2014 Archives - Page 3 of 4

Green Mary Cocktail Mix from Frankie V’s Kitchen

by Brian Meagher : 03/16/2014

“Green Mary Cocktail Mix from Frankie V’s Kitchen is a refreshing and flavorful alternative to the usual Bloody Mary mix.”

Green Mary Cocktail Mix from Frankie V’s Kitchen

As I write this, it’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend in the US, where everyone is Irish and everything is green, and our Sunday Bloody Mary post this week features a bright green mixer from Frankie V’s Kitchen of Dallas, Texas.

This uniquely different mixer includes green tomatoes, tomatillos, premium olive juice and Frankie V’s own Wasabi Green Thai Chile Hot Sauce.

Yea, this is a horse of a different color!

Let’s see what makes this Green Mary so green…

Ingredients: green tomatoes, tomatillos, celery, garlic, lime juice, 1888 Olive Juice, water, blue agave, FVK Wasabi Green Thai Chile Hot Sauce, worcestershire sauce, wasabi powder, white pepper, salt.

Texture & Appearance: Medium thin in consistency and bright green in color.

There are lots of bits in here – tiny tomatillo seeds, little bits of garlic and green tomato – very satisfying with a good amount of mouth-feel. Complex.

The Green Mary Cocktail

Taste Straight Up: This is a mixer unlike any I’ve ever had.

Straight up, Green Mary is very refreshing, tart and more than just a bit spicy – the unique green tomatoes and tomatillos bring a fresh acidic taste. Briny, salty olive juice hits you next, with the mild heat of wasabi bringing up the rear.

The inclusion of 1888 Olive Juice is a genius move on their part – designed for “dirty martinis”, 1888 Olive Juice (another Texas product) is a dirty martini mixer that adds a salty, briny flavor to this Green Mary drink. Unique and savory.

Heat Level: – 1.5/5 Stars.

Mild and tingly – the wasabi is there, and yes, Frankie V’s Wasabi Green Thai Chile Hot Sauce is a player here too, but it’s not a blow your head off heat. Mild in a good way.

Label/Graphics: – 5/5 on design, label, fonts and overall impression.

Bonus points for the green wax covered top that sports the “Frankie V’s Kitchen FVK” impression. Also, there’s the hanging tag and twine that are incorporated into the wax topping.

Like all of Frankie V’s products, the art department deserves kudos and accolades for another stellar design. Classy.

Final Thoughts

This very unique “bloody mary” mixer has to be one of the most unusual mixers I’ve ever come across.

It tastes fantastic all on it’s own, as a tomato cocktail, albeit a “green” one. It would make a great Michelada beverage with your favorite Cerveza.

Overall Rating: – 3/5 Stars for uniqueness. It just may be an acquired taste, but the more I drank it, the more I liked it.

This is certainly one of the most unusual products we’ve reviewed in a while – but delicious nonetheless.

About Frankie V’s Kitchen

Visit FrankieVsKitchen.com and check out all of the salsas, sauces and of course The Green Mary Cocktail Mix.

You can sample all of the great products from Frankie V’s Kitchen and meet Frankie V at the NYC Hot Sauce Expo, March 29 – 30, 2014.

We reviewed Frankie V’s Salsas here.

Disclaimer: We received this product courtesy of the manufacturer for review.

Hot Maple Smokey Habanero Sauce

by Brian Meagher : 03/14/2014

Hot Maple Smokey Habanero sauce from Portland, Oregon uses Grade-A Dark Amber maple syrup, a special blend of spices, and locally sourced Habanero peppers to create its unique sweet-smokey flavor.

Hot Maple Smokey Habanero

Hot Maple Smokey Habanero creator Matthew Hilla has crafted a delicious, smokey-sweet hot sauce using maple syrup and habaneros.

Long time readers of HotSauceDaily know that I’ve never been a big fan of habanero sauces. Once upon a time, the habanero chile or sauce was my least favorite.

Then something like Hot Maple comes along, and turns me completely around.

Ingredients: yellow onion, diced tomatoes (tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, naturally derived citric acid and calcium chloride), water, apple cider vinegar, habanero (habanero peppers, salt, citric acid), garlic, pure maple syrup (US Grade A Dark Amber). Contains less than 2% spices and liquid smoke.

