Review: Mad Anthony’s Extra Hot BBQ Sauce

Overview

Maker: Mike & Diane's Gourmet Kitchen

Cost: $9.95 from Amazon

Ingredient: Ketchup {Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Less than 2% onion powder, Garlic Powder, Natural Flavors}, Molasses, Cider Vinegar, Fig Concentrate, Brown Sugar, Garlic, Water, Orange Juice Concentrate, Dehydrated Onion, Distilled Vinegar, Spices (including Chipotle Pepper, Ancho Pepper, Habanero Pepper), Salt, Natural Hickory Seasoning.

Label

Taste

Heat

Appearance

Aroma

Total Score

4/ 5

User Rating

1 total rating

Bottom Line

If you like sweet barbecue, you have to try this sauce. Even if you don’t, give it a try anyhow – it may change your mind. This sauce goes great with pork, and would work perfectly with chicken. In my opinion, if you are going to do sweet, you simply have to go with high quality ingredients to get a good flavor – and Mad Anthony’s Extra Hot BBQ Sauce is a shining example.

Posted July 13, 2006 by John

My bottle of Mad Anthony’s Extra Hot BBQ sauce came out on a perfect day for grilling – sunny and 80 degrees, low humidity, and not a cloud in the sky. Simply the ideal setting for trying out a new barbecue sauce!

Ingredients: Ketchup {Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Less than 2% onion powder, Garlic Powder, Natural Flavors}, Molasses, Cider Vinegar, Fig Concentrate, Brown Sugar, Garlic, Water, Orange Juice Concentrate, Dehydrated Onion, Distilled Vinegar, Spices (including Chipotle Pepper, Ancho Pepper, Habanero Pepper), Salt, Natural Hickory Seasoning.

That is one long and complicated ingredients list – not to mention confusing! The double parenthesis had me wondering for a while, so I added my own curly bracket {} here to try and clarify. At first, in my state of ingredient disorientation, I was disappointed to see HFCS as one of the main ingredients. But then, I realized it was a sub-component of the ketchup, and the primary sweeteners were Molasses and Brown Sugar. Though I’d rather see my food HFCS-free, I’ve got to give props to Mad Anthony for not skimping on his ingredients, and instead putting in loads of high quality stuff.

On First Taste
Mad Anthony’s Extra Hot BBQ Sauce is pourable but richly thick, with some chunks and a dark brown color that screams of molasses. It’s the perfect consistency to brush on cold – easy to spread, but with plenty of gumption.

The taste is pleasantly sweet, with rich molasses sweetness accented by strong hickory notes, and a citrusy-sweet background where the fig plays harmoniously with the orange. Eaten cold, the flavor lingers and develops into a rich cacophony of individually bursting flavors. The heat come on quickly, with a noticeable fire that would get the average palate burning, but is more than manageable for the well seasoned tongue.

On Food
There’s no meat quite like pork for a sweet sauce. So, I grabbed a few pork chops on the bone and got to work. I seasoned the pork with salt and pepper, grilled on each side for about 3 minutes, then added Mad Anthony’s Extra Hot to each side and let it brown on for an additional 4 minutes per side. At the same time I grilled some poblano, serrano and Anaheim chiles, mushrooms and a Roma tomato. I served the peppers and mushrooms chopped with a touch of olive oil, and the tomato with melted emmental cheese on top. A side of mashers finished the plate.

With the added heat, the Mad Anthony’s caramelized beautifully and evolved into an almost ethereal flavor profile. The sweetness toned down a bit, as did the heat, but the sauce blended into a unified, harmonious and rich taste that went perfectly with the fresh peppers and potatoes. I could find nothing to complain about in this sauce – it’s an ideal companion for pork, and serving it heated brings out its best character. I even mixed an extra shot in with my potatoes, and I think I found myself a clever and tasty new barbecue side dish!

In Conclusion:
If you like sweet barbecue, you have to try this sauce. Even if you don’t, give it a try anyhow – it may change your mind. This sauce goes great with pork, and would work perfectly with chicken. In my opinion, if you are going to do sweet, you simply have to go with high quality ingredients to get a good flavor – and Mad Anthony’s Extra Hot BBQ Sauce is a shining example.

Packaging – Bright and attractive, a bottle you can (and should) leave on the table. 9.1 out of 10.0
Aroma – Intriguingly sweet, nice hickory. 8.2 out of 10.0
Appearance – Thick and chunky, looks like homemade. 8.1 out of 10.0
Taste – Perfectly sweet, great complexity. 9.2 out of 10.0
Heat – Evident, less significant when served hot. 6.0 out of 10.0

Overall Rating: 8.6 out of 10.0