“The Hot is real. The Doc is real. Hot Doc’s is prepared by a PhD Psychologist. It’ll mess with your mind! Known to make grown men cry.”
Ingredients: hot peppers (mostly, habaneros), spices, tomato paste, onions, garlic, vinegar, sodium, lemon juice.
Hot Doc’s Hot Sauce comes packaged in a standard-looking 8oz Ball canning jar. The label is simple and looks like it was printed on a home inkjet printer. Very unimpressive, but everyone starts somewhere, right? I’ll admit, my gut reaction when first seeing this jar was far from positive, but I also know that one can’t judge a sauce by its packaging. Without opening the jar I could tell how thick Hot Doc’s was. I turned the jar upside down and watched the sauce slowly creep towards the lid.
Macaroni and cheese always needs hot sauce. Always. So I figured why not give Hot Doc’s a try? I cracked open the jar (making quite a mess in the process) and took a deep breath. It smelled like… peppers. Habaneros, to be more specific. I really couldn’t smell anything but the habaneros. Is that good or bad? I asked myself. I love habaneros, so I guess I’ll mark that as a positive even though this is supposed to be a sauce, not a puree or mash. Visually, all of the ingredients make an appearance. There’s obvious chunks and bits of onion and garlic, along with piece and seeds from the peppers. Hot Doc’s Hot Sauce smells like peppers and looks pretty good, although it’s a bit thick for my tastes.
I dropped a heaping spoonful of the uber-thick concoction on my mac and cheese and dug in. It quickly overpowered the food. The flavor was bitter and salty. While the texture looked good in the jar, it didn’t work so well in my mouth. The consistency falls somewhere between a finely-chopped pico de gallo and a relish. It’s not wet enough to be a sauce, and not dry enough to be pico de gallo. It’s not sweet like a relish and it’s way to bitter to be eaten straight like a salsa. I wondered if I just had too much at once. I spread the spoonful around my plate, mixing it in with the macaroni as well as possible. This cut down on the bitterness some, but the flavor was still far from pleasant.
One thing Hot Doc’s does right is the heat. I rank it a solid 7 on the HSB scale. By the end of lunch my nose was running and I was ready for something to drink. But I want flavor before I want heat, and that’s where Hot Doc’s comes up short. I’m not sure what the Doc is aiming for here, but I think he’s still got some work ahead of him. This might be a good base to start with when making a hot sauce, but it’s not complete. It’s too bitter, a little on the salty side, and the consistency didn’t work for me. I feel like I would need to add ingredients to the sauce (rather than add the sauce to my meals) to make it good. Hot Doc’s didn’t ruin my meal, but I won’t be using it on mac and cheese again!
Hot Doc’s
175 W 500 St
Anderson, IN 46013
765.621.8894
www.hotdocs-hotsauce.com
Chilehead Comments:
Posted by: Ethan - Categories: Uncategorized
Permalink: Review: Hot Doc’s Hot Sauce
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18 Comments »
Mmmmmmm, Mac ‘N Cheese! 
Dang! from the photo it looks like a spoon full with potential, oh-well. I believe mac ‘n cheese may be on of the finer mediums for hot sauce.
parker394 on 8/29/2007 at 8:33 am said:
Making grown men cry?
Wonder if Hot Doc knows the THT’s?
I wonder if the THT’s know the doc is using their line?
That’s kinda what I meant
Looks like this operation flatlined. 
One of many bad doctor jokes to follow.
parker394 on 8/29/2007 at 8:33 am said:
Making grown men cry?
Wonder if Hot Doc knows the THT’s?
Or maybe THT are using the Doc’s line! 
Sam on 8/29/2007 at 11:49 am said:
Dang! from the photo it looks like a spoon full with potential, oh-well. I believe mac ‘n cheese may be on of the finer mediums for hot sauce.
Mac ‘n cheese just isn’t the same without hot sauce. And just about any hot sauce goes well with mac ‘n cheese. It’s like a match made in heaven!
Amen to that Ethan! Have you ever made homemade mac and cheese? The edges of the casserole get all crusty, and then you can cut it into rectangles and pan fry it the next day. OK, I gotta go eat something.
It’s not like the phrase is anything close to original I’m sure there’s tons of folks using it in conjunction with hot sauces.
Geckofiend on 8/29/2007 at 2:36 pm said:
It’s not like the phrase is anything close to original I’m sure there’s tons of folks using it in conjunction with hot sauces.
Yep, i use it every day. It’s pernouncd a lil differnt whwer i’m frum tho. we say “make grownt men bawl”. makes more cents and sounds mor manly.
Mac and cheese wid tha howt sawse is so yesterday tho. it’s already been done. even had a howt sawse named after it. i gots a bottle of it and it’s good stuff. even on mac and cheese, go figger. my dogs like mac and cheese too. they like it with duck butter.
gross.
Leroy on 8/29/2007 at 3:13 pm said:
Mac and cheese wid tha howt sawse is so yesterday tho. it’s already been done. even had a howt sawse named after it. i gots a bottle of it and it’s good stuff. even on mac and cheese, go figger. my dogs like mac and cheese too. they like it with duck butter.
Leroy what are you doing were waiting for you to bring the vittles home
See, I really like thick sauces. If you’ve tried any of my products you’d understand where I’m coming from on that one.
This looks like it has some potential to me, but anything with too much salt kills it for me. I wonder what is causing the bitter flavor? Perhaps not enough sweet to balance out the tomato paste. The Doc might want to make a small batch adding some sugar to the mix to balance out the tomatoes.
And yes, we all have to start someplace! -Lars-
I dont trust Ethan’s reviews his tastes are different to mine. This “sauce” looks good.
From my experiments with mac ‘n’ cheese, the consistency is at least 50% of the equation. Sauce works, but mash is far superior. I go with a different doctor’s prescription, Dr. Gonzo’s Supermash, hot and very flavorful and spreads evenly through the “cheese” sauce leaving a speckled visible reminder of what you are in for. If you’re looking for some serious legs on your burn try his Industrial Strength Habaneromash. The Good Doctor himself talked me into trying it at the Harpoon Barbecue Festival up here in VT and I was floored, the flavor was awesome but the burn built slowly and lasted a half hour. He gets my pick for most useful condiment in the fridge.
Nat you must have graduated from Harvard Med…lol..lol
nat on 8/30/2007 at 1:10 am said:
From my experiments with mac ‘n’ cheese, the consistency is at least 50% of the equation. Sauce works, but mash is far superior. I go with a different doctor’s prescription, Dr. Gonzo’s Supermash, hot and very flavorful and spreads evenly through the “cheese” sauce leaving a speckled visible reminder of what you are in for. If you’re looking for some serious legs on your burn try his Industrial Strength Habaneromash. The Good Doctor himself talked me into trying it at the Harpoon Barbecue Festival up here in VT and I was floored, the flavor was awesome but the burn built slowly and lasted a half hour. He gets my pick for most useful condiment in the fridge.
Dr. Gonzo has some great stuff!
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Making grown men cry?
Wonder if Hot Doc knows the THT’s?