CrackerHouse - Pepper Sauce - MEDIUM

Back in December, I did a review of the CrackerHouse Fire Pepper Sauce. You can check this out here… This time, the MEDIUM version of the sauce was up on deck. The FIRE version of this sauce was an extract sauce, yet nowhere near an extreme heat hot sauce. In fact, the small amount of extract that was in the hot sauce, was very well buried. Appearing at darn near the end of the ingredient list, it was one of the first extract sauces that I have had, that didn’t detract from the flavors in the sauce due to the use of extract. I thoroughly enjoyed the sauce and damn near killed the entire bottle during one meal. So essentially we have the same exact sauce, minus the extract. I know I’m going to like the fresh flavor of this sauce before I even try it. My only pitfall with these sauces are the use of HFCS and CS, personally I avoid any and all foods that contain these ingredients. But alas this is one of the pitfalls of reviewing hot sauces. J No complaints here folks!http://crackerhousesauces.com/

CrackerHouse Sauces - Simple & Fresh

CrackerHouse Sauces are a masterful blend of Florida Datil peppers and Jalapeno peppers along with other fresh vegetables. We currently offer a Datil Pepper Sauce (medium), a Datil Hot Sauce (fire), a Datil Honey Mustard (mild) and both a mild and hot Datil Wing Sauce.
CrackerHouse sauces are great on any food; try the sauces on anything! Your taste buds will love you for it!

Being that I am in ultra lazy mood, I have decided that this hot sauce would be perfect for plain pizza. Since I know it’s going to have a nice sweet/fresh taste to it, why bust my ass cooking up something. Leftover pizza it is!

First impression: With scant differences between the FIRE and MEDIUM, the bottles are nearly identical, almost the same label. Two differences I notice are the white shrink wrap on the MEDIUM and the red shrink wrap on the FIRE. The obvious FIRE (with flames) or MEDIUM right below the CrackerHouse logo differentiates the two. The ingredients are also exactly the same as the FIRE sauce. The only difference is that this version lacks the capsaicin oleoresin.

Ingredients: tomato concentrate made from red ripe tomatoes, fresh red & green tomatoes, sugar, fresh onions, distilled vinegar, green bell peppers, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, fresh Datil & Jalapeño peppers, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, garlic, salt, spice, black pepper, onion powder & natural flavorings.

Appearance/Smell/Taste: The smell of the MEDIUM is pretty much the same as the FIRE. It starts off with a sweet tomato smell. Then there is the slight waft of the vinegar. This is what attracts me to this sauce, the very fresh/sweet flavor. Although it’s almost to the point where it’s too sweet for me, but it’s safely right on the very edge of this line to where I can use this sauce, lots of it! Appearance wise the MEDIUM sauce is kind of loose with chunks and bits of onion, pepper seeds, and pepper flesh. There is a nice mixture of spices in there for good measure. Nice tomato flavor with the sweetness of the onions and the HFCS.

Prepared meal: Leftover plain pizza. Even when I reheat my pizza, I like to use the pizza stone. It helps the crust stay nice and crispy, but not get overcooked and rubbery. I don’t know about you, but back in the day when I still used a microwave, I wouldn’t microwave pizza. Rubbery pizza just isn’t my thing. And sometimes I prefer reheated pizza stone pizza. This I know will be a perfect use for this sauce. Slathering up my first slice of pizza I dive right in! The fresh onion, pepper, and tomato flavor are awesome on pizza! The tomato concentrate meshes well with the pizza sauce. I then go on to kill another 2 slices with this sauce, lots of it too!

Complement to meal: Pizza is a great use for this sauce. All the fresh flavors go very well with plain pizza. Although any kind of pizza would be totally ramped up with this sauce. The heat although is very low, especially if you are a chile-head and like it hot. This sauce is roughly a 3 on the HSB heat scale and lowers to about a 2 once it’s applied to something cheesy like pizza. As you can see I used a good deal of this sauce on 3 slices of pizza. Nearly 2/3rds of the bottles was consumed, and no chile-heads were injured in the making of this review! Check this sauce out if you want something sweet, sassy, and mild! -Lars-

Initial impression: 8/10
Ingredient quality/content: 6/10
Flavor/textue/smell: 9/10
Heat: 3/10
Overall: 6.5/10

Captain Spongefoot Trilogy
Wing Sauces

And yet again it’s time for some hot wings! I don’t make wings very often, but lately I have been finding myself experimenting with wing sauces. There might be something on the horizon coming from me regarding wing sauces, but I’ll have to keep anything else under my cap for now. But in my cabinet just begging to be sampled I had a trio of Captain Spongefoot Wing Sauces just waiting for some chicken wings! You can go to their website for more info on all of their sauces.

http://www.captainspongefoot.com/

I have a sampling of the Original Wing Sauce, the Chipotle Wing Sauce, and the Sriracha (Z) Wing Sauce. It seems they have a new Cranberry Chipotle Wing sauce, but hey beggars can’t be choosers. So I line up these 3 sauces and give them the once over.

First impression: ‘Legendary Flavor is on the Horizon.’ The Captain Spongefoot line has a very professional looking brand as part of the label. Going along with the whole ‘sea and sailor’ image, there is a lovely little drawing of a boat sailing the high seas just looking for some chicken wings to smother in wing sauce. They use some nice muted colors for the background of the labels, which gives them a nice overall appeal. There is even a little Chinese type Junk ship on the Z Wing Sauce! Just to make sure that you know that this sauce has some of the flavor of the Far East. Now let’s take a closer look at all of these sauces and see how they hold up on some wings!

Ingredients: Original Wing Sauce – cayenne pepper, sriracha pepper, water, vinegar, clarified butter, salt, sugar, garlic, natural flavors, and corn starch. (contains allergens: wheat, soy, and fish)

Chipotle Table Sauce – cayenne pepper, chipotle pepper, water, vinegar, clarified butter, salt, sugar, garlic, natural flavorings, and spices. (contains allergens: wheat, soy, and fish)

Sriracha (Z) Table Sauce – sriracha pepper, chipotle pepper, water, vinegar, clarified butter, salt, sugar, garlic, natural flavors, and spices.

It seems that these sauces based on the ingredients are very similar in design. There seems to be just a few slight variations to give us some different subtle flavors.

Appearance/Smell/Taste: I give each sauce a nice little smell and they all pretty much smell identical with some slight variances to each sauce. They actually don’t smell all that great, scent wise they are very generic and basic. Dare I say kind of like Frank’s wing sauce?!? I have to admit they have some nice smoky overtones to them. But overall, the smell is just very basic wing sauce with a touch of smokiness. Straight up, they are very pungent and vinegary to the palette. All three sauces have pretty much overpowered my tongue and taste buds with a wave of vinegary vinegar. But I can see that these are pretty much specific application sauces, ie meant for wings! So I got the fryer all set to go and fried up some yummy chicken wings.

