Happy birthday to Four Rivers Smokehouse, celebrating its first anniversary today. The Winter Park barbecuery has been so successful that it has a second location, in Winter Garden, scheduled to open soon. And owner John Rivers has launched his own line of barbecue sauces and spice rubs that you can use at home.

I received a sample of the barbecue spice rub and I immediately rubbed it on my butt. I mean my pork butt. I mean a pork butt. After several hours of indirect heat and smoke, I had some pretty tasty pulled pork, which I further seasoned with the bottle of 4Rivers Hot barbecue sauce.

The rub has forward salt but there is also a sweetness, provided by good ol’ sugar, that steps up after you first taste it. The hot sauce — there is also a non-hot version — is tomato based but has a strong vinegar note, as well. A separate rub for Rivers’ now-famous beef brisket is planned but is not currently available. The sauces are available in 16-ounces for $5.99 or $21 for a gallon, if you have an especially large butt. The spice rub is $3.99.

To order online, visit the Four Rivers Smokehouse Web site.

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