Hot Sauce?

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(02-04-2021, 09:08 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: Vinegar-based is my go-to for sure.  And even better when the first ingredient on the label isn't vinegar but actual peppers.  I avoid added sugar in sauces usually (unless it's coming from the addition of fruit or honey or something that contributes flavor beyond sweetness) and I avoid sauces that have "pepper extract" as those are usually pure heat and no flavor.  Sometimes it's used to amp up the heat and other ingredients provide flavor, but a lot of the gimmicky super hot sauces are made with extracts and I just don't like it.  Similar to some super hoppy IPAs over the years that used hop extract to add bitterness, when what I want in an IPA is just a whole lotta flavor and nuance.  

Have you used Gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste)?  

Milehigh making me come back to the site multiple days, when I'm trying to stay away!

I couldn't agree more; I learned years ago when watching Kids Baking Championship (for real; these kids {on the whole} are better than people who make desserts for a living) that any extract, must be used in moderation and not too many. It ruins the makeup of the flavour if there is too much/too many, as you mentioned.

I always opt for the real thing, regardless if the recipe calls for it or not (but I don't bake much, if at all, thus I don't really have an opportunity to use extracts!)

Also agree in looking for a sauce that is peppers-first; you want the reason why you buy the sauce, to be the first ingredient. A lot of the Traeger sauces are super-tasty, but are all sugar-based, thus we have them on hand, but they barely get used: they are all sugar over peppers.

Have never eaten Gochujang on its own, but I know I have eaten a dish or two with it in and it too is PHENOMENALLY tasty: I always taste the sauce itself, before putting it on any food, to see if it's my cup of tea. I never have with Gochujang. On the Korean front though, Samyang's Buldok instant ramen (I keep some on-hand in case I run out of food or need a quick fix. It literally takes me about a year to use the 6 packages lol) is so damn hot, but is so delicious; it isn't gochujang and it is full of preservatives and like (of course), but it really tastes like a Korean meal and it is similar to the wing sauce variety I mentioned above: very hot, but super-flavourful and hits the spot... there just isn't a cool-down sauce mixed in, like the wings have!

As much as I love Japanese cuisine (second favourite, after Mexican), I always lament that they don't use a ton of heat in their dishes. This is even brought up on the old Iron Chef Japan episodes, when many Chinese Chefs make spicy food and the tasters don't like it... But China and Korea have the heat downpat; they don't have a single spicy (in my experience) dish that is overpowering or tastes like crap, probably because they use whole ingredients and blend everything well.

1 more note about sauces in particular; if anyone every goes to Barbados, there is a sherry pepper/scotch bonnet (can't remember which one) sauce made by a local, but you can get the sauce anywhere on the island. It is absolutely delicious, brings a fair amount of heat and goes well on anything from burgers, to hot dogs, to mixing in (certain!) salads and even on grilled fish, like Wahoo, Snapper or other Caribbean seafood. Guy's name is Neville or Melvin or something Anglo. Wish my parents still had a bit...

Anyways, sorry for the rambling and essay!