Posted September 4, 2006 by John in Reviews

Review: Bob & Neal’s Original Recipe

Upon first inspection, I wasn’t quite sure what Bob and Neal’s was, exactly. It comes in a 16 oz. mason jar, has a medium-thin consistency with tons of chunk of all sorts of stuff floating in it. The label is classic – understated, well designed and attractive. It looks just like a gourmet product should. The label advertises it for use in BBQ-Bake-Broil-Dip. Since I didn’t know what else to do to start, I gave it a try on a cracker.

Ingredients: Honey, Pineapple, Prepared Mustard (mustard seed, vinegar, salt, turmeric) Mandarin Orange, Cider Vinegar, Water, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Red Pepper, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Mustard Powder, Xantham Gum.

On First Taste:
The flavor is strongly of a honey mustard salad dressing with a little bit of kick and a nice, well balanced fruit underpinning. Since I love honey mustard, this was an immediate hit with me. There is heat, but it’s rather mild and should be tolerable for anyone who can stand Frank’s. There’s not much in the way of pepper flavor, either, but there’s so much other tasty goodness that it really doesn’t matter.

On Food:
I thought the perfect use for this sauce would be to dip chicken fingers in. I found the perfect opportunity at a party thrown for the opening Football Saturday of my Michigan Wolverine’s at a friend’s place. I made a pile of chicken fingers, cut them up into finger-food sized strips, and served them with a bowl of Bob and Neal’s for dipping.

If speed of consumption is any indication, Bob & Neal’s original recipe is definitely a hit. The chicken strips vanished quickly, and fistfights nearly broke out for the last of the sauce. It was definitely a hit, and something that can be enjoyed by just about anyone, chilihead or not.

Bob & Neal’s would be a very good marinade or topping, but only a serviceable BBQ sauce due to it’s thinner nature. In any case, this is a product worth trying!

Packaging – Clean and Classic. 9.0 out of 10.0
Aroma – Honey and pineapple with citrus notes. 8.5 out of 10.0
Appearance – Thinner than I’d like, lots of chunks. 7.0 out of 10.0
Taste – Fantastic take on [tag]Honey Mustard[/tag] flavor. 8.6 out of 10.0
Heat – Mild, but detectable. 3.0 out of 10.0

Overall Rating: 8.4 out of 10.0