The W’ham® Pairing Matrix
Which W’ham® goes on what — and how we layer them.
Twelve seasonings and sauces, one guide. See what each W’ham® is built for, how much heat it carries, what foods it works with, and how we layer products together after more than forty years of competition cooking.
What are you cooking?
The matrix
✓ = what we recommend. A blank cell is not a gap — it is a pairing we would not put our name to.
Swipe the table →
| Product | Pork | Chicken & poultry | Beef | Fish & seafood | Lamb & game | Vegetables | Sides & other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original Mild Seasoning | ✓ ribs, chops | ✓ fried chicken | ✓ prime rib, tenderloin, meatloaf | ✓ | ✓ game | ✓ | beans, salads, Bloody Marys |
| Lost At Sea | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ shrimp, lobster, fillets | ✓ lamb, goat, ostrich | ✓ | fresh fruit — mango, pineapple · margarita rims |
| Cajun Seasoning | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ brisket, steak | ✓ fish, shrimp | ✓ | ✓ | jambalaya, gumbo, soups, stews |
| Hot Stuff | Anything. Hot Stuff is an additive, not a rub of its own — a pinch goes into whatever you are already cooking, ours or not. Ribs, wings, brisket, chili, spaghetti. | ||||||
| Depot Dust | ✓ ribs | ✓ | ✓ brisket | ✓ fish | ✓ game | ✓ | fries |
| Marinade | ✓ | ✓ fowl, wings | ✓ steak | ✓ | ✓ lamb, wild game | ✓ | snack mix · stirred into another sauce or ketchup for a dip |
| Original Mild Sauce | ✓ ribs | ✓ chicken, wings | ✓ steak | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ dip | — |
| Sweet’n’Sassy | ✓ ribs | ✓ chicken | ✓ beef | — | — | — | baked beans |
| Top Rail | ✓ ribs, pork | ✓ chicken | ✓ brisket | — | — | — | Brunswick stew |
| Georgia Ember | ✓ rib glaze, pulled pork | ✓ wings, chicken | — | ✓ salmon glaze | ✓ | — | — |
| Cajun Sauce | ✓ ribs | ✓ | ✓ burgers | ✓ fried catfish | ✓ | ✓ | pasta |
| Hot Sauce | ✓ all cuts | ✓ hot wings | ✓ all cuts | — | — | — | — |
A light hand
How much, and when
Five possible layers, each with one job. Most cooks only need two or three.
| Layer | What to use | How much | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binder | W’ham® Marinade, or Original Mild Sauce thinned | A thin wipe — just enough for the rub to grab, ours or anyone’s. You should still see the meat. | Before the rub |
| Rub | Any W’ham® Seasoning · Depot Dust | A light, even coat on both sides. If the surface is solid seasoning, that is too much. | Then rest 20 minutes so it draws moisture and sets |
| Heat boost | Hot Stuff | A pinch stirred into whatever you are already using — ours or not. It is a multiplier, not a rub of its own. | Mixed in, any stage |
| Baste | Marinade · Original Mild Sauce | Brush lightly, two or three times across the cook. Enough to keep the surface from drying. | During, after the bark sets |
| Finish | Sweet’n’Sassy · Georgia Ember · Top Rail · Hot Sauce · Cajun | A thin gloss, or serve alongside. Sauces with sugar burn if they go on early. | Last 10 minutes, or at the table |
Layer it
How we stack them
The Memphis Classic
Marinade → Original Mild Seasoning → Sweet’n’Sassy
Pork ribs · pork shoulder
Sweet & Heat
Lost At Sea → Georgia Ember
Shrimp · chicken · wings
Bayou
Cajun Seasoning → Cajun Sauce
Catfish · shrimp · burgers
The Shanty
Depot Dust → Top Rail
The Big Shanty pairing, served in Kennesaw
You do not have to use the whole line
Two of these are built to slot into whatever you already cook with. Hot Stuff is a heat booster — a pinch lifts any W’ham®, and it does the same for a rub or sauce already in your cabinet, without changing the flavor underneath. Marinade is a binder — it works under our seasonings and just as well under someone else’s. Hot Sauce is that idea done for you: Original Mild Sauce with Hot Stuff already folded in.
