N.C. barbecue sauces are so hot, they’re ‘cool’

To emphasize the importance of manufacturing in North Carolina, the N.C. Chamber of Commerce likes to say: “What’s made in North Carolina makes North Carolina.” 

In 2021, the state chamber sponsored an online contest to select the “Coolest Thing Made in North Carolina.” The field of contenders included 68 businesses, both large and small. The competition featured a number of companies from the food and beverage category.

The event brought attention to North Carolina strength in the “barbecue sauce” business. 

Let’s look first at George’s BBQ Sauce.

George’s finished in the top four in both 2021 and 2020 and has a loyal following. The sauce was invented in 1975 by George Stallings of Rocky Mount. He was fond of saying George’s is “good on everything except banana pudding.” 

Nearly every week, it seemed, Tim and Beth Chappell would drive over from their farm near Nashville, N.C., in Nash County to buy a gallon of George’s. Finally, in 1992, Beth agreed to buy the whole business. 

Its primary assets, of course, were the secret recipes for three “styles,” but she also took home to Nashville two seven-gallon stockpots and a pair of gas burners. 

Daughter Ashley Chappell Hassell joined the company in 2006 as marketing director. She took over day-to-day operations in 2012 and became the owner of George’s in 2017. Shortly thereafter, her husband Brian Hassell resigned as Nashville’s town planning director and joined the “management team” at George’s.

 

George’s is made by hand, in small quantities by an eight-person team. “We still personally pour, package and ship every bottle of George’s by hand – just 4,500 bottles per day to be exact,” Beth said. 

“There’s no automation – there’s no line. It’s just people using their hands,” Ashley added. 

Celebrity chef and television personality Rachael Ray named George’s as her “personal favorite in the Carolinas.” Her assessment: “This eastern North Carolina sauce packs a vinegary punch at first, but George’s Original eases the kick with apples and sugar for a perfect balance of sweet, sour and spicy.” 

A WRAL reporter from Raleigh quoted Ashley as saying: “We like the fact that we’re small. We know what’s going into our product, and our work family is there to love on each other. I don’t really see us ever going the big production route or moving out of Nash County.” 

“In the South, a lot of our relationships usually revolve around food and fellowship,” Brian said. “Our customers are really why we do this because, with George’s, we get invited to somebody’s kitchen table every night.”

 

The leading cheerleader for George’s is Randy Stallings of Wake Forest, a nephew of the company founder, George Stallings. 

Uncle George “gave me a jar for Christmas when I was in high school – and told me it was the only one I’d ever get for free,” Randy Stallings told Jill Warren Lucas of Our State magazine. 

“I give George’s to people for Christmas,” Randy said. “I’m proud to tell them my uncle invented it.” 

“George’s appeal extends well beyond the borders of the Old North State,” Lucas wrote. “Teddy Gay first tasted barbecue cooked with George’s Original when he was living in Virginia Beach, Va.” 

You can count on finding George’s at Teddy’s Place in Westville, N.J. 

“It’s a big part of why I decided to open my own barbecue place,” Teddy Gay said. “We cook with it and serve it in a cup on the side as a dipping sauce. People love it so much, they suck it off their fingers.”