***TOP SECRET***TOP SECRET***TOP SECRET***
Confidential Communique From Deep-Cover Agent

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I write to you from deep within the lair of the insidious Dr. Etienne Vanderweiss, supercriminal and heinous villain extraordinaire. After three weeks on the inside, I can hardly stand to live amongst these criminals for much longer. Only one thing keeps me going: Branding Iron Foods’ Blazin-Hot Stuff. Without this all-natural, fiery-hot barbecue-style sauce, I fear I might go insane. I’ve managed to procure hacked wireless network access, though I’m not certain just how long it will last. I’ve included as many pictures for your files as I could.

The sauce is amazing. I have no idea how Dr. Vanderweiss got his hands on such a wonderful blend of white vinegar, tomatoes, honey, lemon juice, horseradish, hickory smoke, and hot chili extract, but I can’t imagine he came about it legally. The smell of this sauce brings me back for taste after taste, leaving my lips and tongue burning for more. The heavenly scent wafting from the top of the bottle outshines any other barbecue-style sauce I’ve ever smelled. The mixture of hickory smoke, tomatoes, spice, and Worcestershire sauce melds absolutely seamlessly. Surprisingly, though vinegar is the first ingredient, there is no overpowering smell or taste of vinegar.

When paired with a Triscuit, the flavor is top-notch. The first flavor that meets my waiting taste buds is that of the secret blend of 12 natural herbs and spices, one of which is definitely black pepper. The black pepper, in my opinion, completes this sauce perfectly. After the spice, the heat kicks in. Those of you used to hardcore extract sauces may not find this quite hot enough, but it’s definitely the hottest barbecue-style sauce I’ve ever tasted.

Once the sauce meets meat, it truly comes into its own. I procured some turkey sausage during my daily rounds, and immediately made my way back to my berth to pair it with Blazin-Hot. Though I had no access to a grill, the nuked sauce added a needed boost to the sausage, giving it a fire that it would never know on its own. I can only imagine that, when added to such meats over an open heat-source, this sauce would pick up an even smokier flavor, enhancing the best cuts of meat. I have no idea what Dr. Vanderweiss’ plans are for this perfect addition to red meat, white meat, chicken, or seafood, though I’m certain they can’t be good.

This will be my last communication for a while. I fear that my near-obsession for this wonderful sauce may have caused undue attention to be cast my way. This morning, Dr. Vanderweiss’ evil sidekick, Hotty McHothott, watched me as I smuggled a case of Blazin-Hot Stuff through the hallway to my berth. I could feel her eyes boring holes in me. I’m afraid my time here may be short. If I don’t make it out, please… remember me fondly… and try the sauce… it’s excellent!

Over and out…
Ace McGillicuddy
Agent 00-Negative

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***END COMMUNIQUE***

Ingredients: Pure white vinegar, filtered water, diced tomatoes in juice, English-Style Worcestershire sauce (no anchovies), secret blend of 12 natural herbs & spices, Oregon Clover honey, concentrated lemon juice, x-hot horseradish, salt, natural hickory smoke, precooked food starch, hot chili extract, natural Xanthan (as stabilizer).

“Heat is neat – but savor the flavor!”
4.9 out of 5.0!

E.Z.Earl’s Smokin-Hot Stuff
Branding Iron Foods
P.O. Box 582
Renton, WA 98057
425.306-7898, FAX: 425.251.0251
www.brandingironfoods.com

Welcome to the second half of my review of the Spice It Up! hot sauce line. As a reminder, each sauce was first tested on a saltine cracker for flavor, then on a bite of grilled chicken for consistency and strength. And away we go!

Spice It Up! Mean Green Seafood Sauce
Ingredients: Jalapeno Peppers, Anaheim Peppers, Wasabi, Water, Salt, Lemon Juice, Spices, Garlic, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate.

Label: Mean Green is a hot and tasty green sauce with the taste of the Orient. Wasabi, garlic, and lemon make this an awesome seafood sauce. Great on seafood, whether broiled, fried, or steamed.

