The Plate Up Chilli Sauce Play-Off - Round 1
Crazy Charley’s Jalapeno Heaven
“Actually, he’s not so crazy…”
Fruity. Taste the Worcestershire sauce. Is this a ketchup? Oh, wait a minute, here comes the heat – oh, yeah we have a chilli fire… this is a versatile sauce that could be used when a spicy brown sauce just doesn’t quite cut it. It says clearly on the label that this is a ‘pouring sauce’ and it sits comfortably on the table as a condiment. Fiery yet fruity enough to eat straight off the spoon. Would have its use as a marinade too… a good all-rounder for a spicy sauce and mild enough for those not used to the chilli heavyweights...
Encona West Indian Hot Pepper Sauce
“The lure of the tropics”
It’s a classic. Salt-sharp-fruit… then FIRE! Ok, this is the granddaddy… er, grandmother… Ok, this is the grandparents of Caribbean pepper sauces and, although West Indians cheerfully dollop it on sandwiches as if it’s ketchup, this is for the serious chilli lover. It is a no-holds-barred celebration of two of the finest varieties of chilli out there: the heroic Habanero and the fearsome Scotch Bonnet. Sampled neat, you really appreciate the craftship in the recipe. The flavours are balanced and present themselves distinctly, but the fire burns on for a lingering finish of many minutes. This luscious red-and-yellow flecked deep orange potion will raise your pain threshold. For what it is, it is unrivalled. As it says on the label, “a true taste of the tropics”. Wow.
Lingham’s Thai Chilli Sauce
“freng-freng”
Lingham’s make what is probably the best all-round sweet chilli sauce (I am certain it will feature in a future round of the Plate Up Play Offs), so great things were expected of this Thai variation. Maybe not what was expected, but no disappointment here. Edible by the spoonful – so milder than one might expect from a Thai cuisine condiment – but full of interesting flavour. Not just relying on chilli heat, the garlic is also very prominent and the chilli element has a broad pallet from heat-of-seed to the distinctive Thai dry-preserved chilli complexity. The familiar yellow and red label does build certain expectations and you cannot help comparing this to their sweet chilli sauce, which is superior, but it too has a place as a table sauce (also great on chips) and as a component, ingredient or marinade – It is both versatile and distinctive.
Tabasco Chipotle
“Where there’s smoke…”
Right up front with confidence, there is the chipotle: smokey, aromatic, with an equally assured chilli smoulder that builds until it sets the lips a-tingle. McIlhenny Co know their chilli sauces! Tabasco® is a household name, in Cajun houses. So, it’s no surprise this chipotle delivers more than it has to. It’s not all fireworks, the distinctive flavours from the peppers are layered and showcased by a fine balance of garlic & spices with a piquant cut of vinegar. The distinctive flavour of chipotle peppers – good ones – is intricate, fruity, with lingering smoke and fire… even as dried flakes they can really transform a chilli-based dish, so with quality ingredients, skilled fermentation, maturation and blending, this sauce is something spectacular… and versatile. A true taste experience, distinctive and possibly addictive – if the fire didn’t stop you, you’d drink it by the bottle!
AND THE WINNER IS…
Well its should be Encona, it is certainly champion quality, but for this match… Tabasco Chipotle has a clear lead… it could well be the best chilli sauce you can buy in a bottle!
Websites: Tabasco , Encona , Lingham's , Crazy Charley products at Salsa Express
“Actually, he’s not so crazy…”
Fruity. Taste the Worcestershire sauce. Is this a ketchup? Oh, wait a minute, here comes the heat – oh, yeah we have a chilli fire… this is a versatile sauce that could be used when a spicy brown sauce just doesn’t quite cut it. It says clearly on the label that this is a ‘pouring sauce’ and it sits comfortably on the table as a condiment. Fiery yet fruity enough to eat straight off the spoon. Would have its use as a marinade too… a good all-rounder for a spicy sauce and mild enough for those not used to the chilli heavyweights...
Encona West Indian Hot Pepper Sauce
“The lure of the tropics”
It’s a classic. Salt-sharp-fruit… then FIRE! Ok, this is the granddaddy… er, grandmother… Ok, this is the grandparents of Caribbean pepper sauces and, although West Indians cheerfully dollop it on sandwiches as if it’s ketchup, this is for the serious chilli lover. It is a no-holds-barred celebration of two of the finest varieties of chilli out there: the heroic Habanero and the fearsome Scotch Bonnet. Sampled neat, you really appreciate the craftship in the recipe. The flavours are balanced and present themselves distinctly, but the fire burns on for a lingering finish of many minutes. This luscious red-and-yellow flecked deep orange potion will raise your pain threshold. For what it is, it is unrivalled. As it says on the label, “a true taste of the tropics”. Wow.
Lingham’s Thai Chilli Sauce
“freng-freng”
Lingham’s make what is probably the best all-round sweet chilli sauce (I am certain it will feature in a future round of the Plate Up Play Offs), so great things were expected of this Thai variation. Maybe not what was expected, but no disappointment here. Edible by the spoonful – so milder than one might expect from a Thai cuisine condiment – but full of interesting flavour. Not just relying on chilli heat, the garlic is also very prominent and the chilli element has a broad pallet from heat-of-seed to the distinctive Thai dry-preserved chilli complexity. The familiar yellow and red label does build certain expectations and you cannot help comparing this to their sweet chilli sauce, which is superior, but it too has a place as a table sauce (also great on chips) and as a component, ingredient or marinade – It is both versatile and distinctive.
Tabasco Chipotle
“Where there’s smoke…”
Right up front with confidence, there is the chipotle: smokey, aromatic, with an equally assured chilli smoulder that builds until it sets the lips a-tingle. McIlhenny Co know their chilli sauces! Tabasco® is a household name, in Cajun houses. So, it’s no surprise this chipotle delivers more than it has to. It’s not all fireworks, the distinctive flavours from the peppers are layered and showcased by a fine balance of garlic & spices with a piquant cut of vinegar. The distinctive flavour of chipotle peppers – good ones – is intricate, fruity, with lingering smoke and fire… even as dried flakes they can really transform a chilli-based dish, so with quality ingredients, skilled fermentation, maturation and blending, this sauce is something spectacular… and versatile. A true taste experience, distinctive and possibly addictive – if the fire didn’t stop you, you’d drink it by the bottle!
AND THE WINNER IS…
Well its should be Encona, it is certainly champion quality, but for this match… Tabasco Chipotle has a clear lead… it could well be the best chilli sauce you can buy in a bottle!
Websites: Tabasco , Encona , Lingham's , Crazy Charley products at Salsa Express
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