Brian Fortenberry of Fortenberry Farms in Cullman, was invited by National BBQ News Magazine to participate in the prestigious 2025 Sauces of Honor competition — an international search for the most versatile BBQ sauces for chicken, pork, beef and seafood.

Competing against 125 sauce entries from across the United States, Canada and England, and among 741 teams across five divisions, Fortenberry placed 5th overall in the seafood category. His award-winning creation — The Fortenberry Farms Original Orange Treat BBQ Sauce — a citrus-infused blend with deep family roots.

“It started over 40 years ago with my mother, Edith Fortenberry and her prized family sauce recipes,” Fortenberry said. “She loved experimenting with fruit to create sauces that enhanced BBQ in a way that traditional sauces couldn’t.” For decades, Edith kept her recipes under wraps, eventually sharing them with Fortenberry — thanks to the encouragement of staff at her nursing facility who had tasted and loved the sauces themselves.

One of those early recipes — now the celebrated Orange Treat sauce — has been quietly simmering in competitions for six years. “I always called it a sleeper sauce,” Fortenberry said. “It may have been ahead of its time, but it pairs beautifully with ham, chicken and even egg rolls.”

Fortenberry and his son Jacob, the father-son team behind Fortenberry Farms, continue to carry on Edith’s legacy. Their homemade sauces and rubs are created with love, tradition, and a commitment to quality. “We use as many locally sourced ingredients as possible,” Fortenberry explained. “It’s important to us that our products are both high-quality and reflective of our community.”

Despite never having heard of National BBQ News Magazine before his invitation, Fortenberry was humbled to be recognized. “The editor mentioned several teams on the KSBS circuit winning perfect scores with our sauce. That’s when I knew people were really taking notice of what we’ve built.”

Fortenberry Farms products can be found locally at both of St. Bernard’s  festivals — Bloomin’ Festival and Bernard Blues and BBQ — as well as at specialty butcher shops in Tennessee and every other Sunday at Mid-City Market in Huntsville.