Torchbearer Sauces – Slaughter Sauce
Torchbearer has an extensive sauce lineup with a ton of variety. If I were trying to break it down however I’d go with a set of ‘core’ sauces and then some variations on those themes. Their core line of Everyday Sauce, Tingly Sauce, Sultry Sauce, Tarnation Sauce, and Slaughter Sauce are all variations on a theme with similar ingredients of carrots, mandarin oranges, and tomatoes but with varying levels of habanero pepper. They also use the carrot, mandarin orange, and tomato base in several other sauces, though those feature other peppers.
Sitting at the top of the carrot-orange-tomato-habanero heat pile, Torchbearer rates Slaughter sauce at 5/10 heat, so smack dab in the middle of their heat scale. I’ve previously tried their Sultry Sauce, and while I did enjoy the flavor I felt that the heat level in that particular sauce was too low to balance out the sweetness from the carrots and the oranges, so I had high hopes for Slaughter Sauce which moves the habaneros from 5th down in the list of ingredients to 1st.
My expectations for this sauce turned out to be on the money. There is a more balanced flavor profile by bringing the habaneros forward. The oranges, tomatoes, and carrots still add sweetness, but as supporting players instead of dominant ones they’re allowed to amplify the natural fruitiness of the habanero pepper. There’s still a flavor mélange here, it’s not a pure habanero sauce, but the blend of the fruits and vegetables with the habanero is harmonious, with a nice bit of natural sweetness complimenting the pepper flavor and heat. Even with that sweetness the sauce is solidly in the savory realm, though with the carrots and citrus it hints slightly at a Caribbean style. The acidity level of this sauce is also rather low, so those who prefer less vinegary tasting sauces will probably especially like this.
With a medium consistency and a smooth texture this flows well and sticks to food without running all over the plate. While Torchbearer rates this at a 5/10 on their heat scale, I struck me as more of a medium-low level of heat, though of course heat tolerance will vary person to person. I didn’t feel any burn from this, but you do notice that peppers are there.
I found this an easy sauce to pair with a variety of foods. Because the flavors of tomato, carrot, onion, and citrus are naturally complimentary to one another and to the habanero this was an excellent sauce for pizza, and I also enjoyed it on some takeout burgers from BK. The heat level is low enough that it also makes a great dipping sauce for fries.
I can recommend this sauce especially if you’re looking for something with a medium heat level and prefer sauces that aren’t strongly tangy or vinegary. Of course like all Torchbearer sauces this sauce is all natural with no artificial colors, flavors, thickeners, or preservatives.
Ingredients: Habanero Peppers, Mandarin Oranges, Carrots, Onions, Tomatoes, Distilled White Vinegar, Garlic, Sugar, Salt, Chili Powder, Black Pepper
Heat Level: 3/10. There is some habanero heat from this sauce, but the burn is cooled by the other ingredients. A nice medium-low level of heat.
