Ted Nugent Gives Backwoods Mustard Company the Thumbs Up

When people think of Detroit, the first thing that comes to mind is usually music or automobiles.  We have a very rich history in both and Michiganders are very proud of that fact. Ted Nugent, aka Motor City Madman, aka Uncle Ted, aka The Nuge… is one of those music legends that hails from our great state. Born in Redford, MI, Uncle Ted is a Michigan native and a Rock Icon known the world over. His hits date back to the 1970s with songs like “Stranglehold”, “Cat Scratch Fever”, and “Great White Buffalo. 

Ted Nugent is also as well known for his love of hunting and the outdoors as he is for his music.  Being Uncle Ted fans and hunters ourselves, we day dreamed early on of how awesome it would be if we could get a jar of Backwoods Mustard in his hands.  We would consider that opportunity one of the pinnacles of our successes.

Late in October of 2013, the opportunity presented itself.  Uncle Ted would be hunting on his Michigan property with a mutual acquaintance.  We were offered to have some Backwoods delivered straight to his hands.  We of course jumped at the opportunity and assembled a “Backwoods Care Package” that ended up being just in time for breakfast. 

After the morning hunt, Uncle Ted made a breakfast of venison sausage, eggs and potatoes and accompanied his meal with our very own Backwoods Mustard “Sweet Jalapeno”.  As you can see in the photo above, we got a “thumbs up”. 

Thanks Ted for supporting fellow hunters and Michigan small business.  We REALLY appreciate it!

The Uncle Ted Breakfast (Inspired by Ted Nugent)

Venison Sausage Scrambled Eggs and Potatoes.

Ingredients

§  6-7 Red Skin Potatoes (about 5 cups chopped)

§  4 cloves Garlic, Minced

§  1 whole Onion, Peeled And Roughly Chopped

§  2 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Roughly Chopped

§  2 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Roughly Chopped

§  1/4 cup Olive Oil

§  1/4 cup of Backwoods Mustard “Sweet Jalapeno”

§  1/2 stick Butter, Melted

§  1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt

§  1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

§  Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

§  Venison sausage, diced

§  8 eggs

Preparation

1.      Dice the potatoes with a sharp knife

2.      Using a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, garlic, onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, olive oil, butter, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper and some kosher salt and pepper

3.      Heat a deep skillet up over medium high heat. Add 4 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Allow it to melt down. 

4.      Add your contents from bowl to the skillet 

5.      Cover the skillet and let the potatoes cook through. Should take about 15 minutes.

6.      Check and stir potatoes. Make sure you check the potatoes periodically to make sure they don’t burn.

7.      When the potatoes are soft on the inside, transfer to bowl and mix with 1/8 cup of Backwoods Mustard

8.      Using the same skillet and without cleaning,  add diced sausage and let simmer for 3-5 minutes.

9.      Break open eggs and add to skillet

10.  Scramble eggs with venison sausage until eggs are cooked.

11.  Transfer eggs to bowl and mix with 1/8 cup of Backwoods Mustard

Serve and enjoy

Backwoods Mustard Salad Dressing? Yup!

Brats, burgers, are potato salad are all no-brainers when it comes to Backwoods Mustard applications.  We would have never thought to make a salad dressing from it.  That's just the kind of crazy idea that would take a chef to dream up. Chef Mary of 51 North Brewery in Lake Orion did just that.  We partnered with 51 North Brewery for our public launch party in June of 2013.  The Backwoods Mustard salad dressing was just one of the delicious concoctions that Chef Mary created for the menu.  Above you can view the video recipe from Fox 2 News cooking school.

1 lb hickory smoked bacon, chopped.

½ cup rendered bacon fat

1 cup olive oil/canola blend

¾ cup balsamic vinegar

2 large shallots, minced

½  tsp. salt

½ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. black pepper

4 tbs. Backwoods Sweet Jalapeno Mustard

½ cup honey

In a medium frying pan over medium-high heat cook chopped bacon until crispy.   Remove bacon from frying pan to paper towel lined plate or tray and reserve ½ cup of the bacon drippings. (you will need ½ cup bacon drippings and 1 cup chopped bacon for dressing).  Set aside.

Break out your food processor or blender and combine all ingredients.  Blend on high until creamy and will coat the back of a spoon.   Now you are ready to dress your favorite salad.

Makes approximately 3 cups of dressing.

Use immediately or store up to one week in the refrigerator.

