Bruce’s Pepper Company – Scoob’s Pepper Vinegar

Bitter: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Salty: ⭐✰✰✰✰

Sour: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰

Sweet: ⭐✰✰✰✰

Umami: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Heat: ⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰

Quick Flavor Notes: Vinegar, Thai chile, citrusy, floral

Texture: Very thin like straight vinegar

Recommended: Yes

Ingredients: Thai Chili Peppers, Roast Garlic, Roast Sichuan Peppercorns, Vinegar.

Pepper vinegar is one of the simplest and oldest styles of hot sauce. Humanity has been preserving foods through picking since 2400BC, and though details of pickling in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica are limited there is evidence that the practice existed in the birthplace of chile peppers. Pepper vinegars, where peppers are spices are stuffed into a jar and covered in vinegar so that the liquid absorbs the flavor and heat without blending, are popular in the southern USA as well as in the Caribbean including the Puerto Rican style of pepper vinegar known as pique. You could even draw a line between pepper vinegars and Jamaican escovitch or Haitain pikliz.

Scoob’s Pepper Vinegar is a sauce that was recommended to me on Etsy after I’d bought something else hot-sauce related. I’d been familiar with and enjoyed the Texas Pete Pepper Vinegar that used to be (or possibly still is) stocked on the dine-in stables at Steak n Shake (I’ve only gone through the drive-in for years). Scoob’s on the other hand takes an Asian direction for their pepper vinegar combining Thai chiles, roasted garlic, and roasted Sichuan peppercorns. I’ve never seen Sichuan peppercorns in a pepper vinegar before, nor have I seen them described as roasted. The Sichuan peppercorns and the unique aroma of Thai chiles come through strongly. The texture is as expected the same as a pure vinegar – extremely thin and smooth. This is one of the few sauces where I leave the orifice reducer attached to keep it from all pouring out at once.

I love vinegar. I cook with it often, I love pickles, and I love vinegary hot sauces. Who doesn’t love the gush of peppery vinegar when you bite into a pepperoncini in a Greek salad? I find acidity (and using enough salt) are the two biggest things home cooks can do to really elevate their dishes. Scoob’s Pepper Vinegar has that strong vinegar element of course but it also has a lot of pepper flavor from the Thai chiles. Thai chiles have a particular sharp quick heat that dissipates quickly and the same goes for Scoob’s Pepper Vinegar, though being only steeped in the peppers and not containing the pepper solids it’s much milder than a blended sauces would be. The Sichuan peppercorns bring their unique floral citrusy and slightly metallic flavor but strangely there’s virtually none of the numbing sensation that typically comes from them. Perhaps just steeping them in vinegar doesn’t bring those elements to bear the same way that cooking them in a hot oil or eating them whole would do. After using more than half of the bottle I did remove the orifice reducer and used a toothpick to pick out some of the peppers towards the top. Those peppers which had been pickled in the vinegar had much more heat than the vinegar itself and were quite tasty.

The last time I was in Japan I brought back a 5 pack boxed set of the Ichiran instant ramen kits. They’re not as good as the fresh ramen at the restaurants of course but they’re close to the top of quality when it comes to instant ramen. They’re quite rich however which begs for a little bit of brightness. Scoob’s Pepper Vinegar was a great addition to a bowl and I found the flavors melded nicely adding a touch of heat without overpowering but giving it that acidity needed to lift the other flavors. I also made a pot of Portuguese Caldo Verde, or pork and kale soup, recently which this was also a great addition to, giving it brightness and elevating the flavor of the soup. Pepper vinegar is a classic with greens and this worked amazingly well on some take-out collard greens I purchased with some ribs from a local food truck. Scoob’s Pepper Vinegar is too thin to use on food like many sauces, however it has great flexibility when it comes to adding to brothy dishes to add acidity, heat, and flavor.

I’m happy to recommend Bruce’s Pepper Company Scoob’s Pepper Vinegar. It’s a great way to add some pop to soups, stews, or braised dishes and adds not just heat but a unique Asian flavor. This sauce is also all natural with no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or thickeners.