Hellacious Hot Sauce by High River Sauces
Heavy Metal fan? Here’s a product with serious ties to the Heavy Metal scene, a hot sauce created by Steve Seabury, author of the cookbook “Mosh Potatoes”, a collection of recipes from the biggest bands in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. You don’t have to be a head banger to enjoy this hot sauce, though Steve might recommend it. He sent along a bottle of his newest sauce, “Hellacious Hot Sauce”, which was the featured hot sauce for the Metalliance Tour.
Before we begin, a note from the bottle: “Warning. This hot sauce isn’t for the faintof heart or people who listen to False Metal. Use at your own risk.”
Ingredients: White Vinegar, Habanero Mash, Agave, Chipotle Powder, Red Pepper, Minced Garlic, Lime Juice
Appearance/Smell/Taste
“Hellacious Hot Sauce” has a cool label. It’s an interesting, stylized illustration of a skull on a funky background. It would go perfectly on my hot sauce wall, so I’ll need to pick up an extra bottle.
The sauce color is darker brown with small bits of ingredients floating within. It has a nice consistency and isn’t too chunky or thick, looking quite pourable.
After popping open the cap, you’re greeted by a sweet and tangy scent that is very much like a barbecue sauce, though certainly distinct. The smell is cool and inviting. You’ll want to pour it over something right away. Yep, smells great.
The teaspoon test: It’s a must to taste a hot sauce by itself and this sauce certainly satisfied. The taste matches the smell with a bit of a tangy barbecue flavor. I’m tasting that delicious, smoky flavor of the chipotle peppers within and I like it, though I profess to a devoted love for all things chipotle. Note the bias in this interviewer. It has a very nice heat level as well, not so hot that you’ll run screaming from the room, but a warming heat that builds fairly quickly and maintains itself. You’ll also note the tanginess of the sauce, which is welcomed.
The sauce pours pretty quickly, so be careful not to inundate your meal.
The Meal
I invited a group of friends over first for a pizza and beer night around the fire pit and passed the bottle around. The friends consisted of various heat tolerances. Reactions from the non-chileheads ranged from “Whoa!” to “Ouch”, so if you’re not accustomed to heat in your sauces, this one might surprise you. I personally shook a few drops onto my veggie pizza and needed a bit more. This sauce goes great with pizza, a complimentary flavor that mixed well with the tomato sauce and cheese, adding a welcomed heat.
Next, I created a new recipe variation of a frittata – Jalapeno and Chicken Bake – with plenty of potatoes, jalapeno peppers, spinach, chicken, cheese and more. This recipe calls for a hot sauce of choice, so I used the “Hellacious Hot Sauce”. The verdict? Excellent. This sauce really elevated the recipe, which was already delicious. The heavy chipotle focus brought out the chicken and jalapeno flavors and made for some nice heat.
Here is the recipe – Jalapeno and Chicken Bake
Overall, this is certainly a hot sauce you’ll want to try. Crank up the tunes.
Ratings
- First Impression: 9 (4.5 stars)
- Ingredients: 10 (5 stars)
- Flavor/Texture/Smell: 9 (4 stars)
- Heat: 8 (4 stars)
- Overall: 9 (4.5 stars
Contact Information
High River Sauces – http://www.highriversauces.com