51 North Brewery

51 North Broadway

Lake Orion, MI 48362

248-690-7367

www.51northbrewing.com

Michigan Deer Camp, Tradition, and Mustard

"As the darkness pours in, Northern Michigan deer hunters make their way back to camp. A blue tarp covers the shack, offering reprieve from the cold November air. A fire is lit inside the shelter so boots can dry out and supper can be had by all. Soon the stories of the day’s hunt are told, as the hungry hunters prepare to feast on the kill and whatever scraps are left in the cooler. Then, a distinct “pop” is heard throughout the camp, and the smell of sweet jalapenos wafts through the air. Someone’s cooking something delicious. Someone knows the weight traditions carry at deer camp. Someone just broke out the Backwoods." - Brandon Hodges, JPT Outdoors

The description above of our annual deer camp was written by Brandon Hodges of JPT Outdoors and spot on.  Tradition is important to us a deer camp.  We look forward to it every year.  It's really not about the hunt or who harvested the largest buck.  It's about friends and family making a priority each year to spend time together.  More importantly, to spend time together away from the television, away from work, away from traffic, and away from all the other distractions in life that seem to seep into every crevice of our day making it hard to stay connected to the people we love and care about.  

At deer camp, it's simple.  We eat when we're hungry, we sleep outside, and we all take turns helping wherever help is needed.  Whether its cutting wood for the fire, making coffee, or digging this years deep dark potty hole.  It's not work - merely activities that we do together as we quip back and forth.  

What's mustard got to do with it? That sweet jalapeno mustard we now call Backwoods Mustard has been part of our deer camp for over 20 years.  Brian Ernst is the founder of Backwoods Mustard Company and it was his family that started the deer camp we all go to.  It was also his mother that started making the mustard for deer camp over twenty years ago. Before long, it too would become just as much tradition as the camp jug of "Apple Pie" moon shine.

Traditions are taken seriously at deer camps even more so than the hunt itself. Tradition is important to us as individuals and to our company.  If you don't have them, get them. If you lost them, find them. If you have them, teach them.  

Have a safe hunting season and don't forget to Break Out the Backwoods at your deer camp this year.

Backwoods Mustard BBQ Pulled Pork

As owners in a craft mustard company, we are often tasked with the responsibility of "taste marketing" our product on different foods.  This job is not for the faint of heart but somebody has to do it.  This usually entails a lot of time spent around a grill at home or, if the opportunity arises, we may be required to attend a friend's barbecue to do the same.  Sometimes we are lucky enough to have our fans do their own "taste marketing" and all that is left to do is sample the goods.  That's exactly what happened when we received the recipe below from our friends at JPT Outdoors.  This is a good one!

Enjoy!

Sauce

2 cups ketchup

½ cup Backwoods Mustard

1 cup water

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

5 tablespoons light brown sugar

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon ground mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except mustard. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for one hour. After one hour, remove from the heat, add ½ a cup of Backwoods Mustard. Stir and allow to cool completely, store in the fridge.

Pork Shoulder Rub

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 teaspoons paprika

1 ½  teaspoon prepared chili powder.

Mix together, rub on meat, let sit in fridge overnight.

Grill Pork Shoulders over a wood fire, low and slow until internal temp. reaches 190 Degrees. Let rest for one hour. Shred meat, and  add your sauce in a casserole dish. Cover with foil and throw dish back on the grill to warm back up. Serve on a grilled bun.

This recipe is courtesy of our friends at JPT Outdoors.

www.facebook.com/JackPineTribuneOutdoors

Kroger to stock Backwoods Mustard Company products

Backwoods Mustard roots go back over two generations. Originally it was made for the annual deer camp, family members, and friends. But until recently, it didn't even have a name. People use to request our mustard by saying, "Bring some more of that mustard when you come over."  It wasn't until mid 2012 that the name "Backwoods Mustard Company" came into existence with the creation of our company.  The general public wouldn't even hear of Backwoods Mustard Company until our public launch party and charity event at 51 North Brewery on June 15, 2013.

Now just over 4 months later we are in 44 retail stores, bars and restaurants.  Even more exciting, starting this week, Kroger will begin rolling out Backwoods Mustard into 37 of their South Eastern Michigan stores.  We'll be featured on the "Made in Michigan" end caps with other great Michigan-made brands.

Kroger is a Michigan company and they have been one of the champions in the Made in Michigan movement helping bring Michigan-made products to the forefront.  They know how important it is to endorse local products. Kroger calculated that if every household in Michigan were to spend only $10 a week on Michigan-made products, approximately $40 million would return to the state on a weekly basis.

