Tom’s Roid-Rippin’ BBQ Sauce Sweet Mesquite

Howdy folks, John Scrovak here again. And for those who are tuning in thanks to my surprisingly, wildly successful AMA interview on Reddit, welcome to Eat More Heat!!! This week’s Scroturday will feature a double review of product from Tom’s Roid-Rippin’ Hot Sauce company. For the first review, my good man Tom provided me with a bottle of Tom’s Roid-Rippin’ BBQ Sauce Sweet Mesquite. Tom was a vendor at the first annual New York City Hot Sauce Expo and me, well, I’m me. I got drunk with a camera and ended up hanging out. Before I left, this is one of the sauces he gave me. Let’s see what’s inside!

Ingredients:

Tomato Juice, Tomato paste, Water, Distilled Vinegar, Molasses, Sugar, Honey, Raisins, Lime Juice, Liquid Smoke-Mesquite, Butter, Red Habanero peppers, Olive Oil Blend (Conola Oil, Olive Oil), Salt, Worcestershire Sauce (Water, Distilled Vinegar, Worcestershire Concentrate, Molasses, Vinegar, Spices, Natural Flavor, Garlic Powder, Caramel Color, Anchovies, Tamarind, Sulfiting Agent, Sugar, Salt), Onion Powder, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Dry Mustard.

Appearance:

At first impression, this strikes me as a medium-body sauce. While shaking it and rotating the bottle on a vertical axis, the sauce within is only slightly hesitant in it’s motion. Without opening the bottle, it appears as though this will be a fairly wet sauce that would be best suited for mopping onto basic chicken on the grill. If i hadn’t read the ingredientsfirst, I would be mystified slightly at the smell of this sauce. With the knowledge of it’s composition, however, I can pick out the notes of raisin and lime, ever so slightly, in the air after cracking the lid. Now for the sampling – down the hatch!

Ratings:

FIRE	FLAVOR

I don’t know you personally, you sexy reader you, so I won’t pretend to know what you want in a barbecue sauce. That said, if you want a medium-high scale heat for the layman on your barbecue, this is it. The red habanero peppers shine through to bring this sauce to a spicy finish. From the initial bite on your tongue, to the warming embrace of raisins, lime, and Worcestershire, to the stagnant salutations of spiciness, the habaneros are with you every step of the way. They won’t bend you over and make you say uncle, but they’re there to tip the scale of balance ever so slightly into the favor of heat over flavor. Tom, I like this barbecue sauce, and I would definitely slather it on my chicken. Personally, I don’t think it would stand that well up to ribs, based on the consistency and general background flavor, but feel free to experiment! Buy a bottle, throw it on there, and prove me wrong! We always love hearing second and third opinions. As for my opinions, the final Heat rating gets a Medium (not a medium-high, because we grade on the chilehead scale, here) and for the Flavor rating, this sauce has earned a Nice rating. Enjoy!