Rocketman's Burning Prarie Hot Sauce -an Unofficial Review.
Ingredients: Nopales, Jalapeno, Serrano, Tomatillo, Tequila, Onion, Garlic, and Lime
Label/Packaging: I always like RM's homemade handiwork. Would be kick ass if it would be glossy. Also like the bigger six ounce bottle.
Appearance/Aroma: The appearance is like M.A.S.H. Army Green. It is a bit thick and chunky. Lots of bits and flecks of all the veggies. The aroma is different than I expected. It is not that of a normal verde sauce. I pick up the peppers, and what has to be the nopales first (I have not eaten a lot of cactus). I get a bit of the tomatillo, onion, and garlic. Very little lime smell. I get a little bit of pickled smell, and a little smoke which I assume comes from the tequila.
I have had the pleasure of trying many of Rocketman's sauces now. Yesterday I got a couple of new ones in the mail. I always look forward to it, and this one is no exception. I love verde style sauces, and when you add an ingredient I am not really familiar with such as the nopale, I am very interested.
Taste: At first taste, I get a bit of salt, and a bit of lime, then the sourness of the tomatillo hits. There is a bit of complexity from the ferment, but it is not as pronounced as some other sauces I have had from RM. Maybe because this was a relatively short ferment? The jalapenos and serranos blend perfectly with the garlic and onion and the culantro is there in the after taste.
Consistency: while the cap with the little whole in it is completely unnecessary, and it was a bit tough to get out of the bottle at first. After a couple spoonfuls and some more shaking it is a good medium consistency. I like that for a verde type sauce.
Heat: I would say that this a a good heat level for the type of sauce it is. It is a warm glow kind of sauce, but it is sneaky. If you keep eating it by the spoonful as I am, it will stick with you in your throat for a while. I only get a small amount of burn on the tongue and none on the lips. It seems to be concentrated on the back of my tongue and throat. I would say this is slightly more kick than you get from the average verde which I like.
Applications: This sauce is clearly made for Mexican/Peruvian food, like tacos, enchiladas etc, but I can think of several other uses for it. I think it would make a great chimichurri, and would also be good on seafood such as fish and oysters.
Overall: A good verde sauce with some interesting twists that set it apart. My only critique is that I would like to see just a touch of honey or agave nectar just to balance the tartness JUST A TOUCH, as it is supposed to be tart. Other than that, another winner RM!