Review: Dave’s Smokin’ BBQ’d Nuts
Everyone is grabbing Dave’s nuts. They are smoky, spicy and a delicious snack. The Piquin chiles and other spices will make your taste buds jump for joy. Warning: this product may be addictive to those with taste buds, but don’t worry we’ll make more.
After reading Anthony’s review of the Acid Rain Hot Nuts, I jumped at the chance to try Dave’s newest nut – Smokin’ BBQ’d Hot Nuts. Everyone get all the hot nut jokes out of their mind? Good, now let’s proceed with the review.
Ingredients: Peanuts, Chipotle Pepper, Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Dextrose, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Paprika, Spice, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Natural Flavor, Corn Syrup Solids, Modified Food Starch, Soy Protein Isolate, Malic Acid, less than 2 percent silicon dioxide (added to prevent caking), peanut oil.
Smell / Appearance: Unlike other flavored nuts I’ve tried in the past, these nuts actually did smell like they were advertised: smokey with a hint of BBQ. And each nut was evenly coated with seasoning.
Heat: Truth be told, I was expecting a lot more heat then these nuts have. But the label does say they are “warm” – I guess it’s the history with Dave’s other products that led me to think these would be hotter then that. But that being said the lack of heat is not a bad thing in this case. The wife thought they had plenty of kick, but that they were also a nut that we could serve at a party without worrying about people eating them and getting an overdose of heat.
Flavor: With my burnt out taste buds, I could taste the smokey chipotle but had a hard time finding the BBQ’d flavor. The wife however did think they had a bit of BBQ taste – so it’s just a matter of your taste buds. The Smokin’ BBQ’d Nuts are definitely smokey with just a tad bit of heat that will make your taste buds tingle and come back for more.
Overall: The label says: “Warning: this product may be addictive to those with taste buds, but don’t worry we’ll make more.” and they aren’t kidding. These suckers are very addictive for anyone that’s into hot nuts. The flavor is consistent throughout the jar and whether or not you taste the BBQ, there’s still plenty of smokey heat to keep you eating. The wife and I managed to destroy a jar between the two of us in no time. I highly recommend these for your next party or as an office snack.
Dave’s Gourmet, Inc.
2000 McKinnon Ave., Bldg. 428, #5
San Francisco, CA 94124-1621
Phone: (800) 758-0372 / (415) 401-9100
looks yummy but the Monosodium Glutamate(MSG’s) scare me!!
You know I am not the most health consious guys when it comes to food. But MSG as one of the main ingredients!!! No thanks!
Oh, and that is a great close-up shot of the peanuts!
Don’t exactly know what Mono something something is, but partially hydrogenated(anything) soybean oil is trans fat.
Now I know what it is, wikipedia helps lol.
I have to say that I think to many people give MSG a bad rap. It wasn’t until people started to develop allergys to it that it came into the spotlight as a bad thing. With the gluten, peanut etcc….allergies today, should we just forget about these products. I say NO!!! I have used MSG in the past and found it to be a wonderful flavor enhancer. It is better for you than salt and enhances the basic flavor of whatever you put it on. Try a little stir fry at home and sprinkle a tsp. of MSG on it and tell me that there is not a profound improvement. No I do agree with restaurants not using it anymore for the sake of their customers and that if it is used in the home and for family, you should check on everyone’s allegic status. But by all means, give this little beauty credit.
[Comment ID #43200 Quote]
I actually like MSG – in very small doses. But I remain aware of it always. I just don’t think it is needed for this. If you compare the ingredients list on this and the review I did for Acid Rain Nuts:
The ingredients are simple enough:
Peanuts, Habanero Peppers, Peri-Peri Peppers, Salt, Spice, Citric Acid
I don’t mean to point Acid Rain particularly but it is the only point of reference I have right now. But wow – what a difference in ingredients lists and the Acid Rain nuts are freaking genius without all the extra stuff!
Right, but wasn’t the price of the Acid Rain nuts really high? So how much are these?
And I bet you pay for those ‘better’ ingredients.
Anthony,
You’ve just hit on one of my biggest pet peeves, and one that I really don’t understand. Why do so many producers, from Fast Food enterprises to condiment producers, put so much terrible crap in their products, when so often there are healthier alternatives that taste better, too?
Trans Fat is a great example. It’s very marginally more expensive to use a far less less hideous oil – not to mention the fact that partially hydrogenated oils taste like a$$ compared to better ones. But people simply refuse to do so, and too many consumers don’t take the time to look or to care about getting a quality product, even if it only costs pennies more.
