Free Steak Sauce...for a price...
- Thread starter salsalady
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Got my bottle yesterday! Making flank steak tonight - excited to try it! 
Full disclosure, I had some doubts trying it just by itself. However, not many sane people just eat straight steak sauce, so I figured I'd actually try it on some steak.
It's definitely much sweeter in comparison to the more savory flavor of A1. I was afraid it may be too sweet or vinegar-y, but boy was I wrong. It's a lot less "aggressive" than a normal steak sauce, but I see that as a good thing.
Positives: much less aggressive, you can taste the meat. It has a nice sweetness to it and it's a nice change from something like A1. The consistency is also spot on.
Criticisms: the sweetness and tang are good, but were a bit much for my brother, who also sampled it. Also, maybe this is just me, but I couldn't really feel any heat in the sauce.
In all, I actually really liked it as a steak sauce. I don't use steak sauce often on steak, but I'll definitely have to hit some pork chops with it some time.
It's definitely much sweeter in comparison to the more savory flavor of A1. I was afraid it may be too sweet or vinegar-y, but boy was I wrong. It's a lot less "aggressive" than a normal steak sauce, but I see that as a good thing.
Positives: much less aggressive, you can taste the meat. It has a nice sweetness to it and it's a nice change from something like A1. The consistency is also spot on.
Criticisms: the sweetness and tang are good, but were a bit much for my brother, who also sampled it. Also, maybe this is just me, but I couldn't really feel any heat in the sauce.
In all, I actually really liked it as a steak sauce. I don't use steak sauce often on steak, but I'll definitely have to hit some pork chops with it some time.
The sauce was delicious with some anticuchos!
I feel like the tanginess was just right, but it was slightly sweet for my preference. I also felt like it could be a bit saltier.
I think that it was a bit thin, compared to normal BBQ sauces as well, but I actually enjoyed that, since I could give a proper dunk of the meat, with a thin coating around the meat, without it being all sauce.
I would personally prefer a bit more heat. I didn't feel like the pepper flavor or heat was really incorporated fully into the sauce.
There was also a slight aftertaste that reminded me of this home made herbal cough medicine that my mom used to make me when I got sick as a kid. I absoluted hated her cough syrup, but I actually enjoyed it a lot in this sauce, maybe it's just nostalgic, but it was quite pleasant.
Enough nitpicking, though. I thoroughly enjoyed this sauce, and I would reach for a bottle of this over just about any other sauce I've had.
Great job!
I feel like the tanginess was just right, but it was slightly sweet for my preference. I also felt like it could be a bit saltier.
I think that it was a bit thin, compared to normal BBQ sauces as well, but I actually enjoyed that, since I could give a proper dunk of the meat, with a thin coating around the meat, without it being all sauce.
I would personally prefer a bit more heat. I didn't feel like the pepper flavor or heat was really incorporated fully into the sauce.
There was also a slight aftertaste that reminded me of this home made herbal cough medicine that my mom used to make me when I got sick as a kid. I absoluted hated her cough syrup, but I actually enjoyed it a lot in this sauce, maybe it's just nostalgic, but it was quite pleasant.
Enough nitpicking, though. I thoroughly enjoyed this sauce, and I would reach for a bottle of this over just about any other sauce I've had.
Great job!
salsalady
eXtreme Business
When i first tasted A1, it tasted very tartand dry. Another sauce was definitely sweeter. I changed the raisins in this last testbatch and i think it is too sweet. Maybe 15% less sweet would be the sweet spot. 
pun intended 
.
And definitely more spice. It seems like the raisins cut theheat a bit. So with less raisins and 15-20% more heat....
Thanks for the comments so far. One more bottle going out to walchit tomorrow.
pun intended . And definitely more spice. It seems like the raisins cut theheat a bit. So with less raisins and 15-20% more heat....
Thanks for the comments so far. One more bottle going out to walchit tomorrow.
