Chipotle Garlic Sauce by All Spice Cafe
It was just out of sheer luck that I ran into All Spice Cafe's Chipotle Garlic Sauce. You see, All Spice Cafe is celebrating “Give Away Mondays” this year. Each week they randomly choose one person that receives a free bottle of their sauce. To be eligible, you must follow them on Twitter, be a fan of their Facebook page or have an account at their online store. Well, Mr. “I never win anything” was the lucky draw one week because I follow them on Twitter.
After reviewing the choices of sauces I could choose from, it really was a no brainer for me. Their Chipotle Garlic Sauce was a shoe in. I love chipotle peppers and I love garlic. What could be better?
But, what is this sauce exactly? It didn't seem like your typical hot sauce, yet it wasn't exactly a barbecue sauce either. As my curiosity peaked, I noticed the recipe that's printed on the label...All Spice Chipotle Garlic Tri Tip. That sounded good, I haven't had a tri tip in a while so let's see what this sauce is all about.
Initial Impressions
The first thing that jumps out at you is the label. You have to love their logo. It's one of the best I've seen in a while. In addition to the tri tip recipe, the listed ingredients are: Aged Cayenne Pepper, Vinegar, Water, Canola Oil, Granulated Garlic, Chipotle Pepper, Habenero Pepper, Liquid smoke, Salt, Xantham Gum.
The sauce is a bright orange with a medium consistency. The aroma is definitely that of vinegar followed by a scent of hot peppers and smoke.
Out of the Bottle Taste Test
Although chipotle and garlic have wonderful flavors, it is easy to go overboard with either. That was my concern with this sauce. I was pleasantly surprised to find they were in perfect balance. The flavor begins with a kick of vinegar followed by the garlic and smoke. Then the heat creeps in. Not crazy hot, just enough to classify it as “spicy”. Saltiness was present, yet not extreme.
Apply the Meat Taste Test
The flavors of the sauce blended nicely with the tri-tip without overpowering the taste of the meat itself. Although the sauce gave the meat a nice flavor with a hint of smoke and heat, I'm one who rarely alters beef. I think beef holds its own when it comes to flavor.
As a second experiment, I mixed a third cup of the sauce with an equal amount of apple cider vinegar and used it as a basting sauce on a rack of ribs. Wow! The sweet rub and the Kansas City-style sauce all blended together very well. I'll be making that again!
The Final Verdict
So, back to our original question...what is this sauce, exactly? I wouldn't call it a hot sauce, nor would I call it a barbecue sauce. I'll just call it a cooking sauce, maybe even a condiment. I believe with time, I'll find many uses for it. This will soon be an ingredient I'm not going to want to run out of. One thing's for certain, it's going on my next batch of chicken wings.
To take a look at the complete All Spice Cafe's Family of Fiery Gourmet Products, you can check it out...Here
Happy Grilling!
