Fenelon Falls · Kawartha Lakes, Ontario

Real smoke. Real heat. Made by hand in the Kawarthas.

The Back 40 Smoke Box is two things done properly: low-and-slow barbecue catering cooked over real wood fire, and Sweet Whiskey Heat hot sauce — fermented in barrels, bottled by hand, and decorated with some of the biggest awards in Canadian hot sauce.

Back 40 hot sauce bottles lined up in front of Eternal Flame Awards plaques and medals

🎄 Christmas 3-Packs are here — $30

Original, Mild Jalapeño & Xtra Hot Jalapeño in one gift-ready pack, from our online store. Hand-made, barrel-fermented in Fenelon Falls, and shipped anywhere in Canada.

Order the Christmas 3-Pack
What we do

Two tents, one big smoker, zero shortcuts

At events you'll find us set up behind our two tents with the offset smoker working behind them — brisket, ribs and pulled pork cooked the slow way, plus a full table of our own hot sauces to finish the job. The same kitchen puts every bottle of sauce together by hand, in small batches, right here in Fenelon Falls.

BBQ Catering

Weddings, festivals, rodeos, staff parties and backyard blowouts across the Kawartha Lakes and beyond. Smoked meats, scratch sides and a crew that feeds a line fast.

See catering options →

Sweet Whiskey Heat Sauce

Six flavours of barrel-fermented hot sauce — from a gentle jalapeño to the Extreme Cinnamon that bites back. Gluten-free, keto-friendly and vegetarian, every one of them.

Meet the lineup →

Wholesale

Stocking a shelf, a chip truck or a farm stand? Our sauces move by the case and by the skid for retailers and food businesses across Ontario.

Wholesale enquiries →

The Back 40 crew serving smoked food under the event tent, banner overhead
Under the tent at a summer event — that's us in the middle of service, not a stock photo.
The trophy shelf

Sweet Whiskey Heat took home Best in Show

In 2023 our flagship sauce went up against makers from across the country at the Heatwave Hot Sauce Expo in London, Ontario — and came home with the top honour of the whole show. It wasn't a one-off, either:

  • Best in ShowEternal Flame Awards 2023 · Heatwave Hot Sauce Expo, London ON — Sweet Whiskey Heat
  • Best Sauce — Hot CategoryEternal Flame Awards 2023 · Heatwave Hot Sauce Expo, London ON
  • 1st Place — MildCK Hot Sauce Expo 2023
  • 2nd Place — Best Nacho SauceApex Sauce Awards 2023
From the sauce kitchen

Fermented 14–21 days. Bottled by hand. Gone fast.

Every batch of Back 40 sauce starts as fresh peppers and gets its depth the patient way — a barrel ferment of two to three weeks before it's blended, sweetened with just a dash of honey and stevia, and bottled by hand. There's no whiskey in the bottle, despite the name — the "Sweet Whiskey Heat" is all about the smooth, slow burn.

Four flavours are on the shelf right now. Cinnamon and Xtra Hot sell out as fast as we can make them — when they're gone, they're gone until the next batch.

See What's In Stock
Back 40 sauce bottles and award medals arranged on the branded tablecloth
A loaded Back 40 platter: sliced brisket, ribs, pulled pork, baked beans, slaw and fries
Feeding a crowd?

This is what the line-up is for

Brisket sliced to order, ribs with a proper bark, pulled pork, and the sides that make a plate — beans, slaw, mac and more. If you're planning a wedding, a company party or a community event anywhere in the Kawarthas, talk to Darby about dates. Catering packages from $64 per guest — Smoke Box Buffet and the Pitmaster Feast.

For catering, call or text Darby directly:

Catering Details & Contact
The Back 40 crew serving from behind the tents at an event

Smoke Box Buffet · $64 per guest

Our most popular spread: two standard smoked mains, three pit sides and fresh buns. 50-guest minimum. See the catering packages →

Racks of seasoned ribs cooking inside the offset smoker

Pitmaster Feast · $72 per guest

Two mains including one premium choice — brisket, ribs, or salmon — plus four pit sides and buns. 50-guest minimum. See the catering packages →

The two behind it all

Jamie & Darby Mousseau

Every bottle and every brisket traces back to these two. Darby hand-makes the sauce — small batches, barrel-fermented 14 to 21 days. Jamie runs the smoker and the catering line. If you've eaten with us at a fair or a wedding anywhere in the Kawarthas, you've met them both.

Pencil artwork of Darby Mousseau in her Boss of the Sauce apron, holding two bottles of Back 40 hot sauce
Darby — Co-founder
Pencil artwork of Jamie Mousseau holding a three-pack of Back 40 hot sauce
Jamie — Co-founder

Questions? Just call.

(705) 731-9933

Sauce orders, event dates, wholesale — one number reaches the whole operation.

Order Hot Sauce