On pizza – nice view of texture and thickness

Texture & Appearance: This is a fairly thick sauce that is mildly pulpy. It won’t run off your food – it keeps its consistency. It smells smokey, peppery, and sweet. Full-bodied.

Taste Straight Up: Definitely a habanero sauce – the habby flavor is classic and spot on. The smokiness is no doubt due to the liquid smoke, but it’s not overpowering at all. And the maple syrup adds a unique sweetness to the mix. Good balance of heat, sweetness, and smoke. Good for everyday use.

Perfect on tacos

Heat Level: – Mild. One of the mildest habanero sauces I’ve tried. It can light you up for a few seconds, then disappear behind the sweet maple syrup and smokiness. Pleasant.

Label/Graphics: The clear label wrap on the bottle really shows off the sauce. The logo and graphics are simple and classy – love the design.

Not a fan of clear lables

But I’m not a fan of that clear style label. Usually, and quite so in this case, the graphics just don’t stand out or pop enough for me. Hot Maple’s color scheme almost matches the sauce, only adding to the lack of contrast. Those graphics really need some brighter colors on a clear label.

Bonus points for the awesome metal cap on the bottle!

It’s wider than most 5oz. bottles, with a nice metal ‘zip strip’ and when the bottle is empty, punch a hole in that cap and use it for a salt and pepper shaker. ~ creator Matt Hilla

Final Thoughts

I loved Hot Maple Smokey Habanero on my tacos. It gave me everything I like about a taco sauce – sweetness, heat, and a thick texture.

On pizza, again another winning combo. As you can see from some of the pics, I really went through most of the bottle working on this review.

Overall Rating: – 4.5/5 stars – A perfect example of flavor over heat in a habanero sauce. Highly recommended!

Available in single bottles, a three-pack and even 1/2 gallon jugs at HotMaple.com

Disclaimer: We received this product courtesy of the manufacturer for review.

A & B American Style Pepper Sauce

by Marilyn Meagher : 03/06/2014

I came across A&B American Style Pepper Sauce at the First Annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo last year (which was an amazing event, thank you Steve Seabury!). Knowing that A&B is going to be in attendance again at this year’s event, I figured it was time to share this find with you, our readers.

A&B American Style Pepper Sauce

Our mission: Our Pepper Sauce is a great, all-natural replacement for your existing hot sauce, cocktail sauce or even ketchup. Though we think it’s amazing on everything you eat, it’s especially mind-blowing on oysters, shrimp, eggs and burgers.

I didn’t have any oysters or shrimp on hand, but after tasting this sauce, I can see why it shines on those foods. I did try A&B on some quesadillas and pizza.

Ingredients: White Vinegar, Red Fresno Chili Pepper, Carrot, Red Onion, Habanero Pepper, Salt

Texture and Appearance: This is a thick, deep-orange sauce, with the consistency of Sriracha. It doesn’t run or separate at all, and clings to the spoon very well. Perfect.

Taste straight up: A hint of sweetness comes first (from the carrots and peppers – no sugar here!), with just a trace of vinegar. The onion and pepper flavors are extremely well-balanced, making this a very enjoyable sauce. Stellar taste.

Heat level: – Mild. Only 1.5 stars, but the blend of peppers results in a heat that warms the entire mouth. Very satisfying.

Taste on food: We tried this on chicken quesadillas, and loved it! I first just dipped the quesadilla into the sauce, but when slathered on top, it set up very nicely. It actually turned into a paste on top of the warm flour tortilla. A great sauce for dipping AND slathering! Excellent!

Label and Graphics: I love the old medicine-style 8 oz bottle, and the label follows that theme with old-timey fonts on a brown paper label. Classic.

Overall Rating: – I give this 4 out of 5 stars for excellent overall flavor, perfect on any food you can imagine. It’s a little more expensive than other craft sauces we’ve had, but it is a great product made with great ingredients. Highly recommended.

A&B on Social Media: On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest.

A&B’s tag line is “Flavor. Not just heat”, and they prove that with this sauce.
Check out their website www.abamerican.com to order their sauce and see all of the stores that carry their sauce. And tell them HotSauceDaily sent you!

Disclaimer: We purchased this product for our own personal use and review purposes. No compensation was received. The thoughts and opinions expressed are our own.

