review HeatAddicts Review of Michael Madsen's Smokin' Hot Sauce

[ThrowHeat]

My wife and I reviewed the third and final sauce from Michael Madsen's sauce line, American Bad Ass Products. This one was his Smokin' Hot Sauce, containing habaneros, serranos, garlic, vinegar, lime, and salt. It was also our favorite sauce of the three we reviewed, hands down. The contrast of the lime/vinegar with the habanero/serrano was almost refreshing to the taste buds, with the flavor of the garlic really shining through. It wasn't really hot enough to make you sweat, but the amazing flavor more than made up for it, especially on food.

If you dislike seeds and/or vinegar, then chances are you won't like this sauce. But if you aren't bothered by either of those things, then chances are you will love this sauce.

HEAT RATING: 6 (slightly hotter than the Kick Ass BBQ and Spicy Mustard)
FLAVOR BY ITSELF: 9
AROMA BY ITSELF: 9
FLAVOR ON FOOD: 10
AROMA ON FOOD: 9

http://www.michaelmadsenhotsauce.com

 

[Lucky Dog Hot Sauce]

I love Madsen's acting but the 1st reaction of sour & full of seeds, along with the description as a vinegary sauce seem incongruous with a 9-10 rating. At least for my tastes.

I don't mind seeds but try to avoid really heavily snappy sauces. Vinegar to me is best when very subdued.

Good review though - I like his shout out to you guys - that GTO of his is pretty sweet.

 

[ThrowHeat]

Believe me, it wasn't sour. It only had a hint of the lime/vinegar (more lime than vinegar, IMO), with the more prominent flavors being the serrano and garlic. The habanero wasn't really all that noticeable though.

And it isn't like the sauce had a ton of seeds in it either. I only had a couple of them in my mouth when we tried a spoonful, and I didn't even notice them when it was on our food.



EDITED TO ADD: Hot sauce lovers who scoff at a sauce because it contains vinegar are funny to me. Now not liking seeds in a sauce, I get that. That makes complete sense. But vinegar, not so much. It is kinda like beer drinkers who dislike certain brews because they are hoppy. It prevents you from enjoying the full spectrum of flavors out there. Considering how many hot sauces there are out there that contain vinegar, you are only limiting your options by being anti-vinegar.

Then again, maybe I'm just a weirdo because I like sauces with vinegar, without, with fruit, and everything in between.

 

[Lucky Dog Hot Sauce]

Believe me, it wasn't sour.

I was going by reaction & facial expression. And in Julia's 1st reacton to it she said it tasted sour.

?

EDITED TO ADD: Hot sauce lovers who scoff at a sauce because it contains vinegar are funny to me. Now not liking seeds in a sauce, I get that. That makes complete sense. But vinegar, not so much. It is kinda like beer drinkers who dislike certain brews because they are hoppy. It prevents you from enjoying the full spectrum of flavors out there. Considering how many hot sauces there are out there that contain vinegar, you are only limiting your options by being anti-vinegar.

Then again, maybe I'm just a weirdo because I like sauces with vinegar, without, with fruit, and everything in between.

As a manufacturer of vinegar-based sauces I assume you weren't talking to or about me?

I like subtle vinegar in sauce. I like snappiness - its a necessary component. What I, and many sauce fanatics ive heard from prefer though is to have the vinegar be a subtle undertone. When it's very prominent & the 1st smell and/or taste is sour/vinegar/lime it is usually a negative because it's suppossed to be a pepper sauce.

Since I make a vinegar-based sauce I very frequently hear "what I loved is that the peppers shine through and I can't hardly taste the vinegar" - Jarret of HeatAddicts exactly said that in his review of my sauce. Other reviewers have mentioned the same, so it stands to reason that a subtle target acidity is preferred - at least in the circle of reviewers/bloggers I've read.

I think you may be misunderstanding people - its not that they hate vinegar or are "anti-vinegar sauces" - its that they want better balance in a sauce. And when the vinegar comes off stronger that the peppers it sounds, to my tastes, like a sauce out of balance.

Each to their own though - I know people who love really dominant sour notes in their hot sauce. Franks Red Hot sells like f-n hotcakes so people must like it.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.



