Memorial Day kicks off summer each year. If folks are not already outside grilling, they soon will be. Pools are open, gardens are growing, it’s a good time to enjoy outdoor life in the foothills of western North Carolina.
Recently, a few columns on the days of Kathryn’s Cheese House appeared on these pages. From that one much beloved restaurant came a number of other great places to eat around Hickory, from Olde Hickory Brewery to Hickory Smokehouse and the new McGuire’s.
Kathryn Weaver’s son Lorin is responsible for much of that success. Along the way, he began experimenting with barbecue sauces, creating a whole line of recipes that are sweet, hot, mustard-based and vinegar-based. One time, Lorin even combined all four to make a unique combination that tastes like nothing else.
After 36 years, and with Covid a contributing factor, Lorin Weaver closed down his Hickory Smokehouse locations, but he still had his very tasty lineup of barbecue sauces. After he met Jon Reep, who had his own hot sauce, the two began to collaborate. Lorin at first wanted to call their new joint effort, “South in Your Mouth” but that was a bit too proper for the comedian, who tweaked it just a bit.
The pair experimented with a number of delicious styles. Their offerings included a Carolina Recipe, and a regular BBQ sauce, all for us mortals who can’t handle the hot stuff. However, if you crave a sauce that makes your tongue want to dial the fire department, there is the Carolina Reeper (that’s no typo, see what they did) Hysterically Hot Sauce with serious punch. Lorin says that he has to wear a mask when he makes it, but for those of you that like to sweat when you eat, it has been an overwhelming success and along with the barbecue sauces, can be found under the moniker of “South in Ya Mouth.”
Your opportunity to make the Summer of 2025 a memorable one when grilling out is guaranteed by picking up a bottle or two of Jon Reep’s Hickory Smokehouse Barbecue Sauce. Jon Reep called it “the best barbecue sauce in the world.” That covers a lot of ground. It’s available online at jonreep.com or by stopping in at Hickory Station. Enjoy this locally developed product. It will make whatever you grill up even better.
As Jon Reep also says in his video for the sauces, “let your tastebuds rise again.” Ain’t summer great!
Photo: Jon Reep and Lorin Weaver. The full line of sauces are available at Hickory Station, just across the railroad tracks from Union Square.