Another big issue in my opinion is High Fructose Corn Syrup. That crap is everywhere, even though it has a hugely negative impact on lifespan of test rats compared to glucose based products like old fashioned corn syrup or, *GASP*, honey or molasses. The argument for it is always that it’s no worse than table sugar. So, since it’s no worse than other processed crap it’s good? Sorry, that doesn’t fly in my book either.
Anyhow, all that being said, I agree with Cheffy that sans allergy, MSG doesn’t fall into that same category. The biggest problem with MSG is that it’s very difficult to identify an allergy to it.
Did not know dave had smokn’ nuts…must be annoying
🙂
Eman.. you have mail 🙂
[Comment ID #43279 Quote]
John I agree. Thats why Three Hot Tamales produces only all natural perservative free sauces and we will continue to do so in all the products we create.. Healthy Heat.. thats what we aim for (what a shameless plug 🙂
I hope Dave isn’t reading this but I think his sauces are only OK.
MSG, Not recognized by the FDA as an allergen of ANY sort. It is found naturally in many raw green vegetables, it is also in almost all frozen or canned foods. It’s really gotten a bad rep from doctors who overlook the real problem to diagnose the patient and send them home thinking they have found the cause. There have been lots of studies by food organizations including NASFT which no allergen factor has been proved. Those of you who are going to the NY Fancy Food Show, stop by the NASFT booth and ask about it. TV talk shows have disseminated this myth and many other “Malady du Jour” for years now.
None the less, because of many peoples aversion to MSG, we don’t add it into any of our products. Lisa, semantics alert here, yes you do use preservatives, Vinegar and Salt. You use All-Natural Preservatives… Just as we do!
what the heck does MSG stand for and why is it bad?
ok after reading the thread I think I have an understanding of it at least a little. and I really don’t care, I like food, all food ok most food, and if it has trans fat or MSG or akg or CIA or FBI or whateverthehell else in it, and it tastes good I am going to eat it, now If I had allergies I would be more mindful of course. BUT if my rear gets to big well then I can excercise a little more during the week, I think people take food way to seriously.
[Comment ID #43447 Quote]
monosodium glutimate
Yup- vinegar & salt: two of the most widely used ‘non-preservative’ preservatives there are! The buying public, a few ‘vocalists’ aisde, don’t seem to care a whit about ‘artificial’ ones, vis-a-vis the tremendous sales that Nandos, El Yucateco, and many others enjoy. All things in moderation 🙂 Had to chuckle (to myself of course) at the gentleman who turned his nose up at my sauce because it wasn’t certified organic… while drinking his diet coke. Am I starting to sound like Def Cre here? 😛
RE: Another big issue in my opinion is High Fructose Corn Syrup. That crap is everywhere, even though it has a hugely negative impact on lifespan of test rats
Aside from the observation that tests on lab animals at doses and diets higher than any human could possibly consume, doesn’t translate to real life, this is an easy one to answer- MONEY! I am not debating ‘right or wrong’ here- just putting out the simple facts of life trying to sell a food product. While, indeed, the ‘whole foods’ marketplace is expanding, it remains a simple fact that people expect NOT to pay $6 or $7 for a bottle of BBQ sauce. Here’s my BBQ sauce sitting on a shelf (using relatively expensive brown sugar) for $4 and a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s (using high fructose corn syrup, regular corn syrup, AND sugar) for $1.49. Exactly which one do you think folks are going to grab? I can tell you which one they in fact DO grab & it ain’t mine very often 😉 The general public DOES NOT care about brown sugar vs HFCS. As a business, I’m in business to do business. Moralistic positioning aside, what is the reward for being a business no longer in business because the public does not care about what’s in it, only what’s on it? I know I’ve asked this question in several forms many times before on here but it keeps coming back to it. Please a few vocal people who care (thank you!) and stay small and struggling, or aim for the public in general?
CaJohn,
Are you familiar with the 1995 FASEB report on MSG? It was sponsored by the FDA, and it is often touted by the MSG industry as one of the sources verifying MSG as a safe food. However, they conveniently leave out the observation that there is a percentage of the population that is “gluatamine sensitive”, and for whom high doses of glutamine can cause chest pain, headache, nausea, and rapid heartbeat. Now, I am not medically inclined enough to know if this is technically an allergic reaction, but it is an adverse reaction none the less.