Prepared meal: Deep Fried Chicken Wings.

I’m pretty sure that making wings to most folks on here is pretty self explanatory. So I really won’t go into details about making wings. Just fry those suckers up in oil heated to about 145 degrees for about 7-8 minutes. Drain, then toss in your favorite sauce. Here comes my synopsis of the Captain Spongefoot Trilogy.

Complement to meal: Starting with the Original Wing Sauce, I grabbed about 4 wings and thoroughly coated them. Taking the first bite, the sauce has it’s harsh vinegary bite. Just like a typical wing sauce. But, the addition of the chicken definitely cuts down on the harshness a bit from taking the sauce straight up. So it really does remind me of a ‘typical’ wing sauce. Note cayenne peppers as the main pepper here. There is also a slight hint of the Sriracha, but the cayenne definitely takes center stage here. BUT, and I say but because there are some differences here to take note of. The Original Wing Sauce has a nice garlic hint to it with a nice subtle heat. I’d say it’s roughly a 2-3 on the HSB heat scale. The garlic really adds to the overall flavor, so it’s really not just a ‘typical’ wing sauce. It does have that ‘disguise’ from it’s appearance and smell. But once this sauce hits a wing, it’s another ball game for sure. And I don’t even like baseball. So perhaps it’s more like another soccer game then!

I must say that I really kind of like Chipotle peppers. Although sometimes, and it’s only ‘sometimes’ when it’s a cheap ass sauce that uses artificial Chipotle flavorings and such. Not here, since Captain Spongefoot uses a mixture of chipotle and cayenne chilies for the Chipotle Table Sauce. Now, I kind of have an aversion to the name ‘Table Sauce’, especially for this product. It’s not really a table sauce with the addition of clarified butter, it’s a wing sauce. So if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, common sense tells us.. Well you get the idea. I will give kudos for Captain Spongefoot for trying a different type of name for a wing sauce in a gourmet food line. So I guess the plus and the minus just cancel each other out! Getting back to how this sauce tastes on wings. I like the taste initially of the Chipotle Table Sauce a little better than the Original Wing Sauce. It has a slight smokier and creamier flavor to it. Which I prefer over the Original Wing Sauce. The heat was about the same on the HSB heat scale, perhaps a notch higher maybe 3-4 on the scale. Definitely a little bit more clarified butter in this one, there is also no corn starch as a thickener, which migh back up my assessment that there is slightly more butter in this one. Very good wing sauce.

Last but not least is the Sriracha (Z) Table Sauce. Once this sauce hits the wings, the smell of the Sriracha pepper is more dominant than smelling it straight up. This sauce still has that vinegary flavor to it, but yet again the chicken has slighted this and muted it to the point that it tastes good on a wing! The Sriracha Table Sauce has less of a vinegar flavor than the other two. That and there is a touch more smokiness and a touch of sweetness to this sauce. And the heat level of this sauce is definitely the highest of the 3 sauces. I’d have to say that it’s at least a 4-5 on the HSB heat scale. It’s definitely not a barn burner, yet it has a nice mild-medium heat that lingers a bit on the tongue as I eat more chicken wings! Damn, I love hot wings! I just wish it were like eating a salad! Again, I’d have to say that the Z Sauce is definitely my favorite of the Captain Spongefoot trilogy! And like I was saying earlier. They seem to have the ‘disguise’ of a typical wing sauce. But they all have some really nice nuances to them, that separate them from the pack of a traditional wing sauce. Still a touch vinegary, but if you like wing sauces, then you’d really like the Captain Spongefoot line. Now, all I need is a bottle of the Cranberry Chipotle Table Sauce! I bet that one is just tits on some wings! Take care all and till next time! -Lars-

Initial impression: 8/10

Ingredient quality/content: 8/10

Flavor/textue/smell: 6/10

Heat: 5/10

Overall: 6.75/10

Not Yo’ Mama’s
Pepper Marmalade

I decided to take a peek at the Not Yo’ Mama’s Gourmet Foods website before I went about trying this product.
http://notyomamasgourmet.com/

From the looks of things here, they specialize in pepper marmalades. I couldn’t find any hot sauce, barbecue sauce, salsa, or whatnot. But that’s cool; man cannot live on hot sauce alone! Although I’m quite certain that there are a few people reading this that would contest that statement. Not Yo’ Mama’s makes 2 types of pepper marmalade, the mild one I will be reviewing today and one with added habanero chilies. So essentially it’s the same product with two heat levels. Although given the nature of the habanero and its amazing flavor, I can bet that it adds a more complex and earthy flavor to the hotter version. But alas, since I only have the mild it will have to do. So let’s see what they have to say about their own marmalade.

‘Not Yo’ Mama’s Pepper Marmalade

Our original pepper marmalade is made with a blend of red and yellow sweet bell peppers, pure cane sugar, and the finest cider vinegar spiked with orange zest, mango, and Serrano peppers for a little kick. The slightly spicy, sweet and sour marmalade is great poured over cream cheese with crackers for a quick and easy appetizer or with your favorite chicken, pork, vegetable and seafoods for a new twist on old favorites. Try it and you’ll see why we say, “Mama Never Made It This Good”!

First impression: Interesting that they suggest seafood! I just so happen to have some fried fish fillets and some breaded shrimp that would probably be perfect for this stuff. But I’ll still have to give it the initial spoon taste test to see how the description holds up to my impression. Looking through the jar it’s this bright red color, very viscous looking, kind of like any marmalade would look through a jar. Although the color does look artificial, it turns out that there is NOTHING artificial in the ingredient list.

Ingredients: red & yellow peppers, cane sugar, apple cider vinegar, water, mango puree, Serrano peppers (peppers, water, salt, acetic acid), orange zest, salt, pectin, citric acid.

Everything looks pretty tasty. I’d have to pick slightly at sugar being #2 on the list, but hey this is pepper marmalade so it goes with the territory. And looking at the Serrano peppers, it’s obvious that they are using canned or jarred peppers. The water, salt, and acetic acid are a dead giveaway to this. And it shows in the marmalade too. Just looking at the peppers in the mix they have a very dark pickled color to them, so that is another minus in my book. I bet they would get more heat from this marmalade had fresh Serrano chilies been used, instead of the canned/jarred variety. Other than these two minor items, everything looks great thus far! Let’s take a closer look and give this stuff a taste!

