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