Appearance: This sauce is a beautiful green color! It’s a little stout, and it pours a little slow as a result. Not a bad thing at all, just something to be aware of.

Smell: The wasabi dominates this sauce’s aroma. You can also smell the pepper, which melds nicely with the heady horseradish.

Taste: This is probably my favorite sauce of the bunch. The wasabi isn’t fully overpowering in this sauce. In fact, I think it could have used a touch more, but I’m a little weird like that about wasabi. The pepper lends a nice bite. Well, not really a bite, more like a nip, but it’s a cute nip, like a puppy delicately gnawing on your toes.

Conclusion: This would be perfect on any seafood, sushi included. This wond be wonderful on broiled fish, but I’m afraid it might lose some of its potency when used with fried seafood, due to the general heaviness. I’m going to have to pick a larger bottle of this up for oysters on the half! It truly is a great seafood sauce!

4.8 out of 5

Spice It Up! Tropical Storm Gourmet Sauce
Ingredients: Tropical Fruit (Papaya, Pineapple, Guava, Banana, Water, Sugar), Peaches (Citric Acid), Jalapeno Peppers, Spice, Salt, Garlic, Ginger.

Label: This sauce will give your food a taste of the Caribbean. made with papaya, pineapple, guava, and bananas, Tropical Storm is a wonderful blend of fresh fruit, garlic, and ginger.

Appearance: Like a Blizzard at Dairy Queen, you can turn this open bottle upside down, and the sauce doesn’t flow out. It takes some serious shaking to dislodge it from this bottle.

Smell: Very fruity. The banana tends to stand out a bit, but that’s possibly because I’m not a huge fan of banana. It doesn’t overpower the other smells, though, it’s just a bit stronger.

Taste: This reminds me of some grilled mahi-mahi I had @ Mama’s Fish House in Paia, HI, a few years ago. Sitting back, dringing in the the view, and enjoying grilled mahi-mahi seasoned with pineapple, papaya, and guava. One of my favorite memories, and this sauce brought it right back! A nice, light flavor, though a bit more fire would be appreciated. Nonetheless, a really good sauce.

Conclusion: A perfect sauce for putting out the fire from lunch. This would pair wonderfully with pretty much any white meat or fish, with a nice glass of white to wash it down. Pretty good, though there’s really no heat to speak of.

4.3 out of 5

Spice It Up! Flaming Fiesta Grilling Sauce
Ingredients: Pineapple, Peaches, Pineapple Juice, Jalapeno Peppers, Honey, Garlic, Spices, Salt, Ginger.

Label: Flaming Fiesta is an exciting blend of pineapples, peaches, jalapeno peppers, and spices. This fruity sauce is packed with flavor and a sweet touch of heat.

Appearance: A nice chunky sauce, with spice flakes afloat. Again, pretty thick.

Smell: The peach hits you first, its cloyingly sweet smell sticking to your nostrils like syrup. Once you pull it away, you’re hit with the pineapple, a nice soft note after the peach. Nothing else really seems to come into play.

Taste: A nice, light sauce. It would go wonderfully with pork chops or grilled or broiled fish fillets. I can see this working nicely with pan-seared scallops, one of my faves. Hmmmm… I think the “flaming” in Flaming Fiesta must come from the “Grilling”. There’s no flame here (pepper-wise) to speak of. Because I like this sauce so much, I decided to give it another chance, by pairing it with Blair’s Possible Side Effects.

As you can see, it wasn’t an even matchup, but the flavors worked well together! The PSE added a much-needed boot in the tail to an otherwise great sauce.

Conclusion: The light flavor worked wonderfully with the grilled chicken, though I couldn’t find the flame anywhere. Great taste, otherwise!

4.5 out of 5

Spice It Up!
PO Box 2382
Oxford, NC 27565
phone: (919) 603-1084
fax: (919) 693-0158
email: sales @spiceitupsauce.com

Tags: hot sauce

Not long ago, our wonderful Nick was kind enough to send me a sampler pack of six sauces from Spice It Up! to review for you, loyal readers. The time has come, my friends, to line ‘em up and knock ‘em down!

