The Mercantile carries Ogre Sauce hot-sauce, and everyone loves it! Here are 5 recipes you can try this weekend. First, what is Ogre Sauce? It is an all-purpose BBQ sauce created in Charlotte, North Carolina. We call it “all-purpose” because it is great on everything – not just traditional barbecue. Customers have used it on ribs, wings, salmon, pizza, chicken, burgers, tofu, oysters, pretzels, steak, pineapple, grilled veggies, tunafish, eggs…the list goes on and on.

Mike “Ogre” Weeks found his grandmother’s recipe, made it his own, and before long was selling it in five gallon buckets out of the trunk of his car. With the recipe perfected after countless backyard cookouts and gatherings, childhood friends Mike and Mike bottled Ogre Sauce with the goal of being the BBQ sauce and condiment of every restaurant, food truck and family kitchen.

In addition to grilling ribs, wings, chicken, pork shoulders and butts, salmon, tuna, tofu, and pineapples (yes, pineapples taste amazing grilled with Ogre Sauce), try these recipes. More recipes will be posted as they are perfected. Oh yeah, its awesome on scrambled eggs.

5 Recipes You Can Try This Weekend

CUBAN OGRE

• 1 baguette or use ciabatta bread
• Thinly sliced cooked ham
• Pulled pork
• 1 bottle Ogre Sauce
• Thinly sliced Swiss cheese
• Whole dill pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick), melted

Heat the oven to 200°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
Cut the loaf of bread in half horizontally and open it up like a book. Spread the Ogre Sauce on the bottom piece of bread.

Evenly place the ham and roasted pork on top of the Ogre Sauce. Evenly arrange the cheese and pickles on the meat.

Pour Ogre Sauce liberally over meat and pickles and top piece of bread and close the sandwich. Press gently on the top to compact the sandwich slightly. Cut it in half crosswise; set both halves aside.

Lay 2 (20-inch-long) sheets of aluminum foil on a work surface. Brush half of the melted butter on the tops of the sandwiches. Place each sandwich butter-side down on the sheets of foil. Brush the bottoms of the sandwiches with the remaining butter. Fold the foil around the sandwiches to cover.

Heat a large frying pan on low heat until hot, about 4 minutes. Place 1 wrapped sandwich in the pan. Place a cast-iron skillet, Dutch oven, or heavy pot on the sandwich, push down on the skillet or pot to further compact the cubano, and cook undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Remove the skillet or pot (careful: It may be hot). Flip the sandwich and place the skillet or pot back on top of it. Cook undisturbed until the cheese has melted and the sandwich is warmed through, about 10 minutes more. Remove to the oven and repeat with the second sandwich. When both are ready, remove the foil, cut into pieces, and serve.

BLUE OGRE DOG

• Knockwurst, brat or large hot dog
• Crumbled blue cheese
• 1 bottle Ogre Sauce
• Hot dog buns or hoagie roll

Heat grill to Hi

Make three diagonal slits (1-2 inches in length) on top of knockwurst

Place slit down on grill and cook for 2-3 minutes or until slits have swelled and opened

Turn over and pour ogre sauce into openings created from slits and cook another 2-3 minutes

Pull off grill and place in bun slit side up

Fill slit crevices with blue cheese crumbles

Pour Ogre Sauce across entire top length wise

Place on top rack of grill to toast to desired crispiness

OGRE MEATLOAF

• 6 ounces garlic-flavored croutons
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and broken
• 3 whole cloves garlic
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 18 ounces ground chuck
• 18 ounces ground sirloin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg

For the glaze:

1/2 cup Ogre Sauce

Dash hot pepper sauce

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor bowl, combine croutons, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and thyme. Pulse until the mixture is of a fine texture. Place this mixture into a large bowl. Combine the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper in the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. Combine the vegetable mixture, ground sirloin, and ground chuck with the bread crumb mixture. Season the meat mixture with the kosher salt. Add the egg and combine thoroughly, but avoid squeezing the meat.

Pack this mixture into a 10-inch loaf pan to mold the shape of the meatloaf. Onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, turn the meatloaf out of the pan onto the center of the tray. Pour or brush Ogre Sauce over entire top meatloaf and cook for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees.

Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes. cut and serve apply more Ogre Sauce to taste.

OGRE CHIPS

• Thin sliced Chicken Breasts
• Ogre Sauce

Directions

Place breasts on counter or cutting board and pound out to desire thinness (recommended about 1/4 inch or less)

Pour Ogre Sauce in a Bowl, completely cover in sauce and marinate breast for 25 minutes

Place breast on extremely high heat grill or in skillet on hi. turn at 1 minute pour Ogre Suace over top and cook for another minute.

Repeat until sauce is caramelized and getting crispy. once removed brush Ogre Sauce over the charred chips and enjoy.

OGRE SHRIMP & GRITS

• 1 cup coarsely ground grits
• 3 cups water
• 1-2 cup Ogre Sauce
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Salt to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 5 slices bacon
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Bring water, grits, and salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan with a lid. Stir in half-and-half and simmer until grits are thickened and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

Sprinkle shrimp with salt and cayenne pepper; drizzle with lemon juice. Set aside in a bowl. Pour Ogre Sauce over Shrimp and stir

Place andouille sausage slices in a large skillet over medium heat; fry sausage until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Retain bacon drippings in skillet. Transfer bacon slices to paper towels, let cool, and crumble.

Cook and stir green, red, and yellow bell peppers, onion, and garlic in the bacon drippings until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.

Pour bowl of shrimp and Ogre Sauce and cooked vegetables into the andouille sausage and mix to combine.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in flour to make a smooth paste. Turn heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is medium brown in color, 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully, mixture burns easily.

Pour the butter-flour mixture into the skillet with andouille sausage, shrimp, and vegetables. Place the skillet over medium heat and pour in chicken broth, and bacon, cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens and the shrimp become opaque and bright pink, about 8 minutes.

Just before serving, mix sharp Cheddar cheese into grits until melted and grits are creamy and light yellow. Serve shrimp mixture over cheese grits.