The BIG Tabasco Original vs Tabasco Buffalo Style Taste Test!

As everyone knows, the newest exciting addition to the Tabasco family of sauces is the company's official Buffalo style chicken wing sauce.

Needless to say, I was extremely excited to hear of the launch of this product.  I rushed out to purchase a bottle immediately and was somehow able to get my hands on one without any pushing or shoving.  I made a batch of wings that very night, and after an entire day's worth of anticipation, the results were...GOOD!

PRETTY good, that is.  Nice tangy taste, good color, but not the be-all and end-all of chicken wing sauces that I had been hoping for.

So then I got to thinking that maybe, just maybe, my lifelong loyalty to the ORIGINAL Tabasco brand pepper sauce was in some way clouding my judgment.  After all, no variation has ever been able to top the original.  Not the delicious Chipotle, not the impressively heat-hot Habanero, and especially not the useless Jalapeno green one.  Such variations have traditionally proven themselves to be little more than a nice change of pace for hardcore enthusiasts like myself who can never get enough Tabasco experimentation.  (Again, why ever buy the green one except as a novelty?  You never actually USE it.)

This was different, though.  For the first time, a licensed alternative to the original was touting itself as superior to the original in regards to a particular dish..  In this case, the Buffalo wing.

After suffering yet another predominantly sleepless night, I correctly reasoned that the only way to ever calm my mind over the matter would be to experience a DIRECT head-to-head tasting of both sauces!

I quickly drew up plans.

There would be a total of four entries in my private tasting contest:

1) Original Tabasco

2) Tabasco Buffalo Style

3) Original Tabasco cut with butter

4) Tabasco Buffalo Style cut with butter


In case you didn't know, cutting your chicken wing sauce with butter will reduce the heat, but also produce a thicker coating and delightfully rich flavor.  So it's not "cheating" in any way.  If you feel it dilutes the heat too much, just use a spicier sauce (duh).

It was an exciting night for everybody (I was home alone but texting people) as the verdict came out.


***THE RESULTS***

4TH PLACE: Tabasco Buffalo Style

Let me say that the wings LOOKED great.  They were a perfect orange chicken wing color.  Very appetizing.  Not any kind of failure, just the weakest flavor of the bunch, by DEFAULT.  Nothing to be ashamed of at all.  This sauce still whoops the butt of Texas Pete and other inferior brands.


3RD PLACE: Tabasco Buffalo Style cut with butter

The butter helped.  It made the wing-eating experience creamier, more delectable.  and again, the wings had a nice color to them.  They just were lacking that exact ZING you want in your chicken wing.  (***potential SLOGAN)


2ND PLACE: Original Tabasco

As usual, the original trumps all other sauces.  I only ranked this 2nd place because, in all fairness, if you use straight-up Tabasco to coat your wings they turn out pretty DANG spicy.  So a lot of you will probably find Original Tabasco to be too hot to coat your chicken wings with on a regular basis.  At least until you become TRULY addicted.  and truthfully if you are trying all of these, aren't you headed down that road already?  Be honest.


1ST PLACE GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Original Tabasco cut with butter

The color is non-traditional.  They turn out a very light orange, almost pink.  But the butter smooths out the flavor so nicely, resulting in a perfectly delectable Tabasco-flavored wing.


So this improvised champion of Tabasco wing flavors is what I imagine the Tabasco Buffalo Style was INTENDED to be, but right now it's still falling a bit short.  They should tweak the recipe a little, in my opinion.  I still do recommend it as something to TRY, but don't get your hopes up like I did.  If you want the best-tasting Tabasco wings possible, stick with the reigning and defending champ.

That's all for now, more Tabasco thoughts to follow.

Thanks for reading!

Summer grilling with Tabasco!

Tabasco is the most manly condiment.  I know very well (believe me) that there are some "hot sauces" that are way hotter than Tabasco.  Trying to stomach a product that's really, REALLY spicy might be a fun diversion (I do it), but it certainly does not make you "a man," and it's not the same thing as actually wanting to enjoy your food.

Outdoor grilling is the most manly way to cook, and Tabasco is usually integral, depending on what type of entree you've got sizzling.

Let's begin with the king of the grillables, a nice, thick, juicy steak!