Included in the pack are Spice It Up!’s Gourmet Sauce, Garlic Lover’s Sauce, Gourmet Hot Sauce, Mean Green Seafood Sauce, Tropical Storm Gourmet Sauce, and Flaming Fiesta Grilling Sauce. Each of the bottles is 1.6oz (that’s 56g for you metric types!) Because of the number of sauces, I thought we might break these up into two reviews.

Each sauce was first tested on a saltine cracker for flavor, then on a bite of grilled chicken for consistency and strength. And so, without further ado, let’s get started!

Spice It Up! Gourmet Sauce
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Onions, Anaheim Peppers, Jalapenos, Garlic Salt, Crushed Red Pepper, Black Pepper, Sugar, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate.

Label: This is the Original Gourmet Sauce with the slow spicy kick. Great for grilling and marinating all types of meat. Try Spice It Up! Gourmet Sauce today, and add a little spice to your life.

Appearance: A nice, chunky sauce with big pieces of tomato and pepper flakes standing out.

Smell: Honestly, it smells like a mild salsa. The green peppers and Anaheims add to the fresh smell.

Taste: Again, salsa. The tomato is the first thing you taste, followed closely by onion and garlic. After a second or two, the heat begins to build at the back of the throat. Not a harsh burn, though… it’s as if the peppers have sent you an email to let you know they care!

Conclusion: Nice sauce, though for daily use I generally prefer a little bit more heat. A great, fresh flavor!

4.4 out of 5

Spice It Up! Garlic Lover’s Gourmet Sauce
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Serrano Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Salt, Garlic, Spice, Sugar, Ginger.

Label: Spice It Up! Garlic Lover’s sauce is made with fresh garlic. Blended with fresh serrano chilies, jalapenos, and a touch of ginger. This is the perfect balance of heat and flavor to an exceptional sauce. Perfect with any dish.

Appearance: Again, a nice, thick sauce! This one took a few shakes to get out of the 1.6oz sampler bottle, but it was worth the work! It’s a bit darker in color than the Gourmet Sauce, with a little bit rougher texture.

Smell: Nice garlic/pepper smell. The garlic is definitely in the lead here, but it’s not overpowering, and the ginger adds a nice, fruity afternote.

Taste: The garlic hits first in this sauce, with the serranos not standing on circumstance - they jump right up and greet ya! The burn here is a bit stronger than the Gourmet Sauce, but it’s still not very strong. It may tend to fade out quickly with strong-flavored dishes. This would probably be best served with a lighter meat, such as braised pork chops or a nice tender fish fillet. Not a beef sauce, in my opinion.

Conclusion: A well-rounded sauce! The ginger adds as certain fruitiness, which complements the serrano and jalapeno nicely.

4.5 out of 5

Spice It Up! Gourmet Hot Sauce
Ingredients: Habanero Peppers, Vinegar, Water, Garlic Powder, Salt, Mustard Powder, Black Pepper, Sugar, Crushed Red Pepper, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate.

Label: Fresh Habanero peppers (the world’s hottest) and an imported spice from Japan make this one of the hottest sauces this side of Asia. Recommended only for the brave at heart!

Appearance: I feel like I’ve hit the sauce jackpot! All of these sauces have been think enough to stand up on their own! If there’s one thing I really dislike, it’s a runny sauce! This sauce is wonderfully chunky, though not quite so much as the Garlic Lover’s.

Smell: Hello, Habanero! The hab in this sauce sure jumps out at you. Is it just me, or does anyone else wish they’d make a hab-scented car air freshener? You’d probably have to worry less about your ride being swiped! What a great-smelling sauce. And the vinegar never really comes to the forefront - it’s nice and subdued.

Taste: Hab, hab, hab, HAB!! An immediate rush of heat is followed closely by hiccups, and they both linger for quite a while, maybe about 10 minutes or so. This sauce is not a noob-sauce, though if you’re used to an extract sauce, the heat might be a little muted. The vinegar doesn’t play a part in the flavor at all, but you pick up hints of the black pepper and the mustard powder. What a great, clean flavor! On another note, though, I’m still trying to figure out what the “imported spice from Japan” is. Maybe the mustard powder?

