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Henry Family Farm Gets David Rosengarten Hot!
Yes, you heard it first right here, folks! David Rosengarten, acclaimed foodie, author, and pioneering food and wine critic (check out his website), got seriously hot after visiting the Henry Family Farm in Virginia! Since Mr. Rosengarten and I haven’t met, I should probably explain or risk him getting hot for an entirely different reason! According to their write-up, the Henry Family Farm (www.henryshotsauce.com) is a labor of love operated by Bob Henry and his father in the beautiful Shenendoah Valley area of Virginia. They grow chiles. Beautiful Chiles. Hot chiles!!! And in this case, African Fatali and Naga Jolokia “Ghost” peppers! David has curated a new line of sauces using the Henry’s signature peppers, and I’m privileged that his publicist, ycmedia, asked me to write about them and share my thoughts with you.
The two sauces I received, Naga Jolokia Ghost Chile of India and Yellow Fatali African Habanero, just look classy. Their labeling is high end and has that artsy, artisan feel. If you can see by the picture, they are called “varietal chile extract” sauces, a fancy dancy way of saying, hey, the sauce is made from a single pepper variety. Add in David’s “gastronomic selection” seal and “2012 Harvest” moniker, and these sauces are destined for high end specialty food and kitchen stores.
Henry Farm Naga Jolokia Ghost Chile of India Sauce is a nicely textured, robust looking hot sauce
Henry Family Farm Yellow Fatali African Habanero sauce is a beautifully colored, fresh looking hot sauce
So we’ve determined that we have good marketing and a nice looking product, but hey, the money is in the flavor and in this case, the heat! These are both decent sauces when judging flavor. The ingredients are not complex, and include hot peppers, Acetic Acid (vinegar for you non-scientific types), salt, a thickener and preservative. But it did make me wonder if the sauce is made only from a single pepper variety. After all, these are “varietal” chile extracts! But, nonetheless, they taste the part, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Not a lot of “WOW” factor here, but they are both good, fresh, solid sauces. And hot!
The Naga Jolokia Ghost Chile sauce brings a good punch, but it doesn’t last long, which is nice. Added to soups, eggs, veggie dishes, sauces, etc. it works well. Not so much straight up on meat, but it worked well as a ketchup additive and so so as a BBQ sauce additive. Ghost peppers remind me of a bell pepper jacked up on steroids! I like their flavor. This particular sauce had a touch of a sharpness to it, but not enough to detract from the flavor. The bottle suggests pairing it with foods such as gazpacho, camponata, and chili con carne.
The Yellow Fatali African Habanero sauce is also appropriately hot, with a little more lingering heat, which is typical for the Fatali. I love the fruity flavor of the fatali more than that of a typical caribbean based habanero fruitiness, and the citrus note makes a great addition to salad dressings, sauces, soups, and also fish. I love fatali on fish! The bottle suggests pairing it with cream curry dishes.
So overall, I give both sauces three Fiery Worlds. I liked both sauces, but at the price point of $24.95 a bottle as listed in the marketing material sent to me, I wouldn’t see myself buying them. After all, they are priced over twice, and even three times what most, if not all, small batch, artisan style sauces cost. If someone can market their sauce in a way to command that price, well, more power to them, but to me they are basically well packaged, basic sauces, and nothing really special to warrant that kind of premium. I’m sure there are those un-informed foodies that will pay for them based on David Rosengarten’s name and reputation, but I wouldn’t expect many, if any, repeat purchases.
I’m appreciative to ycmedia for the opportunity to review these products, and if you see them out and about, check it out! But definitely go to David’s Rosengarten’s website, www.drosengarten.com, and peruse his recipes, store, and stories. But always remember the basic truth, ladies and gentlemen, that It’s a Fiery World!
Evil Seed goes Crazy with Asylum Hot Sauce!
An “Evil” meal of pork tenderloin and green beans with Big Evil BBQ and Asylum Hot Sauce for the beans!