Sriracha Bloody Mary Mixer from Powell and Mahoney

by Brian Meagher : 02/17/2014

Our second in a series of Sunday Bloody Mary goodness comes from Powell and Mahoney Limited. Their “Super Spicy” Sriracha Bloody Mary mixer is all natural, gluten free, and is “handcrafted in Vermont”.

Sriracha Bloody Mary Mixer from Powell and Mahoney

One of the newest flavors in the line-up of 12 mixers from Powell & Mahoney, Sriracha Bloody Mary packs quite a punch of spice and flavor. We reviewed Powell & Mahoney’s Original 1926 Recipe Bloody Mary mixer last year, and that one was pretty spicy all on its own – Sriracha Bloody Mary kicks the flavor and heat level up a few notches.

Based on the ingredient list, I’m guessing they are using a proprietary sriracha recipe that includes cayenne and red jalapeño peppers, but no garlic. So this is a different creature here, and not the usual “rooster sauce” in the plastic bottle.

This is a Bloody Mary mix for you lovers of Sriracha flavor and heat. Read on for the details…

Ingredients: filtered water, tomato paste, Sriracha (cayenne pepper puree, water, organic cane sugar, red jalapeno peppers, distilled vinegar, spices, xanthan gum, citric acid), distilled vinegar, cane sugar, organic gluten-free vegan worcestershire sauce (organic apple cider vinegar, organic molasses, organic wheat-free tamari (water, organic soybeans, salt), filtered water, organic evaporated cane juice, salt), organic lemon juice concentrate, organic ginger puree, organic tamarind, organic chili pepper, organic garlic powder, xanthan gum, organic shiitake mushrooms, organic allspice, organic cloves, organic orange extract, organic lemon extract, natural smoke flavor, natural onion flavor (onion oil), horseradish, sea salt, onion dried, dried garlic, citric acid, lemon juice concentrate, celery seed.

Texture & Appearance: – Very thick and slightly pulpy with a bright red color. I love a thick bloody mary mixer like this one. After all, a bloody mary is practically breakfast, right? So the thicker, the better in my opinion.

Taste Straight Up: – An aroma of fresh crushed tomatoes is up front, hinting of homemade pasta sauce. But the first taste is all fresh tomato with a big hit of chile peppers and heat, with a nice, mild sweetness. After the chile pepper profile, the next biggest flavor to me is the dark, almost umami taste of the Worcestershire sauce. Almost exactly the same dark flavor component as their original Bloody Mary mixer.

I find this part of the overall flavor to be delicious! I love the all natural Worcestershire blend they use, and find it much more enjoyable than the usual Lea & Perrins style sauce.

The supporting players, or ingredients, don’t really stand out. The acids, mushrooms, allspice and clove, and even the garlic and horseradish are very muted.

Heat Level: – The heat blossoms in the back of my throat and makes my head sweat. It’s a pungent and sharp burn, but doesn’t last long, thus encouraging you to enjoy each sip. This is one of the hottest bloody mary mixers I’ve tried so far.

Label/Graphics: – Just as classy as all of their labels, this one includes an iconic red rooster in front of “Sriracha”.

Final Thoughts

You gotta love your Bloody Mary hot to enjoy this mixer. It doesn’t mess around.

And yet, as good as it stands on its own, you could certainly doctor it up with some additional horseradish or garlic, and lime or lemon juice for starters.

About Powell & Mahoney

Powell & Mahoney, Ltd. was founded by two-beverage industry veterans who were inspired by the lack of quality mixers made available to consumers. Noticing a true need in the market, the duo combined their expertise and passion and launched the successful mixer brand. Powell & Mahoney, Ltd. has reinvented classic cocktail recipes by swapping out artificial flavoring and preservatives for hand selected, better-for-you ingredients.

Where to buy: Powell & Mahoney handcrafted cocktail mixers and bar ingredients are available at many Crate & Barrel Stores, Whole Foods in Washington and Texas, among others, and numerous other grocery chains. Visit http://powellandmahoney.com/find-us

You can also order directly from them at http://powellandmahoney.com

I hope you Bloody Mary lovers enjoyed learning about Powell & Mahoney’s Sriracha Bloody Mary Mix. Please leave a Comment below to share anything Bloody Mary! We love to learn too!

Disclaimer: We received this product courtesy of the manufacturer for review.