Conclusion: This sauce is pretty close to tasting pure, unadulterated hab, but with a bit more flavor. The burn is immediate and lasting. This would be a great addition to that early-morning breakfast burrito - screw the coffee, pass the hab!

4.8 out of 5

Spice It Up!
PO Box 2382
Oxford, NC 27565
phone: (919) 603-1084
fax: (919) 693-0158
email: sales @spiceitupsauce.com

Tags: Hot Sauce

Ingredients: Habanero and jalapeno peppers, vinegar, salt, spices, and Jack Daniel’s Black Label Whiskey.

Label: Habanero and Jack is HOTT! In their quest for the perfect hot sauce with a distinctive flavor to fire up their vittles, the old folks of Lynchburg realized a blend of hot peppers and local Tennesses whiskey was the answer. Our family is proud of this delicious hot sauce that’s great on sandwiches, meats, seafood, pizza, omelets, and in chili, soups, and salsa.

Appearance: This sauce has a nice, dark color. It appears a little thin, and pours as such. Not a real looker, but the shape of the bottle helps to alleviate that concern!

Smell: This sauce has a wonderful smoky aroma, and the peppers give it a bit of bite.

Taste: This is a great sauce! The jalapeno/habanero flavor is great, with a bit of garlic and onion. The Jack is the icing on the cake, serving to escalate the melding of the flavors.

First, we tried the sauce on a Triscuit, for full effect. Though not very hot, it did tingle a bit. You very quickly get a rush of Jack to the nostrils, which is nice! Next, we tried it on a smoked pork poboy. The sauce totally accentuated the smokiness of the meat, bringing out even more flavor! It truly excelled on the poboy. I also tried it on some grilled chicken breasts, and it was good, but not quite the standout that it was on the sandwich.

Conclusion: Man, that’s a good sauce! It would go great as an additive to (or instead of) your favorite barbecue sauce. The Jack really works well in this sauce! I was expecting it to stand out like a sore thumb, but it jumped in and played well with the rest of the sauce! Try it, you’ll like it!

4.6 out of 5

Ingredients: Filtered Water, Cilantro, Apple Cider Vinegar, Habanero Peppers, Salt, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Ginger, Olive Oil, Garlic Powder, Xanthan Gum

Label: “I had to drink my grandma under the table to nab this one. A 1/5 of tequilla later, this cilantro habanero sauce is finally mine. Thanks Saphta. Be creative and try it on everything. GB.”

Appearance: Beautiful color! The bits of cilantro stand out well in this sauce. This sauce would look great when plating a nice cut of fish or chicken - the green certainly stands out nicely against a white plate!

Smell: Very lemony. There’s a light touch of cilantro and quite a bit of hab smell, but the lemon overwhelms it. The vinegar doesn’t really come through at all.

Taste: This sauce has a really good citrus flavor, though it seems a bit strong at first. The hab flavor works wonderfully well as a counterpoint with the lighter citrus/cilantro. The lemon is the first thing you taste, followed quickly by a bit of smoke from the hab. The full hab flavor catches up with you by the fourth bite or so, and it sticks with you long after the citrus fades, probably about 15 minutes or so. The vinegar doesn’t really play a role, probably because of the tartness of the lemon.

After trying it on the requisite Wheat Thin, I decided that the fruity flavor would do wonders for a nice fish fillet. Luckily, I had picked up some tilapia fillets on my way home! I broiled a couple of the fillets, and enjoyed buttered rice (to help cleanse the palate between bites). A perfect pairing!

Conclusion: Green Bandit Cilantro Habanero is a wonderful hot sauce! The fire isn’t too hot for noobs to enjoy; well-weathered Chiliheads may want to augment it a bit with an additive (hab powder, maybe?) The subtleness of the habanero in this sauce sets it apart from the others. This sauce works wonderfully with fish, and would most likely accent chicken and/or pork well, too. Give a high-five to Saphta for me, GB!