I met Patrick McGill at Peppers on the Beach this past May, and while waiting at Starbucks for coffee he shared that he just started his sauce company a couple of months prior and that his background was in the cellphone business. Well, he’s phoning in some great marketing and an entry lineup of sauces that rival some industry veterans. He sent me his Asylum Crazy Hot Sauce and his Big Evil BBQ sauce to try, and If the inmates are running this Asylum, you may just need a ticket! We’re taking off the straight jacket, coming out of the Twilight Zone, staring Nurse Cratchet in the eye, and taking a look at Evil Seed Sauce Company’s Asylum Crazy Hot Sauce! We’ll talk about Big Evil BBQ Sauce soon. Bwahahahahaha!!!!!
With a sophisticated label and timed fairly close to the start of the Asylum TV series, Evil Seed scores with their Aslyum hot Sauce. Great marketing, for sure. I don’t know if Patrick does his own graphic design, but he’s managed to combine some novelty with a clean, stylish look to his sauce label, with smart graphics and a picture of the saucemaker that would make Alfred Hitchcock proud. I also like the tagline that appears on all their products – “Live Good-Eat Evil”. Short and catchy, with a emoticon based devil holding a pitchfork that is appealing and memorable. I give the label high marks! I’m not sure if the Crazy Hot Sauce that’s on the label is part of the official name or not, but no matter – nothing really “Crazy” about this sauce but a nice blend of flavor and heat.
Oh yea, flavor and heat comes from what’s inside, so I don’t want to forget to tell you what’s in nurse Cratchet’s medicine: Water, Apple Cider Vinegar, Onions, Sugar, Red Habanero Peppers, Red Chile Peppers, Red Serrano Peppers, Scorpion Peppers, Garlic, Lime Juice, Butter, Soybean Oil, Dijon Mustard, Pickled Ginger, Lemon Pepper, Molasses, Cayenne Pepper, Black Pepper
Speaking of flavor and heat, this is a sauce that feels more like a condiment than a hotsauce additive. It has a medium consistency and just enough “chunkiness” to shout through the Asylum bars, “Hey, nurse Cratchet! I’m a natural sauce with lots of ingredients and goodies!!!” I can taste the onions and a hint of the pickled ginger, but the five pepper blend is smooth enough where I couldn’t detect pieces of any one type of pepper. Asylum does a good job with it’s heat profile, making me wonder if electroshock therapy feels similar – A little front-end wake up call created by layering the red habaneros with the serrano, cayenne, and other reds, while allowing the scorpion peppers to hang back a tad and then “ZAP!! I GOT YOUR HEAT RIGHT HERE, CRAZY PERSON!!!” But like all good electroshock therapy, the ZAP only lasts a little while, getting you ready for another dose of craziness!!! I pick up the mustard note, the sweet of the molasses and apple cider vinegar (yes, I think apple cider vinegar is sweet!), and the other ingredients fall nicely in line.
Overall, I’ve had about a month to really try this sauce, and have used it on the usual culprits- eggs, of course, and pork, chicken, boca, veggies, salad (yep-love hot sauce on my salad!). It’s a solid enough player to go on most things, but I have to admit, I didn’t enjoy it in chili for some reason. Maybe it’s the mustard note or my specific pre-determined sauce bias for chili, but nonetheless, it worked really well on most everything else. Not too shabby!
So as I stare down nurse Cratchet, hand the big Indian a pillow for poor ol’ Jack, and laugh the “evil” laugh, I give Asylum a solid 3 1/2 Fiery Worlds – a very respectible rating for yours truly! Stay tuned for my take on Evil Seed’s “Big Evil” BBQ Sauce and remember, ladies and gentlemen: It’s a Fiery World!
Let ‘er Rip!!! “It’s a Fiery World” is back with Tom’s Roid Rippin Sauces-Funny Name…Serious Sauce!