Murphs Hot and Spicy Famous Bloody Mary Mix

by Brian Meagher : 02/09/2014

The Murph’s Hot & Spicy Famous Bloody Mary Mix is their newest and spiciest version of the very tasty and successful “The Murph’s Famous Bloody Mary Mix”. The original version is a stellar stand-alone mixer that is as delicious on the rocks as a breakfast beverage as it is for a “wake me up” adult vodka Bloody Mary.

Now that the football season is over, and the worst Super Bowl of all time is history… what do we have to look forward to on Sundays?

Bloody Marys, of course!

Over the next few weeks, on Sundays, we’ll bring you our reviews of some Bloody Mary Mixers that we are sure you will enjoy. These are some of the best of the best… so let’s get started.

Murph’s Hot & Spicy Famous Bloody Mary Mix

We loved the original Murph’s Famous Bloody Mary Mix. That 5 Star mixer won the top spot in our Bloody Mary Mix Roundup.

Let’s look at Murph’s new Hot & Spicy version.

Ingredients:water, tomato paste, worcestershire (distilled vinegar, corn syrup, water, salt, garlic powder, spices, tamarind, natural flavor), lemon juice concentrate, horseradish, lime juice concentrate, salt, cayenne pepper sauce (cayenne pepper, vinegar, xanthan gum), celery salt, black pepper, garlic & onion.

Texture: Thick and pulpy. This mixer fills the mouth with a thick, savory flavor and a mouth full of taste. Very satisfying. Standing alone, as a non-alcoholic beverage, it’s delicious.

texture of original and hot & spicy Murphs Bloody Mary Mix

Original, l. Hot & Spicy, r.

Taste: The cayenne hot sauce really shines here. Personally, I prefer more horseradish flavor, but the cayenne is a nice change. Many readers and fans of cayenne sauces will love this blend. Spicy is the key word here.

Much spicier than the Original. Therein lies the rub… as much as we like our hot sauces spicy, we prefer our BBQ sauces BBQ-y and our Bloody Mary Mixers – well, bloody. We like them tomato-y with nice spice blends. We would rather add our own horseradish and seasonings to kick things up.

Heat Level: – Just a notch above mildly spicy, Murph’s Hot & Spicy brings on some heat, but I wouldn’t call it “Hot”. That’s probably a good thing for the general public.

Final Thoughts: Cayenne pepper fans will love this mixer, but we prefer the original Murph’s Famous Bloody Mary Mix over this version.

Kudos to Murph for changing the packaging for both recipes to the nice wide mouth bottle. It’s still a full 1 Liter of mixer, in a better package.

About Murph’s Famous:

Stephen “The Murph” Murphy created his original Murph’s Famous Bloody Mary Mix to overcome “bland” mixes that just didn’t cut it.
Featured on the Today Show, The Murph’s Bloody Marys were a favorite of Kathie Lee and Hoda!
Visit MurphsFamous.com for a very entertaining experience. Check out the Murph TV section for great videos and the Recipe section for unique recipes like Bloody Meatloaf, Gazpacho, Hot Wings, Brisket marinade, and Salsa Sauce and Shrimp Cocktails. Good stuff indeed!

Cheers! And thanks for reading HotSauceDaily.com!

Jerk BBQ Wings with Hoboken Eddie’s

by Brian Meagher : 01/24/2014

Day 6 of our Week of Wings features a Caribbean Jerk BBQ sauce from Hoboken Eddies.

Jerk Wings with Hoboken Eddie’s Jamican Jerk BBQ Sauce

Week of Wings 5 – Day 6. I love jerk seasonings and jerk sauces, and so I usually include them in our Week of Wings series. This one is a little different in that it’s not your typical jerk sauce. Hoboken Eddie’s Jamaican Jerk BBQ is more of a thick, barbecue style sauce with jerk overtones. It made some hot, spicy wings.

Preparation: Deep fried. We did our usual 3 step cook – baked at 350º for 40 minutes (turning once half-way through), deep fried at 350 – 375º for 2 – 3 minutes, then tossed in the sauce. See our Wings 101 post for more info.

Ingredients: relish, apricot jam, jalapeño peppers, ketchup, hot sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, chopped cherry peppers, worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, ginger, water, liquid smoke, allspice, cinnamon, curry powder, chives.

