This is breaking food news: A news anchor is selling his own barbeque sauce!
I heard rumors that KARE-TV anchor Mike Pomeranz was going to introduce his own barbeque sauce. Then I got the official news release yesterday: “A longtime fan of BBQ, Pomeranz developed the Fielder’s Choice recipe himself and will introduce the rich and tangy sauce to consumers on Opening Day at Target Field.”
I had to review it, so Mike sent me over a bottle. It’s called Fielder’s Choice, and the bottle has a big picture of Mike on the front. I’m not sure a smiling anchorman makes you think delicious barbeque, but who would have thought Paul Newman would sell salad dressing?
My initial review: It’s pretty darn good!
Look, this is not a Mike Wallace, 60 Minutes kind of sauce. There are no harsh edges or challenging flavors. It’s more like Meredith Viera, Today Show—tangy but not intense. And there’s no real heat, although the apple cider vinegar provides a bit of zip.
I like that Mike goes easy on the brown sugar (I don’t like my BBQ sauce to be sweet) and it’s manufactured and bottled in Red Wing.
Here’s some feedback from people at WCCO, who didn’t know it was a BBQ sauce from a KARE news guy:
“It tastes like a Christmas barbeque. I taste clove and cinammon in it. It’s got a nice backbite to it. It tastes very herbal,” said Adam.
“It actually tastes more like a marinade than a barbeque sauce—that’s not a negative thing. I would marinate a pork roast in it,” Joe critiqued.
Fielder’s Choice will only be sold at the Minnesota Twins Target Field Pro Shop, and the other Pro Shops in the area, but Mike’s hoping it will end up in grocery stores, too.
I have to admit, I’m a little jealous. Now I need to come up with some kind of DeRusha product. Drink mixes? An in-store bernaise?