Well, I can’t think of a better lineup of sauces to highlight for my re-entry in to the Fiery World blogosphere! I’ve been on this “rambo” style diet and dropped 100 pounds this year, and 90 of that since I first tasted Tom’s sauces at Peppers on the Beach in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware in May. That put an almost instant hold on a lot of my hot sauce activity, especially tasting and cooking with great sauces, but I’m back in the saddle and can’t wait to share my feelings about Tom’s Roid Rippin’ Hot Sauce line of sauces.
There are six of them, to be exact: In no particular order we have the “Habanero Pepper”, “Tapestry”, “Jalapeno Pepper”, “Cayenne Pepper & Curry”, “Hot Cherry Pepper & Roasted Garlic”, and last but not least, “Ouch, My Roids Hurt Habanero Sauce”! I’m here to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, there is not a loser sauce in the batch! Without exception, and at the risk of you not reading past this sentence, Tom Slosser is a master flavor artist, with a level of sophistication seen more commonly in gourmet restaurants and serious foodie hangouts!
For purposes of readability without needing an intermission, I’ll give you the high level overview of three sauces: “Tapestry”, “Cayenne Pepper & Curry”, and “Hot Cherry Pepper & Roasted Garlic”! There are multiple reviews floating out and about on TRRS (I’m abbreviated to save typing! I know….lazy!), and not surprisingly, these three sauces keep coming up in reviews and Chilehead conversation! So I won’t go into the whole “3 Fiery Worlds for this, and 4 Fiery Worlds for that”, but instead, just tell you that every one of these sauces deserves a 4 to 4 1/2 Fiery Worlds in all categories but one…but more about that one exception later.
Tom Slosser must have been a heck of a cook prior to making his sauces, since his labels tell the story of his wife, Diane, giving him a hot sauce making kit as a gift, and that’s where it all began. No one has this much beginner’s luck without possessing seriously mad skills as a foodie’s foodie, master chef wannabe, flav’ o flav’ talented flavor artist, etc.!!
Tapestry is a very fitting name for a sauce with Anaheim’s, Sweet Reds, Hot Cherry, Jalapeno, Serrano, Cayenne, Habanero, and Thai Chili peppers. Yes, I typed correctly-that’s eight different types of peppers in this one sauce. And they are blended perfectly, with notes of sweetness from the molasses and apple cider vinegar (but just a little hint of vinegar for tang…no unsightly lip puckering vinegar moves here) and tomatos. The peppers, secret spices, and ingredients all just kinda work together, like a…..like a……(wait for it)……Tapestry!!!! I used this sauce regularly over chicken, fish, veggies, and anything else I could think of. Well, except carbs, since I haven’t had pasta or carbs since June. So I can’t wait to try it with pasta in a week or so, since my diet is transitioning back to all food groups!
Next up is the “Hot Cherry Pepper and Roasted Garlic” sauce. My how I’ve longed for a piece of pizza the last 5 months doused in this sauce! Don’t get me wrong – I’ve loved it on eggs, veggies, boca patties, chicken, fish, etc. But there really isn’t much of an etc.! What I just listed is pretty much all I’ve eaten since June, so not much variety. Why is that important, you ask? Okay, so you’re not asking, but I’ll tell you anyway…. When all you eat is low carb, high protein, limited vegetable fare for a prolonged timeframe, something with as much flavor as this sauce makes you put it on it’s own little pedestal, shining a spot light on it and touching it lovingly as you walk by (see photo!). With the obvious title ingredients coupled with the simple additions of salt, honey, tomato, lime juice, etc., you get a delicate, sophisticted flavor profile that could grace any Italian chef’s ingredient shelf!
And that brings us to what was my surprise star of the show, the Cayenne Pepper and Curry. If you like curry, even just a little, you’ll love this sauce. Coupled with the playful heat of the Cayenne peppers, with some Serrano’s and Habanero thrown in for heat balance, this sauce is a delight. Light, but bursting with a bold flavor. A soft, front end heat that teases your tongue and palate. And that unmistakeable uniqueness that only curry can bring to the party! Yes, this sauce also went on the sauce pedestal, paying it homage by transforming my boring, simplistic diet fare to new exotic flavor heights!! You gotta get you some of this….I’m just sayin’!