We had a good gut feeling that the product would be successful, or else we would have never taken it to market.  But we never expected to be in Kroger and to be in over 80 stores by Michigan's 2013 hunting season.  To say we're humbled would be an understatement.

The success we've had thus far is largely in part to two very passionate communities that we got involved with early on. - the Made in Michigan community and the outdoor community.  Both have welcomed us with open arms and have really bent over backwards with media opportunities, retail store leads, or good old fashioned advice.

If you haven't tried Backwoods Mustard Company's "Sweet Jalapeno" mustard yet, visit our online store or stop by one of our retail partners. For a  full map of our retail locations, click here: http://bit.ly/18tzrYU

Backwoods Mustard Company Michigan retail locations as of 10/21/2013

Backwoods Mustard Venison Recipe - from Michigan Out-of-Doors TV

Growing up in Michigan, spending an ample amount of time in the outdoors comes as natural as the appreciation for the outdoors around us.  Michigan Out-of-Doors Television has embodied that spirit since it's inception decades ago when Mort Neff hosted the show.  We always made sure to tune in to the weekly episodes and still do to this day.  

In early June of 2013, we received confirmation from the shows producer, Jimmy Gretzinger, that they were going to do a segment on us.  To say we were excited would be an understatement.  As a start-up company, it was a really big deal and helped propel us in the outdoor community that we are so fond of.

Here is the video and recipe from the segment:



Backwoods Mustard Sweet Jalapeno Venison Kabobs

1-2 lbs Venison Steak (trimmed)

1 Green Pepper

1 Red Pepper

1 Large Red Onion

10-15 Mushrooms

Fresh Pineapple

6 Tbs Backwoods Mustard

2 Tbs Soy Sauce

1 Tbs Honey

Italian Dressing

Preparation:

1.  Combine Backwoods Mustard, soy sauce, and honey into a bowl and whisk until smooth.

2.  Marinade raw venison steaks in mustard sauce for a minimum of 30 minutes.

3.  Chop peppers and onions into large (approx 2″) pieces for skewering onto kabob sticks.

4.  Combine peppers, onions, and mushrooms into a large container and cover with Italian dressing and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.

5.  Add all ingredients to kabob skewers, alternate between venison, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and fresh cut pineapple.

Cooking:

1.  Preheat your gas or charcoal grill (preferably to around 350 degrees).

2.  Place the kabobs on the grill and baste with mustard marinade.  Cook about 8-10 minutes.

3.  Flip kabobs, baste again with mustard marinade, and cook another 8-10 minutes (or until venison is done to your liking).

Enjoy!

Michigan + Fall = Whitetail Season

It’s that time of year again when the leaves start to change, the air gets that crisp earthy smell to it, and the days start getting shorter.  For those of us that hunt, it’s a special time of year.  Backwoods Mustard Company was born in Northern Michigan deer camps so it’s only natural that hunting season plays a special role in both our personal and business lives.  This year, we've been lucky enough to partner up with the guys at Michigan Buck Pole for a few events to help create some additional excitement for this year’s whitetail season.

Michigan Buck Pole (MIBUCKPOLE), like us, is a relatively new company to the outdoor world and they’ve really created some buzz on the scene.  They are Michigan’s premier Virtual Buck Pole.  They’ve broken down the state by county and users are able to upload and record the details of their whitetail harvest to the MIBUCKPOLE website according to the county they live in.  In turn, users can also browse the state to view other user’s whitetail harvest activity.  Their Facebook fan page is testament to their popularity.  Created less than a year ago, they’ve already surpassed the 16,000 fan mark. 

Recently we were offered the opportunity to a sponsor of the MIBUCKPOLE “Michigan Monsters” event at Jay’s Sporting Goods in Clare, MI.  The event showcased some of the biggest bucks ever to be harvested in the state of Michigan.  It was truly a great event and shows that you don’t have to leave the state to get a trophy buck.

Here's a highlight video of the event.  Enjoy!

Backwoods Mustard Company was born out of the love for the outdoors, friends and family. From Northern Michigan deer camps to the backwater lakes and streams, Backwoods Mustard relishes the opportunity to enhance your meal with an unmatched taste that can only be derived from a history steeped in tradition. Backwoods is the perfect complement to your next meal – It’s better with Backwoods!

Backwoods Mustard Retail Locations: http://bit.ly/15GqU0V