4.5 out of 5

Ingredients: Organic Raspberries, Organic Vinegar, Organic Sugar, Organic Apple Juice, Water, Organic Chipotle, Organic Tapioca, Organic Garlic, Sea Salt, Organic Cayenne, Organic Paprika. GLUTEN FREE.

Label: Not much other description, but there’s a great shot of Bill, just sittin’ there, starin’ out at ya. He looks pretty happy in that bandana, though. Bet he has to be careful where he goes… a guy could get shot for wearing that in the wrong neighborhood!

Appearance: Very nice color! Pours a little thin.

Smell: Very thick raspberry smell. There’s no hint of the vinegar at all, nor is there any hint of chipotle.

Taste: Huge raspberry flavor! I’m not really into raspberries, so I probably didn’t enjoy this sauce to its fullest. I can see this being good on white meat, though, like pork chops or chicken (organic, of course!) Note, though, that the chipotle seems only to appear in spirit - don’t go in expecting a fiery sauce. This might be good on ice cream, too!

Conclusion: Great, all-natural sauce! If you enjoy a sweet, fruity sauce, and choose raspberry tartlets from the dessert menu, this is the one for you! I can certainly appreciate the organic ingredients, and I believe they add to the authentic flavor of this sauce. I would, though, love to see this kicked up a notch or two in heat…

4 out of 5

Bandana Bill’s Blazing
1408 Mason Bay Rd
Jonesport, ME 04649
(207)497-3431
bandanabillsblazing@yahoo.com

Ingredients: Aged red cayenne peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, salt.

Label: Well folks, we finally did it… Using only the FINEST, ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS, we have created a HOT SAUCE with FLAVOR. Not a real “HEAD BURNER”, Uncle Dougie’s LIL’ BOOM packs a BLAST of FLAVOR to your taste buds before the HEAT kicks in! Try it on EVERYTHING - we are sure you’ll love it!!! ALL NATURAL, NO PRESERVATIVES, NO MSG.

Appearance: Not bad at all. It seems a little thin, and pours liberally.

Smell: Vinegar, vinegar, and more vinegar. Oh, and a hint of… no, wait, that’s more vinegar…

Taste: The vinegar is overpowering, and the overall flavor is very salty. The heat rates a little less than Tabasco. Honestly, not much to speak of, flavor or otherwise. “Not a real HEAD BURNER” ranks as understatement of the year.

Conclusion: With all the CAPS on the LABEL, I was EXPECTING something WONDERFUL. Ever tasted a hot sauce with training wheels? Yep, here ’tis. This would make a great gift for your non-chilihead friends and neighbors. Wait, if you consider yourself a chilihead, you might not want to give this as a gift: it could ruin your rep. In this reviewer’s humble opinion, vinegar does not a hot sauce make, and the vinegar here is completely over-the-top. After fully enjoying Uncle Dougie’s Hab Mustard Sauce, I was a little disappointed with the lack of flavor here. If the flavor was there, it was completely drowned out by the vinegar.

1 out of 5

Tags: HOT SAUCE

Ingredients: Habanero-Red Savina, Habanero-Neon Yellow, Habanero-Lemon Yellow, Habanero-Chocolate, Onion, Ketchup, Dijon Mustard, Garlic, Honey, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Red Hot Sauce, Black Pepper, Lime Juice, Kosher Salt, Rice Vinegar, Carrot Juice.

Label: Warning: You must exercise extreme caution when using this sauce. If you have sauce on your hands, be particularly careful not to touch your eyes, face, or other sensitive parts of your body. If you do get sauce on your hands, we recommend that you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Ignore this warning and you will pay!

Appearance: A very good-looking sauce, with bits of black pepper, onion, and garlic standing out nicely.

Smell: The first smell that hits you as you open the bottle is a kind of spicy ketchup-y smell, not at all unpleasant. It’s a very light-smelling sauce, sweet and spicy, with a hint of garlic and onion. Nice!