Okay, this is a review, so what’s the downside? Where’s the problem areas? It can’t be all rose colored glasses perfect, now can it? Well, as it relates to flavor and quality….yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!……and he does sometimes bring flavor gifts like Tom’s sauces. But if there’s one suggestion, one area I would do differently, it would have to be the company name and label. Not that it’s not graphically pleasing, catchy, cute, and well executed. It is. But the novelty genre name and label don’t do this line of sauces justice. While perfect for most hot sauce shops and souvenier type places, I think Tom could benefit from doing what other sauce makers do…bottle the same sauces with two sets of labels, one of which being high end with gourmet styling and appearance. I just bet he could sell them to Williams Sonoma, or any other high end “fru fru” cooking store or specialty shop that ordinarily wouldn’t take a “novelty label” sauce seriously. But that’s about my only constructive comment about his whole lineup of products.
Now the other three sauces I didn’t highlight are just as good, just as flavorful, just as noteworthy, and just as amazingly “foodie-esque” in their recipes and execution, so don’t leave them out of your introduction to Tom’s Roid Rippin Hot Sauce.
I am delighted to be back in the bloggin saddle. So stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen, thanks for reading, and remember…….It’s a Fiery World!
Big Fat Flavor + Big Fat Heat + Big Fat Creativity = A Big Fat Success
I gotta tell you….There are a LOT of hotsauce companies out there these days! With the spicy food industry being the 8th fastest growing industry in the country, it seems like every time you turn around someone is throwing their hat into the saucemaker ring. And that’s not a bad thing, at all. The more the merrier. However, in a recent discussion with a saucemaker who’s been around a while, they commented that lots of budding hot sauce companies don’t survive their first year. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I’m here to tell you that the company I’m profiling here won’t be in that category. Rarely have I seen a more creative, well designed, well executed line of sauces than Jeremy Walsh’s Big Fat’s! His line of sauces, with simple, easy to remember names (108, 208…ending with 808) definitely have what it takes to establish themselves as a trusted, steady name in the whole big fat hot sauce industry!!
Instead of a traditional sauce review, I thought I’d do something a little different and just profile six of Big Fat’s sauces as a group. One reason is to show how Big Fat’s packages their product line and the other is because I learned that the flavor profiles of one sauce often compliment another in the lineup, which lends to mixing them together to achieve new flavors and unique uses.
As you’ll see in the pictures, Big Fat’s markets their sauces mostly by number, with the unique product name directly underneath, accompanied by a numeric marker, which serves to identify the number and the heat level. Very, very clever! You all know I’m big on labels, and lots of small batch sauce makers could learn from Big Fat’s labels. Catchy font styles, uniform look, company name very prominent, great shelf appeal, and clever product descriptions and catch phrases all set this sauce line up for success. Every label sports the catch phrases “Big Fat’s Got Your Number!” and usage instructions, “1.Shake it 2.Use it 3.Love it 4.Repeat”! The “got your number” is a very clever word play on a popular phrase but alluding to the fact that they have a number sauce to meet any tastes. I was impressed before I opened the first bottle.
But I know it’s about the sauce, so what about them? The 108, which has been frequently reviewed on various sites, is the entry level, habanero sauce. It has more flavor than most hab sauces and with more complexity. I instantly pick up the onion and garlic, and a slight, slight hint of sweetness from the tomato and the basil. But I didn’t lose the flavor of the habaneros, which I enjoy. Also, as with all their sauces, the 108 has only 20mg of sodium (salt). When I asked Jeremy about this, he said it was purposeful, allowing the user to determine how much salt they wanted on their food. Very smart! And the 108 doesn’t list vinegar as an ingredient! it has lime juice to provide the necessary acidity to pull out the various flavors. Very nice hab sauce that goes with almost anything, from eggs, to pork, beef, mexican, veggies, etc etc etc!!!! The only constructive comment I could give about this sauce, and a couple others, is that they are very thick and takes a couple thumps on the bottom of the bottle to get the pour started! But that’s a minor, minor element in the big fat picture we’re painting here!!!