The Tabasco Country Store offers this GARLIC grilling and marinating sauce.  I've used it, and it's very good.  But why is there are only a garlic version and not an "original" variety, like in the case of the pepper sauce itself?  I definitely LIKE garlic and everything, since I'm normal, but it just seems like they should offer both.  More to try.  So I think I will include that suggestion in one of my future letters.

The Tabasco steak sauce, conversely, DOES come in two different flavors.  Original and Caribbean.

So, see what I mean?  They are both good sauces, plus you get the option of variety.  Yet for some reason they ONLY offer a garlic marinade.  Weird.


The next thing is HAMBURGERS!  I have a special Tabasco "burger baste" that I use that was borrowed and then slightly modified from Craig Claiborne's Ultimate Hamburger recipe in one of the Tabasco cookbooks.  Basically you combine Tabasco with lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, sprinkle in some salt and pepper, and add a dab of butter (yes, BUTTER).  Brush it on your burger during the grilling process and it turns out great.  and then of course from there you can add cheese or additional condiments or whatever you want.  (Don't forget the Tabasco brand pickles!)

I don't really have any equally impressive ideas for adding Tabasco to hot dogs, other than just DOING it, but of course you could always get luxurious and add some of this.

That's all for now, more Tabasco thoughts to follow.

Thanks for reading!

Tabasco in the FRIDGE?!?!

I have seen this in the home of more than one person and it kinds of tears me up.  On one hand, I'm GLAD that they purchased the undisputed #1 hot pepper sauce, but on the other, they clearly do not know what they are doing with it!

Tabasco does not go in the refrigerator.  It is best kept at room temperature.  Nowhere on the bottle does it say "Refrigerate After Opening."  It only says "Shake Well," which is pretty funny if you think about it.  You shake BEFORE using, but also WHILE using, ha ha.  (Sorry, Tabasco humor.)

Anyway, remember what Tabasco is.  It's peppers, vinegar, and salt.  You don't need to chill those things.  You wouldn't put a nice bottle of dry red wine in the refrigerator, would you?  Well I guess you MIGHT, if you didn't know much about wine.  Beginner's mistake, basically.  and the same happens frequently with Tabasco.

What can you do when you spot an instance of this?  Not much.  You obviously don't want to offend your host by moving things out of the fridge and into the kitchen cabinets without permission.  and as IMPORTANT as Tabasco and its proper storage may be, it isn't everyone's favorite topic of conversation (believe it or not).

But if the timing ever does feel just right enough to allow you to take a stand, I recommend feigning confusion.  "Oh...you keep your Tabasco in the FRIDGE?  Why is that?"  The other person won't have an answer.  No one's ever going to say "I like it better cold!"  Instead, they will appear to shrug off your question as if it doesn't matter, but secretly, on the inside, they'll be doing some real soul-searching.  ("Tabasco in the FRIDGE?!?!  What was I THINKING?")

and then chances are, upon your next visit, you'll find Tabasco relocated to a proper home.

Don't make a big deal out of it or anything, though.  Just a subtle, knowing wink will suffice.


That's all for now, more Tabasco thoughts to follow.

Thanks for reading!

Tabasco with Asian food

The whole world is crazy about Asian food, and Tabasco as well, so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the two should complement each other.

BUT!  Here is the thing.  Some of the products offered include Tabasco Teriyaki Sauce and Tabasco Soy.

I own both of these and while they are nice to HAVE, they are a bit redundant.  They are pretty much just the sauces in question infused with Tabasco.  Which is CUTE, but why couldn't you just use some of BOTH?  That way you have better control over the level of heat.  For example, if you are using the Tabasco Soy Sauce, you are going to get SOME of that much-desired kick of hotness and flavor, but what if it isn't enough for you?  You are going to want to add additional Tabasco anyway, so why do you need it combined in one bottle?  You can't just keep adding more and more of the Tabasco SOY sauce, the result would be way too salty.

The same thing happens with the Tabasco Worcestershire Sauce and Tabasco Heinz Ketchup.  Again, you can just use the regular version of each and add your own Tabasco to satisfy your individual taste.  There's really no need to have both products in the same bottle except for the sheer novelty of it.  Unless you're really REALLY lazy or something, but lazy people generally don't have the sophisticated dining palate that a Tabasco lover has.  I would challenge anyone to find me an exception.  If you have an unmotivated friend, you'll be more than likely to find "Texas Pete" or something equally crappy in the door of their refrigerator.  (Yes, REFRIGERATOR, ugh.)