Texture and Appearance: Dark reddish brown in color, this jerk bbq sauce is very thick and super chunky, thanks to the first ingredient of relish.
It coated our wings well, and the bits of relish and peppers added some nice texture. Beautiful.

Taste straight up: First up, you know you’re eating a smoky tomatoey BBQ sauce. A fruity sweetness and spice are next, with some considerable heat coming in last.
It’s a pleasant taste overall, and the tiny chunks add to the mouth feel. Sweet and spicy.

Taste on wings: Sweet and flavorful, this sauce is hard to characterize. The Jamaican Jerk BBQ influence is there, but in a light-weight amount. Ginger, cinnamon and garlic play a big role in that.

Marilyn tasted a heavy roasted veggies profile that she found delicious. Also, she is not a fan of jerk sauces, but thoroughly enjoyed this sauce on our wings, and looks forward to trying it on some ribs.

I find it very fruity, without being too sweet – a nice complex balance of flavors. I think of it as “Americanized Jerk”, as it really is a BBQ sauce first. And the smokiness was muted in the end. Very unique.

Heat Level: – I know we’re only talking about jalapeños and cherry peppers here, but this sauce brings on a good amount of heat. Our lips were tingling, and the burn fills the mouth and throat. It’s not exactly short-lived either. Warm.

Overall rating: – Our most unusual wings of the series this week. Jamaican Jerk BBQ Sauce from Hoboken Eddie’s is a fantastic sauce with so many possibilities, from burgers, to ribs, to pork and chicken.

I don’t want to forget to mention the awesome 14 ounce “flask” bottle is a hefty and attractive package.

Disclaimer: We received this product courtesy of the manufacturer for review.

About Hoboken Eddies

Chef Edmund Patrick “Hoboken Eddie” McCarthy starts with the highest quality ingredients and then mixes them with a secret array of herbs and spices to conjure-up his tastebud tantalizing sauces.never thickened with cornstarch or xathum gum,you can taste the difference, There are no animal products, fats, or oils.

At last check, Hoboken Eddie has a line-up of 17 different and unique sauces ranging from BBQs to hot sauces; from mustards to chutneys, and some sauces that defy categorization.

Visit HobokenEddies.com to check out his awesome line of products.

Follow HobokenEddies on Facebook too.

More Week of Wings 5

Week of Wings 5 – Day 1: Patter Fam Sauces Sissy Sally Wing Sauce
Week of Wings 5 – Day 2: Datil Pepper BBQ Rubbed Wings
Week of Wings 5 – Day 3: Spicey Rooster Buffalo Wing Sauce
Week of Wings 5 – Day 4: Sweet Baby Rays 3 Wing Sauces
Week of Wings 5 – Day 5: Crystal and Louisiana Brand Wing Sauces
Week of Wings 5 – Day 6: Jerk Wings with Hoboken Eddies Jamaican BBQ Sauce
Week of Wings 5 – Day 7: Seven wing recipes to try this year

Crystal and Louisiana Brand Wing Sauces

by Brian Meagher : 01/23/2014

Week of Wings Day 5 has us back in the grocery isle to check out two cayenne based wing sauces from two classic sauce makers: Crystal and Louisiana Brand.

Crystal Wing Sauce & Louisiana Brand Wing Sauce

Week of Wings 5 – Day 5. We’re going old school today with two Louisiana hot sauce originals. Both companies launched in the 1920’s and each claim to be “number one” – Louisiana Brand with “Still the Original – the One with the Red Dot” and Crystal proclaiming “#1 Hot Sauce in Louisiana”.

Both have fascinating histories surrounding their hot sauces, but we’re looking at their versions of “original” wing sauces. If this were a “smackdown”, we’ve picked a clear winner. Read on to see which one came out on top.

Crystal Wing Sauce “Original”

Makes a zesty marinade for poultry, seafood, wild game – and fruits and vegetables, too. Those who want their wings extra tasty choose Crystal Wing sauce.

Ingredients: aged red peppers, distilled vinegar, corn syrup, food starch modified, dehydrated garlic and onion, salt, xanthan gum, artificial butter flavoring.

Texture and Appearance: Thin texture and bright orange in color. Tiny flecks of either the peppers or garlic and onion. Marilyn thinks it has the color of Nehi Orange Soda.