Appearance/Smell/Taste: Without further ado, I twist open the lid and give myself a nice hearty sniff of this stuff. Being there are sweet bell peppers and mango puree there is a very sweet very fruity smell to this marmalade. I think that the smell of the sweet bell peppers is stronger than the mango puree, but then again I have never been a huge fan of mango. So my olfactory sense might be off slightly here. It does give me the impression that it would make a great accompaniment to sea food like I read and stated earlier. I give the spoon test first; lo and behold the flavor is very sweet initially. I do like sweet sauces, but if the sauce is overbearingly sweet I’d have to take a pass. Fortunately for Not Yo’ Mama’s Pepper Marmalade it’s not too sweet, it’s just right in fact! There is a slight tartness to the flavor and there actually is a slight tinge of heat at the back of my throat. Very slight. Once this goes on food I can guarantee that the heat will probably be non-existent. Let’s give her a go, shall we?

Prepared meal: Fried Fish Fillet and Fired Shrimp w/rice.

I had these left over from a recent festival. It’s always great working at food festivals. And even better when the Fish ‘n Chips bloke is right next to your booth! That and they love hot sauce! Always a plus for trading. So I walk away with a load of Fish ‘n Chips and fried shrimp. Most went into the freezer as there was no way I was going to get through all of this before it turned. So heating up a lovely portion of fish and shrimp. I then prepared 1 cup of basmati rice with ¼ tsp. of tumeric to give it that nice yellow color. I hadn’t had crispy greasy fried fish like this in ages! Once the marmalade hits the hot food it has a really nice sweet smell. It’s almost a pickly sort of relishy smell, but it goes great with the fish and the shrimp. Enough of me blabbering on here, let’s eat some food!

Complement to meal: Slathering the fish and shrimp in the marmalade it looks wonderful! Once the marmalade hits the hot food the flavor of the orange zest becomes more prominent. It actually tastes more like a tart relish than marmaladelike it does on it’s own. The change in the flavor profile is common in many sauces once it gets heated. I really think that there is a more relishy aspect on the fish, almost like a fruity tartar sauce! The heat as expected has been reduced to absolute zero. Not even a sniffle aftr going through 2 large fish fillets and about 6-8 fried shrimp! I’m curious now to see how this stuff fares with it’s other suggested uses like cream cheese?!? Might be a good addition for making a party platter and some dip of sorts or preparing some hors d’ovures with the cream cheese all mixed up in there. Give it a try! It’s actually quite good as far as marmalades go. And in the past I can’t say that I’ve ever been much of a fan of jams and marmalades. I bet the hotter version of this one would be quite grand on some seafood! Till next time fellow chile-heads! -Lars-

Initial impression: 8/10

Ingredient quality/content: 8/10

Flavor/textue/smell: 8/10

Heat: 1/10

Overall: 6.25/10

Not Yo Mama’s Gourmet Foods
PMB 215
1919 Oxmoor Rd
Homewood, AL 35209
Phone: 205.862.6254

Cracker House Hot Sauce - Fire

Before getting the two bottles of Cracker House hot sauces to review, I had never heard of the company or their sauces. Now with that being said, that doesn’t mean that they don’t make a good hot sauce.

Usually hot sauces that have pepper blends in them have great tastes and a good deal of heat. Of course this also depends on the types of peppers that are blended into the sauce. This sauce blends Datil and Jalapeño peppers. These two specific chile peppers are definitely on the lower end of the heat scale. I’m sort of curious as to why they are so far down on the ingredient list. That and to make this hot sauce ‘hotter’ than their ‘medium’ version of this sauce it seems Cracker House Sauces have decided to give the heat a little boost using oleo resin capsicum. I’m normally not a fan of extract based sauces. It isn’t really the extreme heat factor that deters me, it’s more the metallic/chemical taste that using extract in a sauce does to kill the flavor for me. But since it’s also so far down the list of ingredients I won’t hash my bets just yet. That and I happened to be personally in the mood for something HOT! So this was the perfect opportunity to give this sauce a try. You can purchase the FIRE sauce and the MEDIUM sauce by phone, fax, or US Mail from the Cracker House website. No online shopping carts that I could find.

http://crackerhousesauces.com/?page_id=6

Looks like a 2 bottle minimum, but you get a sweet deal on a case for just $38 bucks!

First impression: Looking at the sauce through the glass bottle, it looks rather unassuming. It’s got that ‘glistening’ appearance through the woozy. Which I find is somewhat common among hot sauces. I then take a further look at the list of ingredients. It’s a long one for sure with a few items listed that I prefer not be there. But each manufacturer is going to use what suits their production needs best.

Ingredients: tomato concentrate made from red ripe tomatoes, fresh red & green tomatoes, sugar, fresh onions, distilled vinegar, green bell peppers, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, fresh Datil & Jalapeño peppers, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, garlic, salt, spice, black pepper, onion powder, oleo resin capsicum & natural flavorings.

Whew! That certainly was a mouthful. With all this going on here there has to be a good depth of flavor with this sauce. Of course I have to slam the use of HFCS and CS. In my opinion these items should be totally removed from the food supply. It’s used in almost all types of food that is mass produced. So when I see small manufacturers that use this stuff I have to say YUCK! Take it away! Lol It’s used in everything else and damn near every single sauce and salad dressing you can buy in a food store chain will have loads of HFCS. Not to mention the drinks, sodas, breads, you name it! Gosh I can’t stand this stuff! Just the fact that it causes your liver to go into overdrive to try and process this stuff is a good enough reason to avoid it at all costs. Looks like it’s going to be a real ‘sweet’ sauce with all those sugars used in there – sugar, brown sugar, HFCS, and CS. But in an effort to ‘take one for the team’ I will consume this sauce and give it a fair review!

Appearance/Smell/Taste: As I remove the cap and take a hearty sniff, sniff. My nose is first greeted by the pleasant sweet overall smell. Boy I knew this one was going to be sweet. I just hope that it isn’t too sweet to turn me off of the flavor. I’m getting a mixture of sweet with peppers and hints of vinegar and the oleo resin. Like I was saying the flavor that oleo resin usually turns me off of these types of sauces, but honestly this one doesn’t have that strong scent of oleo resin. It appears to be just a touch in the waaaaaay back. Once on the tasting spoon Cracker House Fire hot sauce is a gelatinous slurry of a sauce. It rounds out well on the spoon without being too runny. So from the picture you can see that it pretty much stayed put on the spoon. It’s a nice red color with lots of specks of what is probably black pepper and all those veggies milled up together. Hoisting the spoon to my lips to get the first taste I am greeted with a sweet sort of tomatoey flavor. The blend of the peppers used (both sweet and hot) come together nicely. This is a sauce with a well rounded flavor. So far so good Cracker House! And at the end I get that added kick of the oleo resin. And to my surprise the oleo resin capsicum flavor isn’t overpowering at all! Don’t get me wrong this isn’t a sauce that would rank in the ‘extreme heat’ category. In fact it isn’t even close. But, to ‘Joe Sixpack’ who wants something that is just a touch hotter without the ‘extreme heat’ range, this would be a great sauce to choose. I decided that I was in the mood for some quesadillas! Since I had a bunch of whole wheat flatbreads left, this was just what I was going to make!