ETA please note - I've not tried THIS sauce, and certainly wouldn't judge anyone's hot sauce without doing so. I'm merely speaking in general terms regarding your comments. I'll keep an open mind if I get the opportunity to taste Mr Madsen's wares.

 

[ThrowHeat]

I was going by reaction & facial expression. And in Julia's 1st reacton to it she said it tasted sour.

?

She said "tangy", which can be taken as sour I guess. But I think it is a stretch to construe the sour notes from lime/vinegar as the entire flavor of the sauce being dominated by it. As I said before, the flavor of the serrano and garlic was much more prominent in the sauce than the vinegar/lime, especially on food.

It's kinda like having a lime in a Corona. When you take that first swig, you get that initial taste of sour citrus, and then it is immediately followed by the taste of the beer. That was how this sauce was for us. Initially it was lime/vinegar, followed immediately by the flavor of the garlic and serrano. I hope that makes sense.

As a manufacturer of vinegar-based sauces I assume you weren't talking to or about me?

Nope. My comment wasn't directed at anyone in particular. You just reminded me of something I've observed on these forums, as well as from other reviewers. It is almost like vinegar is a bad word to some people, and I just don't get it.

I like subtle vinegar in sauce. I like snappiness - its a necessary component. What I, and many sauce fanatics ive heard from prefer though is to have the vinegar be a subtle undertone. When it's very prominent & the 1st smell and/or taste is sour/vinegar/lime it is usually a negative because it's suppossed to be a pepper sauce.

I guess I must not be suited for doing reviews then, because I don't really consider the flavor of vinegar to be a negative. Too much of it, definitely. Take Tabasco, for example. But I can appreciate a noticeable vinegar flavor in a sauce just as much as I can appreciate one where you can't even tell it is there.

Since I make a vinegar-based sauce I very frequently hear "what I loved is that the peppers shine through and I can't hardly taste the vinegar" - Jarret of HeatAddicts exactly said that in his review of my sauce. Other reviewers have mentioned the same, so it stands to reason that a subtle target acidity is - at least in the circle of experienced reviewers/bloggers I've read.

If that is what other reviewers/bloggers prefer, then awesome. Myself, I don't mind a bit of acidity in my sauces. The flavor of vinegar doesn't even bother me at all, and I really have no desire to change my tastes just so I can fit in with what other reviewers prefer. I'm a rebel and I like what I like, even if it completely counter to the majority.

I think you may be misunderstanding people - its not that they hate vinegar or are "anti-vinegar sauces" - its that they want better balance in a sauce. And when the vinegar comes off stronger that the peppers it sounds, to my tastes, like a sauce out of balance.

I can appreciate a good balance. Don't get me wrong. I guess I just don't put as much value in it as others though.

Each to their own though - I know people who love really dominant sour notes in their hot sauce. Franks Red Hot sells like f-n hotcakes so people must like it.

I actually like Frank's, at least when it comes to hot wings. It makes a great base sauce. But I probably wouldn't use it for anything else.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

Exactly. To each their own.

ETA please note - I've not tried THIS sauce, and certainly wouldn't judge anyone's hot sauce without doing so. I'm merely speaking in general terms regarding your comments. I'll keep an open mind if I get the opportunity to taste Mr Madsen's wares.

If you ever do try his sauces, definitely let me know what you think of it. For a hardcore chilehead, that sauce might not be that appealing. But considering how popular Tabasco and Frank's is in this country, I bet that it would appeal to a much larger audience than a lot of the obscure super hot sauces out there.

 

[Lucky Dog Hot Sauce]

I actually don't consider myself a hardcore chilihead - not in the traditional sense anyway. I have a pretty "normal" palate for heat.

And I try to judge all sauces on their own merits - like, if I'm trying a mild jalapeño sauce, I won't compare it to a ghost pepper sauce I like, etc.

So like you - if it's a really snappy vinegary sauce (tangy - whatever) I wont necessarily consider it a negative - i'll think of uses for it, but it probably won't rate as highly with me as its not as versitile.

For my sauces at least I try not to get too snappy with 'em - it's most of what took me so long to bring them to market - working on how to mute the tanginess to get as savory a flavor as possible. my preference is obviously for a less vinegary taste.