Hot Ones – The Classic Hot Sauce (Original)

The Hot Ones YouTube program has become a phenomenon that has certainly driven interest in hot sauces to new heights, especially when it comes to those of the extreme heat variety of those looking for a challenge. This sauce is at the opposite end of the heat spectrum. One of the mildest sauces offered by Hot Ones, this occupied the lowest-heat #1 sauce tier in their lineup between seasons 7 through 11, and then again from seasons 14 through 17.

Previously only available via the Heatonist website, I hadn’t been in a rush to purchase this sauce due to Heatonist’s rather high prices compared to other online sauce shops. Thankfully my local Publix has started to carry several sauces from this line at lower prices than the Heatonist website, and when they ran a recent BOGO sale on them I knew it was finally try to pick a few up and run them through their paces.

On the surface this is a simple Chile de Arbol sauce (though I personally love Chile de Arbol sauces so that’s not a point against it in any way to me) but this somehow packs more flavor than any other Chile de Arbol sauce I’ve had thus far. According to the bottle the peppers are sourced from Smokin’ Ed Currie’s Puckerbutt Farms. Starting with high quality peppers is always going to be a recipe for success. The sauce also contains garlic, always a plus, and apple cider vinegar, which can be a bit of a danger ingredient if it dominates as it has a characteristic sweetness.

The flavor of this sauce is immediately rich and savory with a taste that hits across the spectrum at once – there’s brightness and freshness plus an underlying richness and smokiness from those Chiles de Arbol and the garlic that comes through nice and strong. There’s a definite big vinegar tang, but the use of two types of vinegar in this sauce makes it a two-tiered tang that’s absolutely brilliant. The Chile de Arbol pepper mash used says it contains vinegar, most likely white distilled, and then apple cider vinegar is used later on in the ingredients. That neutral tang of the distilled white vinegar in the mash is the perfect foil against the sweetness of the apple cider vinegar, keeping it from dominating the sauce, and the apple cider vinegar sweetness on the back half of the taste of this sauce adds some complexity and makes the flavor evolve on the palate.

This is also a super versatile sauce. It’s amazing on wings of course, but also on chicken salad, sandwiches, or anywhere else you’d need a sauce. It’s big on flavor but the flavor profile is universal enough that it will enhance the flavor of a very wide variety of foods.

This is also an all natural sauce with no artificial preservatives, flavors, or thickeners.

This is a delicious and well made sauce that’s especially worth it if you can find it on your local grocery store’s shelves, highly recommended.

Ingredients: Chile de Arbol Pepper Mash (Red Chile de Arbol Peppers, Vinegar), Water, Apple Cider Vinegar, Kosher Salt, Garlic, Tumeric

Heat Level: 2/10. This is a little bit hotter than your basic Louisiana style sauce like Frank’s, Texas Pete, or Crystal. Still easily accessible by anyone.