Hi Ann,
I received my bottle Monday. Please note I do not use steak sauce on meat but use it on other things like grilled cheese sandwiches and fried potatoes. (An iteration of ancient A1 advertising, "A1 makes your steak taste like french fries"). I used to love Heinz 57 until they butchered the recipe back in the 80's and ruined it. Then I used HP sauce until Heinz bought that product.... and subsequently ruined it. Now I use A1.
I'm a bit slow with the review because I wanted to taste it many times and many ways. By now I've ate and drank most of the bottle. I like this sauce for a variety of reasons. It does have a good flavor and a great consistency but it's not ideal for me. It's too sweet for my taste and it lacks a boldness so the flavor washes out easily. I also thought anything from Texas Creek would carry a little more heat but it's very mild on that level. Nothing a bit of Pure Evil couldn't fix for me.
With the sweetness, I think It's more like the mild Jamaican Pickapeppa sauce than a steak sauce. I'd suggest toning down the sweetness quite a bit, adding in a bit of the A1 battery acid bite and maybe go a little heavier with the tamarind and salt. If you could split the difference between A1 and Pickapeppa, it would be great for me.
DW
I received my bottle Monday. Please note I do not use steak sauce on meat but use it on other things like grilled cheese sandwiches and fried potatoes. (An iteration of ancient A1 advertising, "A1 makes your steak taste like french fries"). I used to love Heinz 57 until they butchered the recipe back in the 80's and ruined it. Then I used HP sauce until Heinz bought that product.... and subsequently ruined it. Now I use A1.
I'm a bit slow with the review because I wanted to taste it many times and many ways. By now I've ate and drank most of the bottle. I like this sauce for a variety of reasons. It does have a good flavor and a great consistency but it's not ideal for me. It's too sweet for my taste and it lacks a boldness so the flavor washes out easily. I also thought anything from Texas Creek would carry a little more heat but it's very mild on that level. Nothing a bit of Pure Evil couldn't fix for me.
With the sweetness, I think It's more like the mild Jamaican Pickapeppa sauce than a steak sauce. I'd suggest toning down the sweetness quite a bit, adding in a bit of the A1 battery acid bite and maybe go a little heavier with the tamarind and salt. If you could split the difference between A1 and Pickapeppa, it would be great for me.
DW
I cooked steaks for my Mom and Sister, they both loved it but thought it needed to be a little thicker. They both don't use much salt so it was perfect for them. I thought it needed more salt and a little more heat. I also agree with DWB's statement above about needing a little of the A1 acid bite. Maybe a little balsamic vinegar or lemon juice will give it that bite. It seems like the flavor fades when used on steak and I kept adding more sauce to be able to taste it. I also think it needs to just a little thicker but not much.
I liked it overall and you definitely have a good starting point to make this a really great sauce.
I liked it overall and you definitely have a good starting point to make this a really great sauce.
Well here it goes...
First off, the texture and color is perfect for a steak sauce. It's a little bit thinner than a BBQ sauce which I would expect.
Heat was very little to none. I didn't detect any but I am very tolerant to spicy foods. My daughter (who loved the sauce btw) didn't mention anything about heat and she doesn't typically eat spicy.
This was a very mild sauce as far as steak sauces go. I ate it with a steak that was cooked on the grill and the sauce was overpowered by smokey grilled flavors of the steak. It did add a slight sweetness that was pleasant.
If this was a blind taste test, I would of guessed it was a salad dressing of some sort. In fact I wouldn't hesitate to pour it all over a wedge salad.
Thanks for the opportunity to try your sauce. I hope my input helps...
First off, the texture and color is perfect for a steak sauce. It's a little bit thinner than a BBQ sauce which I would expect.
Heat was very little to none. I didn't detect any but I am very tolerant to spicy foods. My daughter (who loved the sauce btw) didn't mention anything about heat and she doesn't typically eat spicy.
This was a very mild sauce as far as steak sauces go. I ate it with a steak that was cooked on the grill and the sauce was overpowered by smokey grilled flavors of the steak. It did add a slight sweetness that was pleasant.
If this was a blind taste test, I would of guessed it was a salad dressing of some sort. In fact I wouldn't hesitate to pour it all over a wedge salad.
Thanks for the opportunity to try your sauce. I hope my input helps...