Prepared meal: Roasted Onion Salsa Quesadilla!

If you’ve ever seen the movie Napoleon Dynamite, then you know the line about quesadillas! Lol What a funny ass movie! I must say that I’ve seen it about 3-4 times and it’s still funny with each veiwing. Kind of like the Mel Brooks movie, Space Balls. Which I’ve seen dozens of times and still crack up at the humor in that film! Don’t even get me started with Blazing Saddles! Ok, yeah I was making quesadillas. All you need for this is a flat bread of your choice, some salsa, and some cheese of your choice. I chose to use my Roasted Onion Salsa (I love cooking with it and I also have a healthy supply too!), a whole wheat flat bread, and a mixture of some queso blanco cheese and sharp cheddar! YUM! What a perfect food to use hot sauce on top of! Here goes.

Complement to meal: As I finish off these in the pan I allowed the quesadilla to cool for about 3 minutes until I sliced it with a pizza cutter. I then added a generous helping of Cracker House Fire hot sauce onto my first quesadilla. WHEW! After adding at least a 1/3^rd of the bottle I dig in. I really do like the flavor of this sauce on the Roasted Onion Salsa quesadilla! The sweetness goes along great with the smoky flavor of the salsa.

As I get about half way through my first quesadilla the heat from the sauce and the serranos in the salsa is starting to make me sweat! But like I was saying earlier, I was really in the mood for something with some extra heat to it. And Cracker House has delivered as I was hoping. I then make a 2^nd quesadilla and add another 1/3^rd of the bottle. So after I consume about 2/3^rd of the bottle of Cracker House Fire hot sauce, the sweat is glistening nicely all over my face and head. I’m actually starting to get a nice endorphine rush. I do like this hot sauce, but I really wish the HFCS and CS would be eliminated. I’d like to hear from the manufacturer if they read this as to why they chose to add these items to this sauce. –Lars-

Initial impression: 8/10
Ingredient quality/content: 6/10
Flavor/texture/smell: 9/10
Heat: 7/10
Overall: 7.5/10

Crackerhouse sauces, Inc.
PO Box 1066
Palatka Florida 321778
386-328-2780
crackerhousesauces.com

Cooney’s Mountain Mustard
Hot

The people who own and run Cooney’s Mountain Mustard (Denny and Kim Cooney) have been my neighbors at the Bowers Chile Pepper Festival for the last 2 years. The first year I was there I didn’t try their mustard mostly because I’m not a huge mustard fan at all! But, after talking to them again for two straight days, I decided that I should at least try out their mustard. I must admit that I shouldn’t have waited as long as I did! To like or dislike mustard isn’t part of the equation with this product as you’ll soon find out! You can surf on over to their website and buy some up http://www.cooneysmtmustard.com/index.htm

The 8 oz. jar is $4.00 while the 16 oz. jar is $7.00…

First impression: Cooney’s Mountain Mustard HOT and MILD come in a very unassuming 16 oz. jar. Keep in mind that this is a review of the HOT version. The label is very basic and traditional in design, but also has a very shelf-friendly commercial appeal to it. Sometimes you have to go all out, other times it’s best to stay simple. Perhaps I should take a hint from time to time! Lol As I have a habit of complicating everything I touch.

Ingredients: peppers, mustard, sugar, vinegar, flour, onions, and salt.

Okay, with peppers being the first ingredient on the label one might think that this is going to be a very spicy mustard! Also the bright yellow color and nice thick smooth consistency of this product really shines through! Let’s get a closer look to see how much heat this spicy mustard dishes out!

Appearance/Smell/Taste: I crack open the lid and give myself a snoot full of the aroma of the mustard. Whoa! It doesn’t smell like mustard! That’s odd. It smells more like relish with just a hint of mustard, which to me is a plus, since the odor of mustard kind of makes me ill. Using a spoon I scoop out some of Cooney’s to take a better look and to also give it a taste. It looks great on the spoon. The addition of the flour to the mix gives this mustard a real nice thick consistency. It’s not too thick mind you and still pours rather nicely onto whatever you’d be using it for. Getting up the nerve to actually put some mustard in my mouth after sniffing it a few more times to make sure that I’m really smelling more relish than mustard I give it a go! Initially the taste is very sweet, but it’s still not overpowering for my palette. There is a real nice flavor of relish that is stronger than the hint of mustard flavor I am getting at the back. I can’t believe that I actually like a mustard product! This is huge for me, as more often than not I deny mustard on any type of sandwich, burger, pretzel, or whatever! Even though this is labeled as a HOT mustard, the heat is definitely way low on the HSB heat scale. I’d say it’s a 2, but definitely not a 3. This could safely be put out on a table for anyone to dip in pretzels , chips, or to be used on hot dogs and hamburgers. With that, I decided to make up a juicy Roasted Onion Salsa Burger and top it with a generous helping of Cooney’s HOT Mountain Mustard!

Prepared meal: Roasted Onion Salsa Burger made with Free Range Ground Beef

½ lb free range ground beef mixed with 1/8 cup Roasted Onion Salsa formed into patties and cooked to perfection on the grill. After letting the burgers rest for 2-3 minutes I placed the patty onto my 7 grain flax seed bread. Regular hamburger rolls just don’t cut it with me any longer. I prefer whole grains to bleached, processed, enriched flour products. Even if it says wheat flour, avoid it if they had to ‘enrich’ it with any nutrients. This just means that the flour was so highly processed that they had to add something to it to make it have any health value what so ever. Stick with the minimally processed stuff. I then slathered a generous amount of Cooney’s onto my burger and this is what it looked like!

Complement to meal: Well, it’s true! I like a mustard product! It’s been a long time coming since I could endorse something that is called mustard! But hey on the burger this stuff was the bees knees! Once the product heats up a bit the mustard flavor is slightly more dominant than it was cold or served room temperature. Although it definitely kept some of that relish appeal to it, this flavor just got moved towards the back a bit. Still has a nice sweetness to it without being too sweet to turn my stomach. I must say that Cooney’s would be great for dipping pretzles, on burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and perhaps even added to a salad dressing to make a mustard style vinaigrette!

