Posted December 9, 2006 by Jodie in Reviews

Review: Spiceburst Gourmet Spices Orange Saltburst and Chipotle Saltburst

From www.spiceburst.com
Chipotle Saltburst
Most of our ideas for new flavors come to us when we’re at home cooking or grilling. Like you, we get tired of eating the same old chicken breasts with the same old flavor, so we’re always trying to think of ways to spice things up. We like the complexity of chipotle peppers – how the flavor starts off smoky and not so hot, but then slowly intensifies. Also, we were looking for a seasoning to use instead of regular salt and pepper. After a few days in the kitchen, we created Chipotle Saltburst and its been on our dinner table ever since.

Orange Saltburst
Orange Saltburst originated from our vegetarian farmer’s market customers. They wanted a fresh, all-natural seasoning that would enhance any cooked or raw vegetable. In an all-vegetable diet, seasonings can make a huge difference in flavor. We developed the recipe for Orange Saltburst because we felt that the light and sunny flavor of citrus fruit livens up a majority of the vegetables we eat.

Chipotle Saltburst ingredients: Portuguese sea salt, roasted jalapenos (chipotles), fresh-squeezed lemon, vinegar, cilantro, and paprika

Orange Saltburst ingredients: Portuguese sea salt, orange oil, fresh-squeezed lemon, rosemary, orange zest, and paprika

I must admit I was so excited to get these salts! I love using spices and herbs to help punch up my cooking. I honestly couldn’t wait to try them but I wanted to make sure it was the right combination of flavors on all parts of the meal. So, I did what anyone who loves spices as much as I do does , I opened them and took a good whiff. First I opened the Orange Saltburst and I wasn’t disappointed with the smell. There was a wonderful smell of fresh oranges. Nothing overpowering, just delightful. Now the taste…out of this world! Just a hint of oranges with that wonderful taste and texture of a great sea salt mixed in. Now the Chipotle Saltburst held it’s own too. The smell was mouth watering! And the taste, the taste was delectable! The heat and flavor of these smoked peppers shone through with that wonderful taste and texture of the sea salt. Plus you got just the slightest taste of the lemon juice for an added boost. It wasn’t an extreme heat some might be looking for, but the taste was worth it for any chili head to give it a try!

Now, what to use them on. I didn’t want chicken again. I wanted something different. So I went to the other white meat (insert favorite joke here), pork. I pulled out some pork chops for dinner and decided to make my second favorite pork chop recipe (my first favorite way to make pork chops is just a good old box of Oven Fry for pork), Lemon Pork Chops. I figured I would use the Orange Saltburst and the Chipotle Saltburst in lieu of just my plain old Kosher salt. So I seasoned four pork chops with the Orange Saltburst and two pork chops with the Chipotle Saltburst. Then I just added the rest of the ingredients and baked. The results were breath taking! The Orange Saltburst really added a whole new dimension to the dish with the underlying tones of the orange flavor. The Chipotle Saltburst gave the pork chops a wonderful flavor of fresh smoked peppers. No major heat but wonderful flavor.

These products are just incredible! I think everyone should try them alone and in their cooking. Use them in lieu of salt when seasoning your food for the grill or the stove top. I would even use them as a finishing salt. The Orange Saltburst had no heat but the flavor is wonderful and can be spiced up with your favorite hot sauce. The Chipotle Saltburst has very little heat but again, the flavor is where it is at. You can always add your heat in other areas of your meal.

Orange Saltburst
Packaging: N/A sample containers
Aroma: 10/10 fresh oranges
Appearance: 10/10 pure beauty
Taste: 10/10 just the slightest hint of fresh oranges
Heat: 0/10
Overall: 9/10

Chipotle Saltburst:
Packaging: N/A sample containers
Aroma: 10/10 pure chipotle peppers
Appearance: 10/10 another pure beauty
Taste: 9/10 wonderful fresh smoked chipotle pepper
Heat: 4/10 perfect for novice chili heads
Overall: 9/10

Lemon Pork Chops
6 pork chops-bone in
6 thin slices of lemon or lime
6 thin slices of onion
6 tablespoons of brown sugar
6 tablespoons of ketchup
Kosher salt (this is where I put the Orange Saltburst and the Chipotle Saltburst)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pork chops in baking dish. Season pork chops with salt (I used the Orange Saltburst and the Chipotle Saltburst instead of Kosher salt). Then place one slice of onion, one slice of lemon or lime, one tablespoon of brown sugar, and one tablespoon of ketchup on one pork chop. Repeat until all chops are covered. Cover baking dish and place in pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes (depends on the thickness of your chops). Uncover 20-30 minutes later and baste with the juices at the bottom of the pan. Place back in oven and bake another 20-30 minutes longer (again depends on the thickness of your chops). Baste with the juices occasionally during this last stage of cooking.