Now then, perhaps SENSING that some of the above products weren't exactly household necessities, an exciting NEW sauce, "Tabasco Sweet and Spicy," was introduced a short time back.

If you are a Tabasco fan, this is definitely what you need for your Asian cuisine.  Heat-wise, it's the mildest of the available sauces, but has a great flavor and is delightfully versatile.  In other words, it's not JUST good with Chinese, Thai, or other Asian foods.  It makes as savory an option for a chicken nugget as it does for an egg roll.  As a glaze, dip, or even on a steak for an exciting change of pace, Sweet and Spicy will not disappoint any serious Tabasco enthusiast.

(and of course, if it's far too mild for you, you've always got the original to back you up!)

***BONUS SUGGESTION: TRY IT ON YOUR HOLIDAY HAM!***

That's all for now, more Tabasco thoughts to follow.

Thanks for reading!

Tabasco: Seafood's best friend

Whether it's a dash, dunk, or generous splash, almost everything we eat that comes out of the sea goes from delicious to absolute taste bud magic with the help of our favorite condiment, Tabasco brand pepper sauce.

a good example is a clam bake.  How can you host a clam bake without Tabasco?  In the past I've been to clam bakes where all that was offered was "hot sauce."  Generic supermarket brand, no less.  No no no.  That's like American cheese on chili.  You just don't DO that.  Plus seafood is fairly expensive, why start skimping when it comes to the finishing touch?

Tabasco is great on lobster, mussels, catfish, crabcakes, and shrimp.  I even like to shake a generous portion onto a tuna fish sandwich or tuna noodle casserole.  (Try it!)

Most seafood dishes are served with butter and/or lemon.  Tabasco goes great with both.  Try adding some to your lobster butter before dipping, or adding a healthy dose to your next fish meal ALONG with squirts of lemon.  It's heavenly.

Who doesn't like a fish fry during Lent, or ANY time, for that matter?  Try mixing a few dashes of Tabasco in with your tartar sauce.  and if you ever make your own tartar sauce at home, a good idea is to substitute Tabasco Spicy Mayonnaise for the plain old boring regular kind.  Tabasco Spicy Mayo can be found HERE.

That's all for now, more Tabasco thoughts to follow.

Thanks for reading!

Tabasco and Chili

Woo boy, what's better at Superbowl time or ANY time than a big pot of spicy chili?  (Rhetorical.)

So of course Tabasco is essential.  It goes so well with...

Oyster crackers!

(New Facebook Timeline Cover!)

Yes.  Even if you feel the chili you're eating is spicy "enough," nothing adds the perfect finishing touch like a healthy dose of Tabasco on top of a layer of oyster crackers.  It's really heavenly.  Be sure to try it if you are some kind of crazy person that hasn't already.

Now then, Tabasco does market it's own chili in a jar.

Someone gave me this as a gift, and it turned out to be delightful.  (Yes, DELIGHTFUL.)  You have to add your own meat and beans, but this is a really good sauce base for those lazier occasions when you don't feel like cooking "really."  Kind of a Kraft Mac and Cheese version of chili.  Not as good as homemade, but still PRETTY GOOD.

Highly recommended.  (By ME.)

That's all for now, more Tabasco thoughts to follow.

Thanks for reading!

Tabasco as a DIP?!!?

We were out to dinner and I was served this delectable paella that included shrimp, mussels, LOBSTER, and other very Tabasco-friendly things.  So of course I made a point to request that the god of all condiments be brought to the table along with the meal.  and it was, but it was not in a bottle.

It was in a CUP.

This was very new to me, I had never had it served to me that way before.  My first reaction was that the waitress had done the classic "all hot sauce is the same" thing and didn't recognize that Tabasco is its own unique product.  But wait, no, this was the real thing.  Just in a cup.  I could...DIP.  Dunk!  and it was the perfect meal for it.

So now there is controversy.  Which is better?  The traditional "shaking" method, or dipping?  I suppose it depends on the dish.  I don't think I would want to "dunk" a slice of pizza, except maybe the very first bite and also the crust.  So...maybe "Tabasco Two Ways?"  This is all very exciting to think about going into 2013.

I'll be sure to let you know what happens.  It is time for some experiments.

That's all for now, more Tabasco thoughts to follow.

Thanks for reading!