Initial impression: 8/10

Ingredient quality/content: 7/10

Flavor/textue/smell: 8/10

Heat: 2/10

Overall: 6.25/10

Big Dawg Fire Department
Chipotle Dip MixFirst impression: This is actually the first time that I’m trying one of the 6 new Big Dawg dry dip mixes. I tried a couple of their salsa products in New Mexico this past year and they were pretty decent. But if I recall the dry dip mixes weren’t available then. Does anyone know if I’m correct on that? I read the back of the package where it’s suggested to mix the entire contents of the package in with 2 cups of sour cream. But since I’m not a huge sour cream fan, I decided that I’d try my hand at flavoring some cream cheese to go along with a yummy sun dried tomato bagel that I happened to have from the local bagel shop.

Ingredients: chipotle flakes, garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), and other spices.

Appearance/Smell/Taste: Okay, since chipotle flakes were the first ingredient on the list. I was expecting a good deal of them to be mixed into this dry mixture. And yes, there were bountiful flakes of chipotle. It gives the overall smell a nice dry smoky aroma. There is almost a hint of sweetness in the odor, but after looking over the ingredients again I can’t seem to figure out what is giving me the impression of sweetness. The heat is on the lower end of the HSB heat scale, perhaps a 2 or 3 at most. Moving on down the list I noticed my least favorite ingredient MSG! OUCH! Big Dawg what’s up with the use of MSG! Well it’s there, so I must provide some links for those that would like to know more about this ever so present food additive. Now there is the Wikipedia version…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate

Then there is the version from the people who benefit the most by using MSG in food production…

http://www.msgfacts.com/facts/msgfacts.html

What cracks me up about the previous link is that they actually say, ‘new studies show that MSG may play a role in the overall health and nutrition of people who need it most.’ Without providing a SINGLE link or any factual information regarding these supposed ‘new studies’! Am I just supposed to take this at face value?!? Of course you should not. That is what is great about the internet! The next and final link on MSG is from msgtruth.org.

I suffer from headaches when I eat foods that contain processed MSG as an additive. This is partly why I’m sticking with just adding the Big Dawg Chipotle Dip Mix to cream cheese. So without further ado I touch my tongue to the spoonful of dip mix to see what it tastes like straight up out of the package. YES! SWEET and smoky! It tastes exactly like what I was expecting after smelling the mix quite a few times. The garlic comes through really strong too. It’s that ‘dry’ garlic flavor that only garlic powder gives you. There is also a good deal of salt in there too, but I won’t come off and say it’s too salty until I mix it up and try it out in the cream cheese. Now I could have used this as a rub for a steak or perhaps mixed some into ground beef and made a few burgers. Instead it was time that I made some breakfast to review a hot product.

Prepared meal: Sun Dried Tomato Bagel w/Chipotle Cream Cheese

A dip mix is ultra easy to use. They are almost like ‘pre-measured’ spice combinations that could be used straight up to flavor almost anything. Soups, stews, meats, tacos, the list is almost endless and Big Dawg helps you out with a handy little hint on the back of the package. But like I said earlier I wasn’t a huge sour cream fan, so I opted for cream cheese instead. After allowing 8 oz. of cream cheese to soften to room temperature I mixed in roughly ½ of the Big Dawg Chipotle Dip Mix. Looking at the cream cheese it gave it a reddish hue with the large chunks of dried chipotle throughout my seasoned cream cheese mixture. I then covered the bowl with plastic wrap and returned it to the fridge to let it set for a full 24 hours. Coming back the next morning I spread my bagel with the flavored cream cheese. Smelling the chipotle flavored cream cheese actually made my mouth water. Let’s see what it tastes like on the bagel…

Complement to meal: Okay, after sitting in the fridge for 24 hours the flavors have totally permeated the cream cheese. I’m finding that the garlic powder is too overpowering! This is coming from a man who will eat an entire bulb of garlic with a meal or something that I’ll cook. I LOVE the taste of fresh garlic, but garlic powder has that ‘dry’ garlic flavor that just isn’t very appetizing to me. The heat has dropped from a 2-3 on the HSB heat scale to a measly 1, almost no heat at all in the cream cheese. But this mix is also too salty for my palette. I’m having a hard time eating the bagel. There is still a nice smoky flavor from the chipotle but the overt saltiness and high powered dry garlic flavor is killing the experience for me. Although to those that don’t mind huge amounts of salty garlic goodness, this just might be the dip mix for you! Try it with some sour cream instead of the cream cheese monster I ended up creating! -Lars-

Initial impression: 8/10

Ingredient quality/content: 4/10 (using MSG killed this score)

Flavor/textue/smell: 6/10

Heat: 2/10

Overall: 5/10

Big Dawg Fire Department
http://www.bigdawgsalsa.com/
P.O. Box 821623
North Richland Hills, TX 76182
bigdawg@bigdawgsalsa.com

Happy Jalapeño Company
Happy Hal’s – Jalapeño Relish
First impression: There is an old adage or proverb - KISS. This stands for ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’. And even in this day and age of high technology, sometimes keeping it simple is just what the jalapeño ordered. And that jalapeño happens to have a name, and his name is Hal! No, no! I know that all the Kubrick fans out there are asking themselves if this has anything to do with the HAL-9000 supercomputer known from 2001 A Space Odyssey. Unfortunately no it does not. But you can certainly use Happy Hal’s Jalapeno Relish to make up some simple and delicious appetizers while you and your friends and family enjoy some movie time. It’s also great as an addition to some of your current favorite recipes. It’s so simple to use this that it has to be illegal! Lol! Although I’m sure Suzie and Joe would have something to say about their relish causing abuses of authority! Happy Hal’s Jalapeno Relish is the brainchild of Susanne and Joe Spurlock. They are a delightfully nice couple that hails from the wilds of Lancaster, PA. Yes, this is Amish and Mennonite country folks! There are some really great farms and rural locations in Lancaster, PA. And get this, in certain less rural areas Lancaster has a HIGHER crime rate then Philadelphia?!? Go figure! I don’t know what this world is coming to, but the Spurlock’s are trying to make sure that there is a little added love and heat that goes along with any meal that you can dish out. As many pepper heads know, chilies are very healthy as part of a balanced diet. In fact, the Spurlock’s have given us quick links to some of this info on their webpage.

http://www.happyjalapenos.com/health.html

Not only that, but they have also published a neat little cookbook to accompany the Jalapeno relish. This gives you some further ideas on how this relish can be used for cooking or as a condiment.

http://www.happyjalapenos.com/recipes.html

The relish and the book are sold separately, but I happened to obtain some relish recently and then requested a copy of the cookbook so The Happy Jalapeno Company can be listed among the rest of the small manufacturers in the fiery foods industry. A short while ago you used to be able to purchase the relish off the website, yet now I see that they only list retail locations and no web sales. Hmm, that’s odd. But this link will show some locations where you can purchase Happy Hal’s Jalapeno Relish.

http://www.happyjalapenos.com/Purchasing.html

I believe the cost is $7.00 for a 9 oz. jar.

