Back in the old days, when corportate headquarters was on One Mustard Street in Rochester, New York, Porter worked for the R. T. French Company. That was when we discovered their Cattlemen's Barbecue Sauce. When we moved to Florida, this delicious condiment became difficult, and later impossible, to find. Soon we couldn't find it even on our periodic trips north for essential supplies, such as the famous Sassy Sauce from Sal's Birdland (Buffalo Wings are nothing compared to what they do with chicken in Rochester); Blenheim Old #3 Ginger Ale (an essential ingredient in a Lime Daley, this fabulous drink was once lost to the world but now can be found at the otherwise obnoxious South of the Border tourist trap), and white birch beer (good old Undina White Birch Beer from Higganum, Connecticut is no longer available, but now and then you can find source that understands the best birch beer isn't red).
So what did we do without our Cattlemen's? I tried one alternative brand of barbecue sauce after another; I even tried making my own. Several were good, nothing was what I remembered. Perhaps my memory was fooling me, as it often does, and Cattlemen's wasn't really that good. Or so I reasoned, until we went to a commercial barbecue (put on by our credit union, of all things!) and with my first bite, I exclaimed, "This is IT!" Come to find out, from the cooks, that they were indeed using Cattlemen's, which was still available to restaurants.
Yesterday I walked into our local Albertsons grocery store, and what did I see staring at me from the condiment aisle, boldly proclaiming itself amongst all pretenders? Cattlemen's! Once again in retail sizes. Not only the two I remembered, the original ("Award Winning Classic") and the Smoky ("Authentic Smokehouse"), but also a new variety, "Golden Honey." I snatched up one bottle of each, and am looking forward to assuring myself that the quality has returned along with the name.