MSG advocates carefully stand on the ground that it is no worse that gluatmine, which is true by al the research I’ve ever seen. But for someone with sensitivity to all glutamine, MSG is a ready source for a high dose.
This is not just talk show fueled hype; it may be overstated in how many people it affects, but it is out there. For reference, check out what the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition has to say on their official web site.
Jim,
You are exactly right, most people don’t care. It’s really frustrating as well, since people don’t live in a vacuum, and there is a societal cost, just like there is for smokers. The proliferation of high sugar, high fat, processed food increases health care and insurance costs for everybody, not just those that consume them.
So, the person who puts down a bottle a day of Sweet Baby Ray’s on top of their double whopper with a bucket of fries may pay less than someone who eats good, high quality food (which, by the way, usually tastes better anyhow). Meanwhile, those supporting small quality producers get to pay more up front…and subsidize the medical bills for those who eat cheaply at the same time!
OK John S, I checked it out, in fact I have a copy of it. What part of it says that there is a “significant” health risk? As I said, I don’t use it in my products. So really it is of no consequence as it relates to same. Work a few food shows and listen to the remarks that come from the aisle side of the table, then you’ll know where I am coming from with the “Malady du Jour” comment.
When I was in the Fire Protection business, someone presented a paper at an NFPA meeting I was attending. It was on the negative health effects of the usage of water to extinguish fires. Basicly said too much concentration in an indoor application would result in certain death to anyone in the room. Yes, it was presented facietiously, but it brings up a point, too much of anything can harm you. By the way the percentage of water concentration that was found to be lethal was 85% of the rooms volume. Significant rates of mortality was sighted at even less % of concentration. It seemed to be directly attributable to a person’s height!
Watch out in those buildings Jim!!!
[Comment ID #43486 Quote]
I’d be more worried by the electricity in the water 😆
This has become the smart persons thread, I am keeping my mouth shut beyond this comment. 😀
I just had my induction at my job today……..what extinguisher to use on what kind of fire. lol. That’s why I’ve got water and electric in my head. How many times do you have to see the same video?…. Drills the point home though I suppose
[Comment ID #43493 Quote]
The firefighters cut the power begore applying the water…
But that takes the thril out of it. 🙂
[Comment ID #43494 Quote]
This is actually another ‘myth’ that has caused many a building to burn down- that you can’t apply water to anything that has electricity flowing to it. Water is in fact a VERY poor conductor of electricity and it takes a massive amount of current to ‘come back up’ a fire stream. Most fire streams aren’t solid anyway. A series of water conductivity tests was conducted in the mid 50’s (using good ol’ Indiana well water) and it was found that you could actually apply a pretty good amount of water on a significant source without fear of being electrocuted (Fire Chief’s Handbook). Aside from that, streams can be lobbed or set to fog to reduce the conductance to zero. A commercial two story building here in my town burned to the ground because the firefighters wouldn’t spray water on the fire (small at the time) since it was close to the electrical panel. They waited almost half an hour for the power company to arrive. Story over at that point 😉
I have seen first hand accounts of MSG allergies. It wasn’t pretty. I myself am a hypocrite as I am addicted to Diet Coke. On top of that I don’t follow the U.S. FDA. As far as I am concerned it is just a corporation out to make a profit. The Canadian Food Guide IMHO has a quite a bit more merit. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index_e.html
Anyways, regardless of what any dietary council says, I stick by the rule “everything in moderation” except good hot sauce of course!!!
CABOOM .. … …….. Oh thats a Cajohns hot sauce. LOL
If any one would like some msg I have a couple 1000 lbs of it laying around. the store.
Hey now, don’t slam the Sweet baby Ray’s, though I have my own line of BBQ sauces here at the restaurant, I have myself enjoyed it many times on the barbie. Not a bad BBQ sauce if you ask me.
[Comment ID #43861 Quote]
Wasn’t a slam at all! Just pointing out the difference in ingredients (without judgement) and using it to illustrate the fact that the public doesn’t seem to care. SBR’s can be found here in the FD fridge as well.
WOW, I feel like I am in a smart people’s convention. Think the bus dropped me off at the wronf convention center. I was looking for the how to get your head out of your a** workshop! LOL 😉
[Comment ID #44045 Quote]
See I can’t even type the word “wrong”. I typed “wrof”. OH MR BUS DRIVER……..WAIT FOR ME!!!!!!!!!
[Comment ID #44045 Quote]
Too funny! 🙂
[Comment ID #44046 Quote]
Tell him to wait for me also 😉