I'm looking for hot sauces that have unique and different flavors that do not fall into the usual categories of hot sauce we rountinely find in America. In my humble opinion, the routinely available American hot sauces fall into four distinct categories. I'm looking for something outside these categories that tastes really good. The standard American hot sauce categories (as I see them) are...... 1) The original Tabasco, the one and only, it occupies a category all its own. The later Tabasco varieties have their own worth but there is only one original. For the purposes of this thread, consider Tabasco's later offerings to be part of the accepted dynasty. 2) The multitude of Tabasco immitators who try to give you a Tabasco-style taste with a good deal less heat. (think Texas Pete, etc.) 3) Cholula....a hot sauce which deserves a category all its own. It's truly unique. I love it. I keep it in my cabinet always. I will never abandon it. I thank the people who brought it to the American market on a widespread scale. I'm still looking for something more to broaden my cooking horizons. 4) My final category encompasses a seemingly endless random riot of marginal hot sauce makers who only seem interested in producing such a volcanic level of heat that they blow your jaw right off your skull. This is a niche market that has disappointed me over and over again. Blistering heat is all well and good but where is the taste? A great many of these marginal hot sauce makers seem to have forgotten that they should try to make it taste good. In my humble opinion, the brands of hot sauce which are routinely avaliable in America today fall into one of these four categories. I want more choice. Tabasco and its immitators plus the unique Cholula brand all have their place. In my humble opinion, the multitude of small explode-your-face brands have not added anything special to my palate. Name a hot sauce that is really different from the rest and really tastes good. I'm hoping to discover maybe just one good sauce I never knew before. Do you know of one? Where can I find a hot sauce that really tastes different from the rest?
I really like what is probably the most common, easy to find hot sauce available. Louisiana Hot Sauce It is not fancy or expensive but as an everyday, every meal kinda thing it shines for me.
I'm really partial to Cajun Chef Hot Sauce. I use it over Tabasco any day as I think it has a better flavor.
Cajun Chef, Louisiana Hot Sauce, and Crystal are all solid Tabasco imitators. Crystal is a VERY popular choice in New Orleans. LHS is one that we keep around the house most often. Bulliard's is a cheap knockoff that we used to take hunting with us a lot. There was a chinese restaurant that once sold 10 cent fried chicken wing pieces. We bought 100 wings and a 24 oz bottle of Bulliards and ate like kings. The next morning in the pit blind was not pleasant, but hey, that's a price we could pay at 20 years old. A milder such choice is Frank's hot sauce. I keep it around, and like it for some things -- it adds a real salt and vinegar kick (because you can use a LOT of it) without too much heat. Tapatio is also a staple for us -- more of a mexican-cholula type flavor to it. I love it on eggs. I have no use for the burn-your-mouth-off stuff. I'm too old for that crap, and even when young, I never particularly enjoyed having 3 foot flames shoot out of my ***. Does Sriracha count as a hot sauce? I would think it should. I keep that around to. Mixed in with some mayo, makes a great sammich spread. Mixed in some bbq sauce, it kicks it up a notch, but it's not too over the top. Summary -- in my kitchen: Louisiana Hot Sauce Frank's Tapatio Sriracha I never run out of any of those.
Try Sontava. It's readily available in most Texas area HEB grocery stores. We found it while vacationing in Belize a few years back. It's a carribean style hot sauce with a habanero base available in three different heat levels. I believe that it's actually imported and bottled by Jardine's in Buda.
My favorite ever is Yucatan Sunshine, also a hot sauce from Belize. It brings a decent amount of heat but a ton of flavor. Habanero/vinegar based, and damn is it good.
some really good reccomendations on here tapatio is great, i always have a bottle here, plus its like 49 cents for a bottle tabasco chipotle is my favorite, i go through a bottle every month or so at the house, i and also keep a bottle at the office in the kicthen. i think i'm going to keep a bottle in my glove compartment for when i travel for work i like the tiger sauce but i use it as a marinade and/or brush it on chicken breasts or pork chops when grilling sometimes that melinda's habanero sauce is good, if i recall correctly they have it on the tables at ruby's. its hot cholula also has a chili garlic version thats nice for a change i also love this stuff for when i get chinese or vietnamese take out:
If you are looking for something a bit different, I like Busha Browne's Pukka Hot Pepper Sauce, made in Jamaica with Scotch Bonnet Peppers. I also like Swamp Gator, it is really good, heavy on the vinegar. I normally use Louisiana Hot Sauce, which is not a Tabasco imposter, as Tabasco is just heat where Louisiana Hot Sauce has more flavor and less heat. If you have a Firehouse Sub restaurant where you live, check the place out as they have tons of hot sauces and can try many and get an idea of which ones you like.
Yea, I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure that the regular Tabasco uses a unique pepper which is entirely different that Louisiana Hot Sauce. It and Crystal's are two of my favourites. They have much less heat to flavour ratio. Tabasco is too hot. You can't put enough on there to get the flavour without it being just killer. I don't like my Mexican food that hot, but I do like my Cajan just as hot as I can stand, but I also love a flavourful sauce.
I grew up using Louisiana Hot Sauce on most everything. My favorite was Red Devil, because that was what my grandfather used. I believe it was made by Trappeys. I have bought Crystal recently in an attempt to get my boys to start using some heat. I switched to Tabasco (original) back in the late 80s. I started like a lot of you, saying it was all heat and no flavor. Now, it is like Red Devil used to be. I have to add a ton to get heat and then you taste a lot of vinegar. I have recently switched to the Habanero Tabasco. It adds heat without having it affect the flavor too much. The downside is that they use some fruits to cut the heat some, making it a carribean type sauce. Still tasty, but not for everything. Tabasco heat scale I like all the Tabasco sauces and disagree that they're all the same, but that's a whole other thread. Love Sriracha, Tapatio and Cholula. Each has it's own uses. I put Tabasco Chipotle and Jalapeno in this group. (Sriracha being asian is a group to itself). Finally, I use Chiles in Adobo (Roasted jalapenos (chipotles) in adobo sauce) for any mexican cooking. Beans, soups etc all get a liberal dose of chopped chiles and the sauce. Adds heat and a nice smoky flavor. BTW, not claiming to be tougher than anyone else b.c I tolerate Tabasco. It's not about toughness, just what I've gotten used to. Also, family has bought me assorted hot sauces over the years b/c they were billed as insanely hot. I agree with those that say that heat with no flavor is just not good.
I keep the same exact four as midtown, but I prefer Tabasco the least. Cholula for anything mexican, LHS for anything cajun, & Frank's for burgers & chicken.
Ok, I am going to say something shocking and I mean SHOCKING. I got a couple tacos last night at Jack in the Box. For those who don't know their tacos are weird. They deep fry them and have American cheese melted in them (and I don't like American cheese), but I love these greasey deep fried 'tacos.' Anyway they come with HOT SAUCE.... they usually put some of it in there and so I never really notice the stuff on its own. Last night I ripped some of that packages open. GREATNESS. Perfect blend of a bit of sweet, but vinegary and spice. I hate to say it, but I am going to have to sock away a bunch of the HOT SAUCE taco sauce from Jack in the Box.