Taste straight up: Smooth, buttery, light vinegar taste, but artificial.

Taste on wings: Very little vinegar now, butter taste almost disappears, not much other flavor to speak of. Below average.

Heat Level: ½ Star – Just not there. Plain Jane heat (apologies to our readers named “Jane”).

Overall rating: ½ Star – We not saying this is a bad sauce, but it is so mild and plain, that it just may be the right one for beginners, kids, mothers-in-laws and the like. Hey, you may love this one! If so, tell us in the Comments below.

For now, we’ll pass on this one as a go-to wing sauce. Sorry, Crystal… we had high hopes.

About Crystal Hot Sauce

Crystal also makes an “Extra Hot” version of their wing sauce. They also make quite a few other sauces that we would love to try, including Worcestershire, Steak, Teriyaki and Soy. Visit http://www.baumerfoods.com/ for all of them.

Bonus: Check out the history of Baumer Foods, aka Crystal Preserves. See the Art Deco sign. Read about their history… it’s fascinating.
http://www.baumerfoods.com/history.php

Louisiana Brand Wing Sauce

The heat that created the hot wing phenomenon originated in Louisiana, and Louisiana Wing Sauce takes it to the next level.

Ingredients: red peppers, vinegar, salt, soybean oil, sugar, xanthan gum, polysorbate 80, citric acid, datem, natural garlic flavor.

Texture and Appearance: This very dark orange colored sauce clings nicely to the wings. Medium thick.

Taste straight up: Vinegar and cayenne first, a bit salty, but very smooth.

Taste on wings: Great classic buffalo wing taste, a classic. Better than most bar wings. Adding butter is key, flavor is big and satisfying.

Heat Level: – Fairly hot, but not a “bring you to your knees” heat… it’s an enjoyable heat. Kudos to Louisiana Brand for nailing a great heat level.

Overall rating: – Our favorite “buffalo style” grocery bottled sauce of the week. Classic flavor, great heat. Recommended.

About Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce

Louisiana Brand from Bruce Foods have quite a stable of other wings sauces that you may be interested in, including Honey Mustard Wing, Jalapeño Lime Wing, Wing Sauce Seasoning, and many other goodies.

Visit them at http://www.brucefoods.com/louisiana-hot-sauce.html

Fun fact: We quite often review a store bought product, only to learn afterwards that they offer many other products that we don’t usually find on our shelves at the grocer, so we try to share them with you here.

As a result, we plan to order just about every other product from Baumer Foods / Crystal, as well as the rest of the lineup from Bruce Foods / Louisiana Brand. And we hope you will too.

Disclaimer: We purchased this product for our own personal use and review purposes. No compensation was received. The thoughts and opinions expressed are our own.

More Week of Wings 5

Week of Wings 5 – Day 1: Patter Fam Sauces Sissy Sally Wing Sauce
Week of Wings 5 – Day 2: Datil Pepper BBQ Rubbed Wings
Week of Wings 5 – Day 3: Spicey Rooster Buffalo Wing Sauce
Week of Wings 5 – Day 4: Sweet Baby Rays 3 Wing Sauces
Week of Wings 5 – Day 5: Crystal and Louisiana Brand Wing Sauces
Week of Wings 5 – Day 6: Jerk BBQ Wings with Hoboken Eddies
Week of Wings 5 – Day 7: Seven wing recipes to try this year

Sweet Baby Rays Wings 3 Ways

by Brian Meagher : 01/22/2014

Day 4 of Week of Wings. It’s time to visit the grocery store to see what the wing sauces on the shelves offer. Today it’s three styles of Sweet Baby Ray’s wing sauces in the spotlight.

Sweet Baby Ray’s – Sweet Chili – Buffalo and Kickin’ Bourbon Wing Sauces

Week of Wings 5 – Day 4. Our featured wings today are a 3 way from Sweet Baby Ray’s. Sweet Chili Wing Sauce and Glaze, Buffalo Wing Sauce and Glaze, and Kickin’ Bourbon Wing Sauce and Glaze. All are easily found on your local grocer’s shelves.

We like Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauces – who doesn’t? I would venture to say they are probably America’s favorite store-bought sauces. But how do their wing sauces hold up? “The Sauce is The Boss” as they say.

