Gindo’s – Devil’s Pumpkin Hot Sauce

Bitter: 🟡🟡○○○

Salty: 🟡○○○○

Sour/Tangy:🟡🟡○○○

Sweet: 🟡🟡🟡○○

Umami: 🟡🟡○○○

Heat: 🟡🟡○○○○○○○○

Quick Flavor Notes: Pumpkin, Earthy, Smoky, Toasty

Recommended: Yes

Texture: Medium with some bits

Ingredients: Yellow Bell Pepper, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Red Bell Pepper, Devil’s Pumpkin Ghost Pepper, Habanero Pepper, Pumpkin Puree, Toasted Pumpkin Seed, Organic Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Spices, Xanthan Gum

With October in full swing and Halloween decorations appearing on store shelves I thought it would be a great time to open up a pumpkin hot sauce. I believe I picked this one up last year and while it’s not currently on sale from Gindo’s I think it’s still worth a review as it’s a great example of their creativity in their micro-batch limited release hot sauces which have always been a weakness of mine. While the Japanese public may go crazy for limited release Kit-Kat flavors or limited-time seasonal coffee-shop offerings I can’t ever resist a one-time batch hot sauce, especially if it uses a unique pepper or has some interesting flavors. While await the release of one of my favorite annual one-time offerings, Gindo’s Ghost of Christmas trio, let’s explore what they did for Halloween.

The Devil’s Pumpkin name in this sauce refers not only to the use of pumpkin in the sauce but also to a special type of ghost pepper listed on the label as the Devil’s Pumpkin Ghost Pepper. Googling about that exact pepper only brings up results relating to this sauce (and another version Gindo’s has made that also used beer) but it appears there are several versions of pumpkin ghost peppers that have been grown, including purple and white variants. Gindo’s often partners with local small farms and independent growers in the greater Chicagoland area for their limited release hot sauces so it’s entirely possible this “Devil’s Pumpkin Ghost Pepper” was a unique variant grown nearby. In addition to the Devil’s Pumpkin Ghost Peppers the sauce uses habaneros for heat and flavor as well as red and yellow bell peppers for volume. The pumpkin isn’t in name-only for the ghost pepper however as Devil’s Pumpkin Hot Sauce also incorporates actual pumpkin puree as well as toasted pumpkin seeds. The sauce has a medium consistency and there is a bit of chew in the texture, most likely from the pumpkin seeds but it’s also possible some of the pepper bits are also involved.

Even though it’s a ghost pepper sauce the heat level of Gindo’s Devil’s Pumpkin is very manageable and even on the milder side of medium. Despite the relative lack of heat the ghost pepper flavor is prominent which is perfect with the canned pumpkin in this sauce. Both have earthy notes but the slight smokiness of the ghosts combined with the natural sweetness of the pumpkin brings to mind those smells of fall when the air is crisp and you can smell woodsmoke coming through chimneys. The flavor is similar to pumpkin pie filling but spicy and not quite as sweet. The fruity habanero flavor is also nice with the pumpkin and I’m sure I’m tasting a bit of ginger and other warm baking spices in this. Toasted pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, add another layer of flavor to Devil’s Pumpkin with a very pleasing mildly nutty taste that almost mimics what a pie shell would bring in a pumpkin pie. The toasted pumpkin seeds also have the benefit of naturally thickening the sauce a bit. The result is a sauce that’s toasty, nutty, creamy, pumpkin-y, smoky, earthy, and a little bit fruity all at once with that warming winter spice backdrop. In terms of heat it’s also very accessible and doesn’t have the lingering burn you’d normally associate with a ghost pepper sauce.

My first try with this sauce was in some chicken enchilada soup I picked up from one of the Publix soup terrines. The sweetness of the pumpkin and the earthy smoke of the ghost peppers worked very well with the southwestern flavors, which makes sense as pumpkin is used widely in Mexican cuisine. With this sauce being on the sweeter side I decided to give it a go on ice cream and that was less successful. While the pumpkin flavor blends well the ghost pepper flavor wasn’t my favorite in combination with the ice cream, and though this sauce is sweeter than average it also has a deep savory flavor. What did work well was using this with some potato pierogis. Perhaps it’s that pumpkin and potato are similarly starchy but even the ghost pepper and warm spices seemed to blend well with the potato pierogi flavor, and it was a nice alternative to the mustard I normally use with them.

Should Gindo’s bring this to market again, or another version of it, I’d heartily recommend it. On an easier-to-obtain note I can recommend any of the Gindo’s limited release sauces based on the ones I’ve tried (as well as their year-round options) as they’re one of the few hot sauce companies I’ve never had a bad or even a mediocre sauce from.