is the former host of WCCO Radio’s Food for Thought.