The line
Every W’ham® at a glance
Swipe the table →
| Product | What it is | Heat (1–5) | In a few words | Recognition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W’ham® Seasoning – Original Mild | Dry rub · foundation seasoning | 2 | Balanced. Builds a seasoned crust without getting in the way of the meat.Cook itSlow Roasted Prime Rib · Grandma’s Classic Meatloaf · Grilled Veal Kabobs · Pimento Cheese Spread · Bloody Mary · Appetizer Dip · Sauteed Mushrooms | Championship seasoning · longtime bestseller |
| W’ham® Seasoning – Lost At Sea | Dry rub · seafood first | 3 | Sweet, savory and a little sassy.Cook itLost at Sea Shrimp · Tennessee Fried Fish · Smoked Cream Cheese · Cajun Shrimp Alfredo | NBBQA 2023 — 1st Seafood · Scovie 2025 — two 1sts |
| W’ham® Seasoning – Cajun | Dry rub · Bayou spices | 4 | Sits between Original Mild and Hot Stuff. Traditional Cajun spice, smooth finish.Cook itMaque Choux · Pork Chops and Maque Choux · Guinness Beef Short Ribs · Bloody Mary · Appetizer Dip · Sauteed Mushrooms · Cajun Shrimp Alfredo | Scovie 2025 — three awards |
| W’ham® Seasoning – Hot Stuff | Heat booster · “For Big Kids Only” | 5+ off the scale | Stands in for cayenne or red pepper in anything. Adds heat to any other W’ham®.Cook itY’all Come Down Chili · W’ham® Smoked Lasagna · Mardi Gras Pasta · Bloody Mary | — |
| Depot Dust – Reserve Blend | Dry rub · Big Shanty Smokehouse | 1 | Savory, sweet, just a touch of heat. Shake it, rub it, dust it. | Chic Dillard’s original Shanty blend |
| W’ham® Sauce – Marinade | Marinade · binder | 1 | John Willingham’s first creation — a tribute to the steaks at Trader Vic’s. Rich, savory, deep.Cook itGrilled Beef Tenderloin · W’ham® Stir Fry · W’ham® Chex Mix · Bloody Mary · Sauteed Mushrooms | NBBQA 2026 — 4th · IFA 2025 — 2nd |
| W’ham® Sauce – Original Mild | Sauce · does every job | 2 | Rich, smoky, smooth. Marinade, baste, rub, finish or dip — all five.Cook itFilipino Pork with Green Papaya Slaw | IFA 2025 |
| W’ham® Sauce – Sweet’n’Sassy | Sauce · thick | 3 | A hint of chocolate and thicker than most. John built it in 1983 for the ribs he took to Memphis in May.Cook itCountry Style Pork Ribs · Sweet’n’Sassy Beans | 1983 Memphis in May — 1st Ribs & Grand Champion · NBBQA 2023 — 3rd |
| Top Rail – Reserve Sauce | Sauce · finishing · Big Shanty | 2 | Sweet, smoky, Southern. The finishing touch. | Shanty staple since 2008 |
| W’ham® Sauce – Georgia Ember | Sauce · sweet heat | 3.5 | Georgia peach up front, habanero behind it. Starts smooth, builds warm, finishes clean. A natural on wings. | Competition tested |
| W’ham® Sauce – Cajun | Sauce · vinegar | 4 | Bayou flavor with just the right amount of heat.Cook itTennessee Fried Fish · Mardi Gras Pasta | Scovie 2025 — 2nd (Vinegar) · American Royal 1995 |
| W’ham® Sauce – Hot Sauce | Sauce · hot | 5 | Original Mild Sauce with Hot Stuff folded in. Hot, not silly.Cook itMardi Gras Pasta · Tennessee Fried Fish | American Royal 1995 & 1998 |
Every contest result named above is listed, dated and sourced in our championship record.
How we season
Let the meat be the star
Barbecue is about the meat. Everything we make is blended to enhance what is already there, not bury it.
That is why W’ham® goes on in layers: something to help the seasoning stick, a light even coat of rub, then sauce when the cook calls for it. Each layer has a job.
If you have to pile seasoning on, it is hiding something. Use enough that the meat tastes more like itself.
That approach comes from more than forty years of competition cooking, where a heavy hand can cost you. The same restraint works at Memphis in May and on a Tuesday night at home.
Asked at the trailer
Common questions
Which W’ham® is the hottest?
Hot Stuff. It is marked 5+ because it sits above the 1–5 scale used for the rest of the line — it stands in for cayenne or red pepper in anything. Among the sauces, Hot Sauce is a 5, and it is Original Mild Sauce with Hot Stuff already folded in.
What do you put on brisket?
Cajun Seasoning and Depot Dust both name brisket, and a pinch of Hot Stuff mixed into either takes it up. For a milder plate, Marinade as the binder and Original Mild Seasoning as the rub. Finish with Original Mild Sauce or Sweet’n’Sassy at the table.
Can I use a seasoning and a sauce together?
Yes — that is the whole idea. Binder first so the rub grabs, then a light even coat of seasoning, then sauce in the last ten minutes or alongside. The How much, and when table above gives the amounts for each layer.
Which one should I use on seafood?
Lost At Sea. It was named the NBBQA’s 1st-place seafood seasoning in 2023 and leads on shrimp, lobster and fillets. Cajun Seasoning also works on fish and shrimp, and Cajun Sauce is the one for fried catfish.
How much should I put on?
A light, even coat on both sides. If the surface is solid seasoning, that is too much — you should still see the meat through it. Let it rest about twenty minutes before it goes on the heat so the seasoning draws moisture and sets.
What is the difference between Original Mild Sauce and Hot Sauce?
Hot Sauce is Original Mild Sauce with Hot Stuff folded in. Same flavor, more heat — which also means you can build it yourself from two products you already have.
Who put this together
About the heat scale. We use a 1–5 scale so our numbers line up with the independent testing at BBQ Flavor Guide, who have tested four of these. The rest are scored by us, on the same scale. Hot Stuff is marked 5+ because it sits above the scale entirely. Competition results referenced on this page are documented in our championship record.