12 Bones’ red sauce will feed blue voters at the Democratic National Convention

The president’s favorite Asheville barbecue restaurant, 12 Bones Smokehouse, will be responsible for supplying the 2012 Democratic National Convention with its official tomato-based barbecue sauce.

Judges sorted through entries from both professional and amateur cooks, coming up with three official DNC sauces representing different regions of the Carolinas (WNC goes the tomato route, vinegar-based sauce reigns supreme in eastern North Carolina and South Carolina goes for a mustard-based pig polish).

Kathleen Purvis, food editor for the Charlotte Observer and Jon Fortes of the Mimosa Grill were among the tasters, sampling over 20 tomato-based sauces alone. 12 Bones’ Sweet Tomato sauce handily beat out the competition.

We can’t help but note last year’s incident when Michelle Obama released an email praising Charlotte as the site for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. The first lady applauded the city for its Southern charm and diversity, and, in what became the gaffe heard ‘round the food world, erroneously lauded the area for its great barbecue. At the time, Purvis told Xpress that “everyone who lives in Charlotte knows this is not the place where you send people for North Carolina barbecue.”

Is the sauce competition a friendly nod to an overblown slip of the tongue? Next time the first couple stops by 12 Bones, we’ll be sure to ask.

Here’s the video of the tasting process:

To purchase the sauce trio and other DNC-themed ‘cue accoutrements, visit http://store.charlottein2012.com. 

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