The 208 is a bajan sauce, with an obvious inspiration from Barbados, in the West Indies. A not so typical caribbean style, mustard based sauce, it picks up the habanero based heat another notch (remember…108, 208, etc etc!?) and uses yellow mustard with just the right blend of onions, carrots, garlic, and vinegar (way down on the ingredient list) to round out this bright, island inspired sauce that pairs extremely well with pork, veggies, black beans, and also in combo with the 308 garlic ginger sauce for a nice salad dressing. Speaking of the 308, this sauce didn’t last long in my supply,and I desparately need a refill!! I reviewed this sauce for ILoveitSpicy, so catch that review for more info on the 308. As a brief refresher, it is Thai influenced and uses an ingenious mix of habaneros combined with the ginger and garlic, carrots, apple cider vinegar, sea salt and lemongrass. This sauce makes a mean pork marinade, salad dressing (by itself and with the 208). It is an excellent sauce with again, increased heat.
The 408, or jerk style sauce, was the surprise for me. I’m picky about my jerk sauces, so I was a little skeptical, but became a believer. the use of green onion, habaneros, and brown sugar combined with pomegranate molasses make this sauce an outstanding compliment for chicken, pork, and shrimp (that’s what I used it on). The pomegranate molasses is a very clever flavor move, since you get the slight bittersweet of a molasses combined with a slight tangy zing from the pomegranate. And here’s a surprise – On their website, Big Fat’s says that this sauce makes a great iced coffee. I almost laughed out loud at the thought and as I was prepping the review I did on this sauce for ILoveitSpicy , I tried the iced coffee trick! And can I tell you it was outstanding!!! It was that moment that really caused me to appreciate Jeremy Walsh’s creative genius behind his sauces.
The 508 is a habanero based chipotle sauce and sets itself apart from the plethora of chipotle hab sauces with a clever spice blend and use of tomatoes, cilantro, and enough habanero peppers to make you wake up and say, “WHOA”!!! It pairs with everything from eggs to fajitas, to steak (add it to some steak sauce!! Just sayin…..), chicken, shrimp, cheese, cardboard, asphalt, etc etc etc. It’s that good!
I haven’t had the 608 Pineapple Habanero Hawaiian inspired sauce yet, but the reviews I’ve read have been excellent. I’m not surprised. I need to try some soon. The chile garlic 708 sauce is due out in the fall, and I can’t wait to try both of these sauces.
Last but not least, we have the 808 naga jolokia sauce. Not just a straight heat, vinegar, yada yada..blah hot blah…ghost pepper…yawn sauce, Big Fat’s honored the naga jolokia pepper’s origins, and used Indian inspired flavor profiles. Very, very nice and very, very hot, this sauce packs a mean heat punch but not a knockout punch, making it suitable for folks not in the “I want to kill myself with the hottest thing I can find” category! This sauce also has a little ancho chile in the mix for a flavor twist, allowing for a nice layering effect with the heat profile. I would use this sauce to compliment an Indian dish, or to jazz up a pot of something on the stove, but do be careful just pouring it on a steak or….(oops! Indian flavor profile! Scratch the beef reference!!) chicken, pork, shrimp, etc etc etc. Not surprisingly, this is the only one of the six sauces I have that still has a lot left in the bottle!
So there you have it! I have to apologize to Jeremy for taking so so long to profile his outstanding lineup of sauces, but it has allowed me to experience them in my daily journey of flavor and heat, so I feel pretty well equipped to comment….and to brag on him! So like I said, folks…. Jeremy Walsh’s Big Fat’s Hot Sauce gives you Big Fat Flavor, Big Fat Heat, Big Fat Creativity, and makes for a Big Fat success in the hotsauce world!!! Thanks for reading and remember, It’s a Fiery World!
It's a Fiery World 