I tried it for the first time today, I was going to wait until steaks with dad tomorrow but really wanted to try it.
Disclaimer: Despite my critical response. I really like it and will def kill off the bottle in short order.
First impression on the nose I thought it was going to be vinegary. Which with steak sauce that's not a bad thing. I personally really like a brand of steak sauce called Doc Holliday. It's similar to A1 but slightly better and doesn't have anchovy, high fructose corn syrup or any that other junk.
Initial impression, it was a little more muted than I expected from the nose. Vinegar was there but kind of hidden. Might benefit from a smidge more ACV. Could be thicker and more flavor, onion, garlic... not sure what other sauces use as "spice" maybe experiment with a small amount in a bowl. Try a little clove maybe? Also acids are key in steak sauce. Experiment with grapefruit, lemon, orange and lime juices. I think doc holliday use all the before mentioned except orange but i've seen others use orange juice.
I was sad that I couldn't detect any heat. I think that was the part I was most looking forward to. Even had my wife try a spoonful as she has a much more heat sensitive palate than me.
I think you're off to a very good start. Even with the current flavor profile. Just a little bit more "spices" and slightly thicker with more peppers and you should be golden.
Appreciate you letting my try your test batch. It certainly won't go to waste.
Scotch Bonnets!!!
Disclaimer: Despite my critical response. I really like it and will def kill off the bottle in short order.
First impression on the nose I thought it was going to be vinegary. Which with steak sauce that's not a bad thing. I personally really like a brand of steak sauce called Doc Holliday. It's similar to A1 but slightly better and doesn't have anchovy, high fructose corn syrup or any that other junk.
Initial impression, it was a little more muted than I expected from the nose. Vinegar was there but kind of hidden. Might benefit from a smidge more ACV. Could be thicker and more flavor, onion, garlic... not sure what other sauces use as "spice" maybe experiment with a small amount in a bowl. Try a little clove maybe? Also acids are key in steak sauce. Experiment with grapefruit, lemon, orange and lime juices. I think doc holliday use all the before mentioned except orange but i've seen others use orange juice.
I was sad that I couldn't detect any heat. I think that was the part I was most looking forward to. Even had my wife try a spoonful as she has a much more heat sensitive palate than me.
I think you're off to a very good start. Even with the current flavor profile. Just a little bit more "spices" and slightly thicker with more peppers and you should be golden.
Appreciate you letting my try your test batch. It certainly won't go to waste.
Scotch Bonnets!!!
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Oops did i miss it?
salsalady
eXtreme Business
Thank you all for your honest opinions. It is kind of what I was expecting. More HEAT. Less Sweet, I wasn't sure how folks would want the acidity, it sounds like the sauce needs more 'battery acid'....
I appreciate all of your input.
The next step is.... how much more do you want it to be like the A1 battery acid sauce or is there a place for a 'steak'/meat sauce that is not so acidic? Again, I've never even tasted 'steak' sauce until a couple months ago.
There are still a couple samples on the way to recipients. I look forward to hearing their comments also.
Thanks again for folks taking the time to taste and post comments. I truly appreciate it.
Ann
I appreciate all of your input.
The next step is.... how much more do you want it to be like the A1 battery acid sauce or is there a place for a 'steak'/meat sauce that is not so acidic? Again, I've never even tasted 'steak' sauce until a couple months ago.
There are still a couple samples on the way to recipients. I look forward to hearing their comments also.
Thanks again for folks taking the time to taste and post comments. I truly appreciate it.
Ann
I personally don't think it needs the A1 level of "battery acid", but it could use a bit more of a bite in my opinion. I definitely think it'd do well without the straight acid of A1. Maybe somewhere in the middle with a bit more heat? I think the sweetness may balance out more with more acidity and heat too. It's less "savory" than most but I could see it working. I'm definitely no expert though, since I really only use steak sauce for a couple of things.
(I did try it out yesterday on a burger though and the sweetness wasn't as cutting as on just meat. It worked a bit better there I think)
(I did try it out yesterday on a burger though and the sweetness wasn't as cutting as on just meat. It worked a bit better there I think)