Preparation: Deep fried. Again, we did our usual 3 step cook – baked at 350º for 40 minutes (turning once half-way through), deep fried at 350 – 375º for 2 – 3 minutes, then tossed in the sauce. See our Wings 101 post for more info.

Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet Chili Wing Sauce & Glaze

First up, is their Sweet Chili sauce.

This sauce starts off sweet, but spicy red chili peppers provide enough heat to fire up an order of wings or liven up grilled salmon, popcorn shrimp, or pork chips.

Ingredients: high fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, aged cayenne pepper, water, modified food starch, salt, sugar, contains less than 2% of: sriracha chile sauce, red bell pepper, garlic, wheat, soybeans, vegetable oil, chicken base, spice, chile de arbol pepper, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, sodium metabisulfite as preservatives, xanthan gum, paprika.

Texture and Appearance: Typical thick and sticky chile sauce, with bits of ingredients floating about. Clean.

Taste on wings: Super sweet and very sticky. Finger licking goodness with just a touch of heat. Enjoyable.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: ★☆☆☆☆. Just a tingle of heat. Ultra mild.

Satisfaction: ★☆☆☆☆ – 1 Star – We think these wings are “acceptable”. And we think this sauce would make a great crockpot full of meatballs (which we plan to try), or added to baked beans, or as a glaze on ham or pork.

Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Wing Sauce & Glaze

Next up, their version of Buffalo Wing Sauce.

… full flavored sauce with the perfect blend of cayenne pepper and garlic, and a rich butter finish.

Ingredients: aged cayenne pepper, distilled vinegar, margarine, water, salt, dried garlic, contains less than 2% of: vegetable oil, paprika, xanthan gum, propylene glycol alginate, citric acid. Gluten free.

Texture and Appearance: Thin and bright orange in color. We’re back to the typical “buffalo style” bottled sauce look here. Moderately clingy and sets up on the wings. Great cling factor.

Taste on wings: This has all the taste of a very traditional wing from your local bar. Not a lot of butter taste, and the vinegar flavor is very mild. The taste is average, and the heat only slightly hotter than other bottled sauces from the store. Tangy.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: ★☆☆☆☆ Hotter than some store sauces, but only at a bare minimum. Would make for an acceptable wing that everyone could enjoy. Nice quality of flavor. Reliable.

Satisfaction: ★★☆☆☆ – 2 Stars – Nothing wrong with these mild wings. They’re just what you would imagine from a bar with a decent mild wing. Average.

Sweet Baby Ray’s Kickin’ Bourbon Wing Sauce & Glaze

Finally, the BBQ version of their wing sauce.

“Smooth bourbon, sticky molasses and spicy peppers …”

Ingredients: water, high fructose corn syrup, aged cayenne pepper, molasses, distilled vinegar, modified food starch, salt, contains less than 2% of: bourbon, dried garlic, chipotle pepper, spice, natural flavor, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate as preservatives, xanthan gum, tomato paste, paprika, sucralose, citric acid, sodium citrate.

Texture and Appearance: Dark almost mahogany colored. This mildly thick sauce is the BBQ Wing sauce king of the bunch. It clings nicely to the wings. Classic bbq.

Taste on wings: This is a BBQ wing. Make no mistake about it. Superior to your average bar bbq wing, these are very satisfying and tasty. Winner.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: ★★☆☆☆ – 2 stars – Heat is just under medium here. This is all about the BBQ wing. Classy.

Satisfaction: ★★★☆☆ – 3 stars – Almost tops on our preference for a bbq wing. Delicious and savory. Preferred.

Disclaimer: We purchased this product for our own personal use and review purposes. No compensation was received. The thoughts and opinions expressed are our own.

More Week of Wings 5

Week of Wings 5 – Day 1: Patter Fam Sauces Sissy Sally Wing Sauce
Week of Wings 5 – Day 2: Datil Pepper BBQ Rubbed Wings
Week of Wings 5 – Day 3: Spicey Rooster Buffalo Wing Sauce
Week of Wings 5 – Day 4: Sweet Baby Rays 3 Wing Sauces
Week of Wings 5 – Day 5: Crystal and Louisiana Brand Wing Sauces
Week of Wings 5 – Day 6: Jerk BBQ Wings with Hoboken Eddies
Week of Wings 5 – Day 7: Seven wing recipes to try this year