Taste: What a great sauce! Because the first four ingredients were habanero, I felt the need to enter into this well-prepared! My first taste of Spittin Fire was on a saltine, to get the full flavor. The The sweet-spicy smell carried right over into the flavor of the sauce: the first taste was very light and flavorful. The habs don’t hit hard on entry, but build pretty quickly into a nice, controlled smolder. For Christmas dinner, my dad made his world-famous Cajun dirty rice (if it’s not world-famous already, it darn well should be!) I added this liberally to the dirty rice, and the onion and garlic of this sauce melded wonderfully with the onion and garlic in the dirty rice, adding a nice amount of heat. What a great match!

Conclusion: Very nice! We ended up passing the bottle around the table, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it, my grandmother especially, though the heat didn’t seem to faze her. In her own words: “That hot sauce isn’t hot at all to an ole Coonass lady!” This sauce would go seamlessly with almost anything savory. A great, well-rounded sauce!

4.6 out of 5!

Sizzlin Sauces LLC
PO Box 1753
Conway, NH 03818

Would you like to have your product reviewed on the HSB? More information can be found on our Product Submission Page.

Ingredients: Habanero, red and green jalapeno, serrano chiles, garlic, vinegar, vegetable juice, natural flavors, salt, food starch, spices.

Appearance: This sauce presents very nicely. It has a deep red color, and bits of pepper and seed stand out readily.

Smell: Hmmm, I think the “spices” might include some sort of mesquite smoke flavoring. This sauce has a very heavy scent (and flavor) of liquid smoke. Not bad or overpowering, just not what I was expecting, considering the ingredient list. The garlic comes second, like an old friend you haven’t spoken to in a while, who calls you all of a sudden on a Sunday afternoon. Very nice!

Taste: As you probably know if you’ve read my reviews, I like a natural sauce. I’m not big on the extract sauces, and prefer flavor over fire any day. That being said, this sauce delivers on the flavor in a great way. As the scent forewarned, this sauce is a little barbecue-y, but in a good way! The mesquite flavor hits first, making this sauce great for ribs or chicken. Then comes the fire - it comes on quickly and stays for a while. It’s not hot hot by any means, but it does have enough to make your taste buds sit up and take notice.

Conclusion: This sauce has a really good flavor and just enough smolder to last through a meal. Congrats, Uncle Brutha, on a fine sauce, and a ready addition to any backyard grilling session!

4.1 out of 5!

Uncle Brutha’s Gourmet Hot Sauce
4423 Lehigh Road, Suite 223
College Park, MD 20740

Ingredients: Onions, habanero peppers, cabbage, sweet red bell pepper, sugar, salt, citric acid, anhydrous, ground oregano, dried coriander, erythorbic acid to promote color retention.

Appearance: Beautiful! The ingredients were coarsely diced, with large chunks of onion and cabbage. The peppers stood out in the relish nicely. All in all, very appealing.

Smell: The habanero carried the top note, followed closely by the onion. Smelled nice and sweet.

Taste: This relish was more of a chow-chow, thanks to the inclusion of the cabbage. Don’t go in expecting a pickle-y taste. My first taste was atop the standard Triscuit. This is more of a sweet/salty relish. In the first bite, the sweet bell pepper and onion meld wonderfully. As you reach for the second, though, here comes the hab! It comes on very quickly and lingers for quite a while. It’s a nice smoldering burn that balances out the sweetness of the relish wonderfully. After a few crackers, I decided to see what this would do with a hot dog. I fixed two dogs, one naked, one with chili. Of course, the naked dog wasn’t quite as good as the chili dog (when would it ever be??) On the chili dog, though, this relish found a warm home! It complemented the chili perfectly, adding just enough heat to make the meal worthwhile (well, as worthwhile as a hot dog eaten by yourself standing over the kitchen sink can be!)

Conclusion: Not bad at all! This would be very good thrown in with some tuna or chicken salad, or as a mix-in for taco meat.

4.0 out of 5.0!

Bethlehem’s Best Gourmet Sauces, Inc.
P.O. Box 205
Bethlehem, Georgia 30620
Phone: (706) 367-5244