mike kivowitz presents……………………….the blog

McIllhenny Company sent me some bottles of Tabasco, BBQ and Mustards to taste. So far, I’ve tried the Southern Louisiana BBQ Sauce, the Chipotle Tabasco, Garlic Pepper Tabasco and Habanero Tabasco.

First, the BBQ Sauce. It’s not hot, but it’s packed with flavor. There are chunks of tomato, peppers, onion, garlic, etc. You can not only taste it, but see the chunks. This BBQ sauce would be perfect for marinating. I used it on Alfalfa sprouts last week for lunch. It’s not as sweet as you’re traditional BBQ sauce, but it doesn’t matter. Try it, if you like chunky sauces.

Habanero Tabasco Sauce. Ouch, Fiiiiiiiirre! It’s hot, but not over powering when combined with other flavors. I actually added it to the BBQ for some kick it just works perfectly. Try this out with Mexican food. It’s a perfect compliment. The Scoville Heat Unit ranges around 7000-8000. So, it’s up there.

Next, i tried the Garlic Pepper. It was so good on pizza. Instead of red pepper flakes, drizzle this on your pasta or eggplant and feel your taste buds sweating.

Lastly, i had the Chipotle. This, so far, is my favorite. The flavor is amazing. I had it last week with homemade hummus and it complimented so elegantly. The smokiness of the chipotle and the heat from the Tabasco’s pepper pulp was out of the world. I can’t wait to eat more. This might become my new best friend.

More pictures located here or here. If you’d like to buy some, i’d suggest clicking right here. They also sell the hot sauces in gallons! And they have badass merch like this shirt.

Technorati Tags: condiment, Hot Sauce, review, Tabasco

I was fortunate enough to receive four bottles of Steel’s Gourmet Food’s sauces recently. I received a BBQ, Chipotle BBQ, Sweet and Sour and a Peanut Sauce.

The first one i tried was of course the Rocky Mountain Chipotle BBQ Sauce. Since Steel’s doesn’t use sugar, this is sweetened using Splenda. The heat and smokiness from the smoked jalapeños aka chipotle hits you right away. It’s not overbearing, not at all. It’s just noticeable. My assumption is because of the lack of geniune sugar. Splenda is a decent substitute, but the sweet natural sugar might combat the smokiness better. However, the sauce it good, especially for a fat free. I used it today to marinate black beans for a smokey flavor before cooking. They flavor remained even as a marinade.

I also tried the Rocky Mountain Sweet and Sour. I have not cooked with it yet, however, it’s good. It combines the sweetness from cider and the sour from pineapple. These two flavors balance each out well. The texture is chunky which is unique. I enjoyed seeing chunks of tomato, onions, etc. Can’t wait to use this sauce for real. It would go really well with Tofu.

Steel’s Gourmet Foods can be found on the web here. I also have pictures on flickr here, here and above too.

Technorati Tags: condiment, steels gourmet foods, BBQ Sauce, review