Creepin’ Quag
Manufacturer: Sizzlin Sauces LLC
Website: www.sizzlinsauces.com
Ingredients: Ketchup, habanero peppers, cranberries, carrot juice, honey, white wine, prickly pear cactus puree, plum fruit conserve, hot sauce, lime juice, water, white balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, kosher salt.
Looking at the ingredients, I wouldn't have expected it. I expected to have to coax Creepin’ Quag out of the bottle with a butter knife, or at the very least by doing the best ketchup dance I'm capable of. But defying expectations, it is surprisingly thin, so pour gently. Or gingerly. Whichever you feel like. The “lacing,” for lack of a better term, is chunky and spotted with pepper bits, black pepper and who knows what else – a true testament to the number of ingredients listed! It’s a wonderful orangish-brown, and looks more like a BBQ marinade than a hot sauce.
Right up front it smells of ketchup, with a habanero and cranberry twist. Black pepper is also present – although mild. The smell is decent, but ketchup pretty much overwhelms the subtlety of the cranberries and other fruits, which is unfortunate, but it definitely makes it more approachable as a condiment – I may have reservations about smearing a burger in cranberry sauce.
Ketchup and cranberries are dominant on a spoon taste, and the pepper creeps in pretty quick with a moderate burn that goes away within a couple minutes, leaving a pleasant tingle to linger in the eaves. The salt from the ketchup hangs around a little too long, but it’s a small price to pay.
Thankfully the cranberries and other fruits really stand out when added to food. It’s got decent heat, but not overwhelming, and the fruits and berries make it a truly unique and sweet sauce. The ketchup flavor all but disappears, and the fruit and berry tones make me want to pair this sauce with everything, just because it seems like it would go. Burger? Hell yeah. Beans? Divine. Brown rice? More like brown MMmmmmmmmm! I wanna put this on sushi, smother a steak, marinade chicken wings and baste a swordfish with it! I want a roast beef sandwich, toasted, covered and dripping in Quag!
As far as the heat - it should be enough to satisfy most chileheads, although you may have to use more than you’d like, and the burn doesn’t last long – for better or worse. I’ve only had some 4 meals and this bottle is already half gone.
Creepin’ Quag has won the 2008 Fiery Food Challenge, the 2007 THP Awards and got 2nd place in both the 2008 and 2007 Scovie awards. It was favorably reviewed on the hotsauceblog.com, and I’m still surprised how unique and wonderful this sauce is. The hype and the awards are justified – it’s not just another sauce with a funny label and silly name. Its flavor is huge, and this bottle won’t last long in my house!
For someone looking for a more traditional sauce, this isn’t really going to hit the spot – and frankly I’m not sure how well it would go with Mexican fare – the spices may not blend with the cranberry and fruits (though, I must admit, I’m tempted to try it). But if you’re looking for something different with a solid kick, this is definitely a winner – and the amount of foods it does work with make it really worth trying.
Flavor: 10/10 – Exceptional: Sweet, fruity, salty and hot!
Heat: From Nada to Naga, 4/10
Manufacturer: Sizzlin Sauces LLC
Website: www.sizzlinsauces.com
Ingredients: Ketchup, habanero peppers, cranberries, carrot juice, honey, white wine, prickly pear cactus puree, plum fruit conserve, hot sauce, lime juice, water, white balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, kosher salt.
Looking at the ingredients, I wouldn't have expected it. I expected to have to coax Creepin’ Quag out of the bottle with a butter knife, or at the very least by doing the best ketchup dance I'm capable of. But defying expectations, it is surprisingly thin, so pour gently. Or gingerly. Whichever you feel like. The “lacing,” for lack of a better term, is chunky and spotted with pepper bits, black pepper and who knows what else – a true testament to the number of ingredients listed! It’s a wonderful orangish-brown, and looks more like a BBQ marinade than a hot sauce.
Right up front it smells of ketchup, with a habanero and cranberry twist. Black pepper is also present – although mild. The smell is decent, but ketchup pretty much overwhelms the subtlety of the cranberries and other fruits, which is unfortunate, but it definitely makes it more approachable as a condiment – I may have reservations about smearing a burger in cranberry sauce.
Ketchup and cranberries are dominant on a spoon taste, and the pepper creeps in pretty quick with a moderate burn that goes away within a couple minutes, leaving a pleasant tingle to linger in the eaves. The salt from the ketchup hangs around a little too long, but it’s a small price to pay.
Thankfully the cranberries and other fruits really stand out when added to food. It’s got decent heat, but not overwhelming, and the fruits and berries make it a truly unique and sweet sauce. The ketchup flavor all but disappears, and the fruit and berry tones make me want to pair this sauce with everything, just because it seems like it would go. Burger? Hell yeah. Beans? Divine. Brown rice? More like brown MMmmmmmmmm! I wanna put this on sushi, smother a steak, marinade chicken wings and baste a swordfish with it! I want a roast beef sandwich, toasted, covered and dripping in Quag!
As far as the heat - it should be enough to satisfy most chileheads, although you may have to use more than you’d like, and the burn doesn’t last long – for better or worse. I’ve only had some 4 meals and this bottle is already half gone.
Creepin’ Quag has won the 2008 Fiery Food Challenge, the 2007 THP Awards and got 2nd place in both the 2008 and 2007 Scovie awards. It was favorably reviewed on the hotsauceblog.com, and I’m still surprised how unique and wonderful this sauce is. The hype and the awards are justified – it’s not just another sauce with a funny label and silly name. Its flavor is huge, and this bottle won’t last long in my house!
For someone looking for a more traditional sauce, this isn’t really going to hit the spot – and frankly I’m not sure how well it would go with Mexican fare – the spices may not blend with the cranberry and fruits (though, I must admit, I’m tempted to try it). But if you’re looking for something different with a solid kick, this is definitely a winner – and the amount of foods it does work with make it really worth trying.
Flavor: 10/10 – Exceptional: Sweet, fruity, salty and hot!
Heat: From Nada to Naga, 4/10