Ingredients: jalapeño peppers, vinegar

Appearance/Smell/Taste: Well, since there are only jalapeños and vinegar in this relish it pretty much smells like you think it would. It has that kind of ‘green’ smell like a fresh jalapeño. Then there is the slightest whiff of vinegar but it isn’t overpowering in any way. In fact, taking some out of the jar, the japs aren’t dripping with vinegar. The Spurlock’s have used ‘just the right amount’ of vinegar to keep from spoiling and to also not overpower any foods you use this relish for. Putting the spoonful of diced japs to my mouth I found them to be very, very mild. I don’t know if it’s just me or if that is just the way it is, but pickled jalapeños are sweeter than they are hot for me. So on the HSB heat scale, this condiment is about a 2. In trying to keep things ‘simple’. I decide to do a little cheese and cracker hors d’ overs using Happy Hals.

Prepared meal: Organic Toasted Crackers w/Apple and Hardwood Smoked Provolone Cheese Topped with Happy Hals

Even though I have the Happy Hal’s cookbook, Susie suggested that I make a little cracker melt to try out the relish. So I passed on making Hal’s Jalapeño Potato Soup, Julie’s Groovy Tuna Tostadas, and John’s ‘Moldy’ Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Which at a glance were some of the recipes that caught my eye. Slicing the cheese up on the board and assembling like you see here..

Sliced Apple and Hardwood Smoked Provolone

Some crackers of choice

A few table spoons of Happy Hal’s

After assembling the cheese on the cracker and then topping with the relish they were sent to the toaster oven for a few minutes on 375 degrees. Just long enough that the cheese started to melt, but the crackers don’t brown or burn. While they are heating up in the oven you can crack open a bottle of your favorite wine. I’m not really a wine head, but when the time comes for me to drink some wine, I prefer a nice Merlot, Cabernet, or perhaps an Australian Bushvine Shiraz which happens to be one of my favorites. Plus, it would go along nice with these little treats!

Complement to meal: I started to pop these little treats into my mouth. The first flavors that came across my palette was the dryness of the crackers I chose. Trust a company like Keebler to fuck up what coupld be a really good organic cracker! This is a new product for them, and they kind of suck! Almost like a graham cracker without any sweetness, totally dry and gross. It’s not even that I heated them up in the oven! Saving the day of course was Happy Hal’s Jalapeno Relish and some smoked provolone! The smokiness of the cheese went along quite well with the diced japs. Although the cheese also cut the heat to a 0 on the HSB heat scale, that wouldn’t deter me in using this condiment in any other dish. Perhaps something without any cheese?!? Happy Hal’s Jalapeno Relish is a quick and easy addition to any meal you prepare. I can see me adding this to some onions and garlic sauteed in a skillet with some vegetables to top off some rice or pasta even! All in all the uses are pretty much endless! Soups, salads, casseroles, drinks, dips, chips, chains and whips! -Lars-

Initial impression: 7/10

Ingredient quality/content: 9/10

Flavor/textue/smell: 6/10

Heat: 2/10

Overall: 6/10

Happy Jalapenos
http://www.happyjalapenos.com/index.html

Lizard’s on the Bayou
Lizard Spit – Habanero Sauce

First impression: Just looking at the list of ingredients I knew that I was probably going to thoroughly enjoy eating this hot sauce! Lizard’s on the Bayou is yet another hot sauce manufacturer based out of my least favorite state in the Union. It’s not that I have anything against the people or the products that come from Florida! No please don’t misunderstand this! I’ve been there numerous times (hopefully never anytime again soon! LOL) since I was a young boy. My dislike of the state of Florida is really due to a myriad of issues. I’d be happy if a giant saw just came along and sawed it clear off the rest of the continental US. Okay now that I’ve vented about Florida (the wang of the US) let’s move on to what this review is all about! Lizard’s on the Bayou – Lizard Spit Habanero Sauce! You can order this sauce straight from their website which is listed at the end of this review for a measly $4.99! Let’s look over the list of oh so tasty ingredients!

Ingredients: water, fresh onions, distilled white vinegar, minced garlic, combination of jalapeno, habanero, cayenne, and serrano peppers, minimal salt.

Appearance/Smell/Taste: AWESOME! What can I say? After going over the ingredients and being so readily pleased at the lack of any bulking agents, preservatives, or anything else that I’d prefer not to consume this appears as a very ‘fresh’ sauce. And what I mean by that is the consistency is kind of chunky, yet kind of loose. But not the kind of loose that has the sauce running all over my meal and the plate. There are NO thickening agents (ie. corn starch, xanthan gum, etc.) used in the making of this sauce. Which to me gives it a totally ‘home made’ appearance. And if you know about my products, you’ll conclude that this is why I’m already giving this sauce a MAJOR thumbs up! Some of the solids do quickly separate from the liquids, but this is to be expected from a sauce without any thickeners. It’s an orangey-brown sort of color with slight hints of yellow and chunks of onions and peppers w/seeds can be clearly seen throughout the sauce. So without further ado I crack open the top and give myself a hearty whiff of this pepper concoction. The first smell that hits my olfactory senses is the sweetness of the fresh onions. Being the first ingredient on the list after water, I’m going to boldly assume that the onions play a large part in the distribution of flavors in this sauce. Of course how can I neglect the mix of 4 different pepper varieties as well! Yummy! I can almost taste this sauce now by just smelling it! There is also a touch of vinegar and garlic in the odor. It’s a very fresh and bright smelling product. Let’s see how it tastes straight up on a spoon! Diving right in I get a sharp immediate heat! It’s an easy 6 on the HSB scale. It’s very well balanced in flavor too. Right after the initial heat blast I get the sweetness of the onions and a slight tartness from the vinegar. The final aftertaste is all garlic, and boy do I like fresh garlic flavor! Mucho grande better than powdered garlic flavor in my honest opinion. I find sauces and rubs that use too much powdered garlic almost have an ‘artificial’ garlic flavor to them. Maybe not artificial really, probably more of a ‘dry’ garlic flavor. Not this sauce, the flavor so far is pretty outstanding to me! The only nit-pick I have thus far is that with the mix of peppers used, I’m having a hard time discerning any distinct pepper flavors. So I don’t think that this should be called a ‘habanero sauce’. I think they should come up with a different sub-title for Lizard Spit. So let’s make up something yummy and Tex-Mexicana to give this sauce the old one-two on some prepared food stuff!

