Delicious Discoveries: Hutch’s Gourmet BBQ sauce returns

Barbecue season is here. Soon, you’ll be able to hear steaks sizzling on a hot grill or smell the sweet, smoky aroma wafting through the air. And if you are looking for something new to add to your arsenal of sauces and rubs, consider Hutch’s Gourmet BBQ sauce.

The thick sauce is sweet, slightly spicy and comes in a hefty 30-ounce jar that you can easily dip a spoon in. Some may be familiar with the Hutch’s name. Tommy and Marjorie Hutchings, who started the Valley company, had been making the sauce since 1985 but stopped producing it several years ago after reaching retirement age.

Mitchell and Louise Swank of Friant recently resurrected the production of the sauce to the delight of many.

“It is such a great sauce, we wanted to see it continue,” says Mitchell Swank. “We like it because it’s the kind of sauce that sticks to the meat and crystallizes really nice on whatever you use it on.”

Hutch’s comes in original and a hot flavor. Swank says the sauces are all purpose and work well with beef, chicken and pork. It can even be used as a dipping sauce. He especially likes the hotter sauce on fish, including shrimp and salmon.

Hutch’s sells for about $9 a jar and can be found at several local stores, including: Sumner Peck Ranch Winery, 14439 N. Friant Rd., Sumner Peck Ranch fruit stand, 14860 Highway 41, Enzo’s Table, 1959 N. Willow, Clovis, The Meat Market, 1990 N. Fowler, Clovis, The Meat Market, 454 W. Alluvial, Fresno, The Market, 7088 N. West, Fresno, Fresno Ag Hardware, 4590 N. First, Fresno, Renna’s Meat Market, 4269 N. First, Fresno and Sierra Nut House, 7901 N. Blackstone, Fresno.

This story was originally published May 15, 2015 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Delicious Discoveries: Hutch’s Gourmet BBQ sauce returns."