Whether you’re enjoying a hefty hunk of brisket, a rack of ribs, a pork shoulder, or other protein, there’s a lot that goes into creating tender, flavorful barbecue. However, there’s no denying the importance of a tasty sauce to finish it all off. Knowing this crucial fact is one of the ways Jenkins Quality Barbecue has become a local favorite in parts of Florida, where it’s served up mouthwatering meals for decades, dressed in its signature sauce.
The unique sauce traces its roots to the founding of the original Jenkins location opened in Jacksonville in 1957. Unlike many others, it’s not tomato-based; Instead, it’s a mustard-focused barbecue sauce, drawing from the regional barbecue style of South Carolina. The versatile sauce is available in sweet, mild, and hot varieties, allowing diners and home cooks to dial in the precise level of spice they’re looking for, while maintaining the flavor that made Jenkins famous. Diners have surely taken notice. A TripAdvisor reviewer describes it as “delicious and unique,” noting “there’s nothing else like it anywhere.”
Easy To Integrate Into Your Home Barbecue
Quart-sized bottles of sauce are available for purchase at all Jenkins locations. Those further away or looking for larger sizes can also shop on the chain’s website, which offers bulk packs of pint-sized sauces as well as larger half-gallon options. This means it’s easy to experiment with uses beyond the chain’s popular barbecue sandwiches or ribs, both of which are slathered in the stuff. To truly recreate the restaurant experience, you’ll need to use your own oak wood-fired pit, a flavor influence as vital as the sauce.
Of course, barbecue lovers shouldn’t limit themselves to Jenkins Quality Barbecue on their visits to the Sunshine State. There’s another must-stop barbecue joint in Ocala in Central Florida: Big Lee’s. These are just the start of Florida’s unexpectedly deep (and delicious) barbecue heritage. There are many reasons Jenkins deserves a spot among the Southern barbecue chains you need to try at least once. However, there’s no denying the influence of Jenkins’ sauce on this decades-old institution…