Review - Blair's Original Death and Jalapeno Death Sauces
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Because there's only so much time in the day, it's impossible for me to write about every sauce I've encountered, both new and old. In an effort to keep things balanced, I'll do a double review today, where one will be a classic, Blair's Original Death Sauce, plus a relatively new sauce in the Death line that I've never tasted before this review, Blair's Jalapeno Death Sauce with Tequila.
Jalapeno Death Sauce with Tequila
Ingredients:
Fresh Jalapeno Chilies, Vinegar, Tomatillos, Fresh Garlic, Key Lime Juice, Shallots, Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Cilantro, Cane Sugar, Onions, Tequila, Spices, Xanthan Gum.
Aroma:
2.5 out of 5. Smells very little like chile peppers to me, but was very strong on the cilantro, garlic, onions, scallions, and lime. Sensed a wee bit o' tomatillos, too. Complex, but just was not my cup of tea.
Appearance and Texture:
4 out of 5. Beautiful green with a medium-thick viscosity. Lots of ground tomatillos and jalapenos, plus spices and chile seeds interspersed throughout.
Taste Straight Up:
2 out of 5 (first test), 3 out of 5 (second test). During my first taste test, I thought it was a bit too heavy on the cilantro (and despite what others have said, I do not hate cilantro!), and had formidable performances from tomatillos, onions, vinegar, tequila and lime - this is a tart, bright, vegetable-dominated sauce. Nice and complex, but I was somewhat disappointed, for this could have used much more jalapeno taste. I ate this with fried chicken breast strips (see below) and after five or six dips, I simply did not want any more Jalapeno Death.
After being unimpressed with it the first time, I decided to give it another shot this morning. For some reason, it tasted much better.
The Jalapeno Death is akin to the most delicious snack cake in the world that's trapped in a plastic wrapper; you know there's something awesome hiding in there, it's just tough to taste it through the cellophane to fully appreciate it. I know there's probably a really good sauce lurking in there, but I'm just not tasting it for some reason. So maybe repeat usage will make me fall in love with it. Who knows? After all, I was beginning to warm up to it the second go around.
Heat:
1.5 out of 5. Despite the "Death" moniker, this is easily one of the mildest sauces in Blair's line (only Sweet Death is less fiery). This would be comfortable to most hot sauce users, but total flame fanatics might be a bit disappointed.
Original Death Sauce
Ingredients:
Red and Orange Habaneros, Vinegar, Fresh Cayenne, Smashed Garlic, Chipotle, Lime Juice, Cilantro, Fresh Herbs and Spices.
Aroma:
2.5 out of 5. I've never thought any of Blair's sauces were all that appealing in the aroma department. I think their sauces' strength is in their taste (when it's a good sauce, of course). That having been said, I smelled fresh chiles, vinegar, and a touch of chipotle's distinctive smoky odor. It's decent and not too overpowering, but not exactly mouthwatering.
Appearance and Texture:
4.5 out of 5. Original Death has a terrific, chunky texture and a medium thickness and consistency (similar to the Jalapeno Death Sauce above). Gorgeous reddish color with pepper chunkettes (if that's not a word, I'll invent it right now) and plenty of chile seeds.
Taste Straight Up:
5 out of 5. The taste of this is deceptive. One lick or spoonful of this might leave me thinking of the taste, "it's okay, but..." and leaving me a tiny underwhelmed. But slop some of this on a burger, on a burrito, or with chicken tenders (see below) and soon you'll be pouring more and more on your meal, pouring a small pool out on your plate for dipping and sopping up with your food, to finally getting at the point where you'll be craving it day and night. If you're like me, you'll reach a state of being a frazzled, Original Death-addicted mess. And love every minute of it.
The flavor itself is a good infusion of all of the ingredients and might be a good example of something being greater than the sum of it's parts. I tasted fresh chiles, vinegar, and just a dash of smokiness, yet there was nothing I could tell that was extremely specific. For instance, the first ingredients listed are red and orange habs, but I was unable to detect hardly any of the habaneros' trademark fruitiness. It's simply a nice blend of things that really work well together and produce a flavor all their own.
Heat:
3 out of 5. Original Death falls squarely into the "gray zone" that lies between mild & medium hot sauces and the "super-hots". If you're somewhat new to pepper sauces, or if you like the milder stuff like Tabasco or Cholula and are looking for something with a little more kick and are not yet ready for habanero or extract-based sauces, this may be right down your alley. At around 30,000 Scoville Heat Units, you'll feel the burn, but it certainly won't leave you running for a gallon of icy-cold milk to put the fire out. It's get the optimal balance of flavor and fire.
Taste on Food
As mentioned earlier, some of my chicken breast strips were the test meal for this review. At first, I thought the Jalapeno Death really did not go that swimmingly with the chicken; it had too much cilantro and not enough real chile pepper taste in my opinion. Upon a second review (again, with the same kind of chicken for breakfast) I started to warm up to this sauce.
Original Death, though, was made for fried chicken, and a hundred other food items and dishes. This is perfect for dippin'. So good, that I had to pour out more on my plate several times. I wanted to coat the chicken pieces with a heavy covering of Original Death, so my dipping puddle kept running dry. What more can I say other than I love this stuff?
Taste on Food
5 out of 5. One of benefits of purchasing Blair's condiments is the labels. Colorful, unmistakably "Blair's" in style, and each (as do all of the Death sauces in Blair's flagship lineup) comes with a cool, removable, rubber skull keychain affixed to the black plastic seal around the top.
Overall
A bottle of Blair's Original Death Sauce should be in every chilehead's refrigerator. If not, buy one immediately. Jalapeno Death Sauce with Tequila may be an acquired taste. I'd say that if you love green sauces and salsas that are heavy in cilantro, tomatillos and garlic, it may be worthy of a trial on your part. Me, I'm going to try it on a few more items before giving my final verdict on it. Jalapeno Death may be something I have to "grow into".
Any online hot sauce store worth its weight in cayenne peppers will carry both sauces. It's also available from Blair's own website at http://www.extremefood.com. A 5 oz. bottle of Original Death is around $6.95, and the same sized bottle of Jalapeno Death runs about $8.95.
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2009-08-05 08:55:53
2010-04-04 22:41:27
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