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Standing Walrus
About Blacken    |    How To Use

About Blacken

The first thing that you've really got to understand is; I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to make and market a spice blend called Butt Kickin' Blacken. I started making a seasoning blend for the grill a long time ago. Then, I got lazy, and started using one of the readily available store bought varieties.

Until ! ! !

One day I had prepped chicken to do on the grill. As I went out to get started, the heavens opened up and ruined any chances for a charcoal grilled meal that day. I brought the chicken inside and decided to sauté' it in a little butter on the stove. I tasted it as it was finished, and had to throw it out due to the high salt content.

That's when I started reading the labels on those "store bought" blackens, and found that for most of them, the first ingredient listed was salt, with sugar high on the list.

Now, I like to have total control over my food, and this had been the only blend that I was using. Right away I went back to making my own, without either salt or sugar. This way, I get to add the proper amount of salt without sacrificing the flavor of the seasoning.

I'm a pretty easy going guy, and whenever someone really liked my blacken, and asked where to get it, I'd give them a small bottle of it. After a few years of this, I found that I was keeping about 30 different households in my blacken while I paid the big buck for spices in the supermarket. People were sending me back their bottles from far away places (like New England) and I was sending back a bottle of spice to them. That's when I decided to start buying spices in bulk, and marketing Butt Kickin' Blacken.

Photo by Abi Nicholas, Tideline Magazine