Prepared meal: Turkey Chili-Cheese Black Bean Burrito w/Roasted Corn and Paprika Rice

Here is a little twist on a chili-cheese burrito. You may have had them at places like Taco Bell and Del Taco. But this is one Chili-Cheese burrito that neither chain would ever offer. Check this out, not only does it look good, but it tastes even better! For this you’ll need…

1 lb ground turkey

3-4 tsp olive oil

1 tsp paprika

½ large onion (diced)

6 cloves fresh garlic (minced)

½ medium sized red potato (diced)

½ cup frozen kernel corn (roasted in a skillet)

1 cup uncooked basmati rice

2 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 red bell pepper (diced)

15 oz. can of black beans (rinsed & drained)

½ cup chili powder

6 oz. of Manchego cheese (shredded)

Start by adding 1 tsp in a hot skillet over med-low heat, add frozen corn. Stir frequently to prevent the kernels from burning. It should only take about 8-10 minutes to get the corn slightly browned around the edges. Remove from skillet and set aside for now. In a small pot you can start the rice by bringing 2 cups of stock and paprika to a boil. Add uncooked rice and simmer covered over very low heat for roughly 20 minutes. This should make perfect rice. The paprika will give the rice a nice added touch of color. Once the rice is finished you can mix in the roasted corn with a fork. Red paprika and yellow corn in white basmati rice looks yummy! On to making the stuffing for the rest of the burrito! Add 1-2 tsp olive oil to pan, sauté the onions over medium heat until they start to turn clear. You can add 2 tsp of chili powder to the cooking onions to add some additional color and flavor to the cooked onions. Then add remaining stock, garlic, potato, beans, and red pepper. Bring to a fast boil and reduce heat to low to simmer for about 5 minutes, stir occasionally. Pour contents in large bowl and set aside. Add the remaining tsp of olive oil to same skillet and brown ground turkey over med-high heat. Add the remaining chili powder to the meat and break apart with a wooden spoon. It should take about 7 minutes to brown the turkey. Add the onion, bean, garlic, and potato mixture to the cooked turkey. Any juices should help deglaze the pan if any of the chili powder has stuck to the bottom. There is a lot of flavor locked away in that ‘stuff’ that’s stuck to the skillet! Add the Manchego cheese and mix well! Heat for an additional 3-5 minutes to make sure the cheese is mixed and melted in there good! Place a 12” tortilla on a board or large plate. Place a heap of the rice and a nice heap of the meat and vegetable mixture onto the tortilla. Roll into a burrito and enjoy! As you can see I topped my burrito off with a generous helping of Lizard’s on the Bayou – Lizard Spit Habanero Sauce. Let’s see how this works over food!

Complement to meal: The flavor of this sauce does not get lost in the food. It adds a really nice delicate sweetness to my turkey chili-cheese burrito! It’s definitely a nice solid 5 on the HSB heat scale over food. The heat didn’t diminish too much like some sauces are guilty of. Like I was saying earlier the only nit pick is that I cannot detect specific pepper flavors due to the mix of peppers used here. I wouldn’t sub-title this sauce as a ‘habanero hot sauce’ like Lizard’s on the Bayou seems to have. I would try and come up with a different subtitle. Is this little nit pick going to deter me from eating this sauce more in the future? Hell NO! This is a really great hot sauce, one that you should try if you’ve never eaten any of their products before. I’m going to say that this isn’t the hottest of their sauces (I have a Lizard’s on the Bayou – Gila Venom patiently waiting it’s turn in the cabinet) but it’s a real good solid heat. In fact, after finishing my burrito, my face was dripping with sweat! Damn does that feel good! I can see this sauce used on many different types of food because of the light fresh flavor that won’t overpower what you use it on. I wouldn’t use it on Thai or Indian food, although I could be dead wrong on that too! So with a big hearty thumbs up I’d like to say that this sauce is ranking up there with my personal list of top sauces! Check ‘em out on the web and order up some Lizard Spit for your next meal, event, or gathering of chile-heads! -Lars-

Initial impression: 9/10
Ingredient quality/content: 9/10
Flavor/textue/smell: 9/10
Heat: 5/10
Overall: 8/10

Lizard’s on the Bayou
http://store.lizardsonthebayou.com
P.O. Box 1705
Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32549
contact_us@lizardsonthebayou.com

Peppers Original
Blue Crab Salsa

First impression: Right from the get go I was hemming and hawing about doing this review. It’s just that crab salsa didn’t seem to appealing to my palette. But read on folks, and you’ll see what I found out about Peppers Original Blue Crab Salsa! The label itself is quite unassuming on its own. But it sure let’s you know that you are picking up a jar of salsa with crab meat in there… See I just found this to be an odd combination at first. So seeking out a dish that I felt would make me really taste this salsa, I decided upon something simple. NACHOS! I just happened to have some shredded cheese in the fridge and half of a bag of jalapeno tortilla chips! Heating up the toaster oven and preparing my foil dish, I glanced at the ingredients and took note that it was relatively clean, with the exception of the HFCS in the Worcestershire sauce and the hydrolyzed soy and corn protein. I won’t go into detail here about these additives but you can follow this link and read up more on the subject if you prefer…http://www.deliciousorganics.com/Controversies/soy.htm

You can find this salsa on the Peppers website, at $5.99 for a 12 oz. jar…

Ingredients: diced tomatoes, crab meat, diced green bell peppers, lime juice, chili peppers, Worcestershire sauce (vinegar, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, anchovies, water, onions, salt, garlic, tamarind extract, cloves, natural flavorings, chili pepper extract, hydrolyzed soy and corn protein), special blend of herbs and spices, salt.

Appearance/Smell/Taste: At first glance through the glass jar, this salsa has a medium red color, and visible are some various chunks of the previously listed ingredients. You can even see little strands of crab meat in there. Hmm, this is going to be an experience for me I can tell you that! So I crack open the lid and take a large inhale. It smells initially of fresh tomatoes! Towards the back I get hints of the sweet green peppers, Worcestershire sauce, and a slight seafood smell. Mind you it’s not an overpowering seafood smell at all. It’s probably right where it should be for a salsa with crab meat. And surprisingly this salsa is actually pretty hearty and thick. I wasn’t sure before I twisted off the cap, it seemed looser in the jar before I opened it. Peppers gets a big thumbs up for this!
So scooping a heap out onto my tasting spoon, I sniff sniff one more time before I give it a taste. Just making sure that I’m matching up what I smell and taste together. The initial flavor that hits my tongue is the tomato flavor, sweetness from the bell peppers, and then a slight tickle of heat that fades in about 5 seconds. I’d say roughly a solid 3 on the HSB heat scale. I thought I saw chili pepper extract in that ingredient list someplace, didn’t I?!? Almost immediately following the dissipating heat is the slight hint of crab meat. It’s very subtle, which is probably why I’m actually enjoying this salsa thus far. But let’s give it the food test to see if it stands up to its initial taste test.

