Top Chef by Heatonist – Peppercorn Hot Sauce

Bitter: 🟡🟡○○○

Salty: 🟡🟡○○○

Sour/Tangy:🟡🟡🟡🟡○

Sweet: 🟡🟡○○○

Umami: 🟡🟡○○○

Heat: 🟡○○○○○○○○○

Quick Flavor Notes: Tangy, Citrusy, Sour, Savory

Recommended: Yes

Texture: Medium with some small bits

Ingredients: Red Bell Pepper, Onion, Distilled White Vinegar, Fire Roasted Bell Pepper, Habanero, Olive Oil, Garlic, Sea Salt, White Sugar, Lemon Pepper (Salt, Lemon, Pepper, Spices), Ginger, Szechuan Peppercorn, Lime Juice

This is the third and final hot sauce from the Top Chef line by Heatonist that I’ve tried. I enjoyed both their Garlic Hot Sauce and their Herbs Hot Sauce previously so was excited to give this one a try (I’d actually had it in a box in my laundry room and forgotten about it for a while until doing some tidying up I stumbled upon it again). Created to celebrate the 20th season of the show along with the other two and distributed only through Heatonist all three sauces are designed to be flavor-first heat-second. The sauces themselves were developed by chef Mei Lin, the winner of Top Chef Season Twelve as well as Food Network’s Tournament of Champion’s Season Four plus a bevy of other food competition wins as well as the restaurants Daybird and 88 Club in Los Angeles.

Looking at the sauce name I was expecting this to be loaded with peppercorns, probably black, white, and pink and also possibly green. When I actually got a chance to read the ingredients I was surprised – the peppercorns the sauce name refers to are actually Sichuan peppercorns though this sauce also features lemon pepper. I’ve tried another lemon pepper hot sauce from The Crabby Shack and enjoyed it, and though I was somewhat craving something loaded with traditional pepper flavors I do always love Sichuan peppercorns as well. The Asian flavors of the Sichuan peppercorns are supported by ginger and lime juice while the heat comes from habaneros. Both raw and fire roasted red bell peppers fill the sauce out and add some sweet vegetal and smoky flavors respectively. Some garlic and olive oil to bring in richness and some emulsification round things out. Peppercorn Hot Sauce is medium in consistency with a semi-smooth texture – no big pepper and vegetable chunks but some small ones and some small spice bits.

Top Chef by Heatonist Peppercorn Hot Sauce doesn’t taste as strongly “Asian” as some hot sauces I’ve tasted but there is an edge of those flavors present. The lemon pepper comes much more forward than the Sichuan peppercorn in this sauce though there is a hint of those cedar, wood, and citrus flavors in the background. This sauce also has a subtle sweetness, both from the red bell peppers and a bit of sugar, but it’s not cloying nor does it distract from the savory flavors. There’s good habanero flavor in this sauce despite it being somewhere in the middle of the ingredients by volume as well as a (very minor) hint of quick habanero heat. The fruitiness of the habanero blends well with the slight smoke of the fire roasted bell peppers to give a hint of almost-Mexican flavors that somehow also blend with the Asian and southern flavors in the sauce. The amount of olive oil in the sauce doesn’t emulsify it to the point of being creamy but does make it a bit silkier than a pure vinegar-based sauce would be. On the note of acidity, while this sauce does have a pronounced sour flavor between the lemon pepper and the lime juice the edge of the distilled vinegar is taken off the front, though there is more of a distilled vinegar flavor in the aftertaste. The amount of Sichuan peppercorn is low enough that this doesn’t have a numbing effect unfortunately nor does this have any lingering heat.

I tried this out first with some French bread pizza and it works well though the ginger and citrus-forward flavors do clash a bit with the tomato sauce. I found this was far more at home in instant ramen (still a big fan of Samyang MEP) where the Asian flavors plus the habanero and roasty elements really shined. I also found this was really great on wings, which isn’t surprising as Chef Mei Lin’s breakout restaurant is a fried chicken place specializing in Sichuan flavors. When on some air-fried wings the citrus flavors from the lemon pepper and Sichuan peppercorns really popped while the habanero, onion, and garlic helped keep it grounded in what you’d traditionally expect from a wing.

I’m happy to recommend Top Chef by Heatonist Peppercorn Hot Sauce if you can still find it. It appears Heatonist is sold out and I don’t know if they’ll return or not but if you do happen to find them on a shelf they’re well worth a buy. I’ve liked the flavors of the entire lineup and, even if they aren’t particularly spicy they’ve all been unique and flavor-forward creations. This sauce is also all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.