Prepared meal: Nachos w/Peppers Original Blue Crab Salsa

Spreading the remaining chips out, then covering them with about ½ of the jar of Peppers Original Blue Crab Salsa, topped off by some shredded white cheddar cheese. After slapping them in the toaster oven for roughly 5-8 minutes, depending on how ‘done’ you like your nachos. The smell is very mellow and pleasant coming off the plate of hot nachos. Let’s see how they taste…

Complement to meal: Initially the flavor is almost the same as it was cold, with one exception being that the heat has been notched up 1 unit to a solid 4 on the HSB heat scale. I wonder if this is the added kick of that chili pepper extract (probably added more as a flavor enhancer than concentrated oleoresin would be added for heat) showing it’s head a little once heated?!? Still not sure about that ingredient because I don’t ‘taste’ extract in this salsa. And I also detect that the the bell pepper and crab flavors have been enhanced slightly too. Yeah, most definitely they have. I think that this is what gives Peppers Original Blue Crab Salsa it’s appeal. It doesn’t have too much of a ‘seafoody’ flavor and the tomato and bell pepper mixture is just right, with a nice thick and even consistency. Overall I feel that Peppers has a nice product here. It’s not something that would grab my attention on the shelf, once I read ‘Blue Crab’. But honestly after trying it, I would definitely have it again and won’t snub my nose immediately at a salsa that contains shellfish or any other seafood until I actually give it a try. Go for it! I did… -Lars-

Initial impression: 8/10
Ingredient quality/content: 6/10
Flavor/texture/smell: 9/10
Heat: 4/10
Overall: 6.75/10

Peppers
www.peppers.com
Tanger Factory Outlets
36445 Seaside Outlet Drive
Suite # 1815
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
302/227-4608
peppers@peppers.com

Dr. Craig’s
Caribbean Hot Sauce

First impression: Open up and ‘say ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!’ So says Dr. Craig’s Caribbean Hot Sauce! ‘Serve with Love’, is scrawled below the title. Listed below this seems to be more sage advice from Dr. Craig – ‘Thank you for letting me bring spice into your life – check out my website for some delicious recipes.’ Okay groovy, let’s see what the website has to offer as far as something to make with this sauce. Hmm, well no recipes are listed as of yet, but we are assured that they will be coming soon. The 5 oz. bottle sells for $8.00 on the website, but according to the website this also includes the shipping costs. The website also states that a minimum order would be 2 bottles. What if I only wanted 1 bottle?!? I partly decided to do this sauce early because when it arrived, the cap was cracked, yet the seal seemed to still be intact. So I figured that now was a good time as any. Since there aren’t any suggestions on the website and I had some ground sirloin in the fridge, hamburgers it’s going to be!

Ingredients: rice vinegar, pineapple, habanero peppers, garlic, onion, orange juice, honey, cornstarch, chili pepper, Jamaican allspice, lime juice, lemon juice, pepper, curry powder, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate to extend freshness.

Appearance/Smell/Taste: Yes, it’s true that sodium benzoate is derived from berries. But like many food additives and preservatives used by the food industry not enough continual testing is performed to deem long term exposure and usage to be safe. Here is an interesting article published by The Independent which is a UK news outlet. Before twisting off the cap I gave the bottle a hearty shake. Took a snoot full of some Caribbean paradise to see what I was up against. Hmm, interesting smell indeed as the allspice stands right out to my nose. Yet there is a back hint of sweet-fruitiness. As I pour out a helping onto a tasting spoon I notice that the sauce is kind of thin and runny. Although it doesn’t seem too runny for my liking, it’s close. As I poured it onto the spoon, the sauce was having a hard time staying in place without wanting to run all over my plate. I’m not giving up on this sauce yet, as the smell is somewhat intriguing to me. The first taste on my tongue is a light sweetness with a quick sharp heat that sticks around for a good 10 seconds before it really fades away. So with that continuing on with my red meat kick, I’ve decided to do up some burgers with the added touch of some Roasted Onion Salsa! This is now my favorite way to make burgers, just a ¼ cup per pound will make a tasty and juicy burger! I’m going to melt some Swiss cheese over this mamma too! Can’t leave out the cheese now can I?!?

Prepared meal: Roasted Onion Burger with melted Swiss

It’s doing something as easy as mixing in a good salsa into some ground beef to make a total change to a regular old burger or meatloaf. Topping it off with some melted Swiss and then a hearty helping of Dr. Craig’s Caribbean Hot Sauce is just what the Dr. ordered. And in this case, that Doctors name is Craig! After mixing the salsa well into the ground sirloin and making patties, I placed them into the well heated broiler. I wasn’t in the mood to light the grill to cook 2 burger patties, so I decided to fire up the broiler. Besides what’s making this whole review deal so interesting, is that I get to try all these different spicy hot sauces and other delicious condiments! And take note, that I said 2 patties. That is because I will be doing an independent review of this great spicy mustard that I found at the recent Bower’s Chile Pepper Festival! So this will ideally kill two birds with one stone! Without further ado I bring you the synopsis of Dr. Craig’s Caribbean hot sauce paradise.

Complement to meal: You can see in the photo that the sauce was having a hard time staying on my burger. After pouring a good heap on top, most of it slid off in every direction. Thankfully I had a hearty piece of whole grain flax seed bread to catch the runoff. As I take the first bite all I can taste is burger. The flavor of the sauce really got lost in the food. Surprising as the flavor was nice initially by itself. Since it was on the lighter side, I decided that I really needed to pour this one on to get the full effect with food. I’m quite certain many of you have done this before too. Pouring a nice heap of hot sauce on every single bite of your meal. So this is what I did to finish off the burger! Adding a nice blob to each and every bite definitely helped me get the flavor of the sauce with my food. It still has that light initially fruity sweetness, and the heat stays at a solid 4, almost a 5 perhaps. This might be slightly off because I’ve consumed at least a 1/3^rd to almost ½ the bottle eating one burger. Overall I think that Dr. Craig is onto something here with his Caribbean Hot Sauce. I personally would prefer a bit more substance to this sauce so it could cling to food better. This might also help with the flavor not getting lost as well. The nit pick of the preservatives is going to hurt his rating with me of course. And to boot there is sodium benzoate AND potassium sorbate in here to preserve freshness. In my opinion these can be left out. There is enough vinegar and acid from the juices to prevent spoilage. So grab yourself a banana daiquiri, a hot babe, and some food to slather up with some of Dr. Craig’s Caribbean Hot Sauce! –Lars-

Initial impression: 7/10

Ingredient quality/content: 6/10

Flavor/textue/smell: 5/10

Heat: 5/10

Overall: 5.75/10

Dr. Craig’s
MFD. By Bobbees Bottling
Louisburg, NC 27549
443/739-6203
sales@doctorcraigs.com
Submit recipes: (please send him some as there aren’t any on the website as of this review)
recipes@doctorcraigs.com