Review - Flaming Joe's Buffalo Dust, X-Hot
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Yes, believe it or not, this is my first formal review of any Flaming Joe's product. I've been a fan of his jerk sauces and jellies since I sampled them at the Weekend of Fire a few years back yet have not gotten any of my thoughts of them on paper...er...I mean on a computer monitor for the world to see. Nonetheless, as I have promised, here is the latest food enhancer created by the Joe Leicht. This one called Buffalo Dust is a dried, powdery concoction that approximates a general "buffalo"/hot sauce taste in whatever you shift it on. Does it do any justice to your dishes? Well, read on and find out...
Ingredients:
Dehydrated Hot Sauce ((aged Cayenne Red Peppers, Vinegar, salt, Garlic), Maltodextrin, Silicon Dioxide), Butter Flavor (Maltodextrin, Butter Blend (whey, butter, buttermilk), salt, dextrose, turmeric and annatto extracts (for natural color), disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, Silicon Dioxide), mesquite smoke flavor on a corn flour base, Dehydrated Worcestershire Sauce (Maltodextrin, Worcestershire Sauce (Distilled Vinegar, Molasses, Corn Syrup, Salt, Caramel Color, Garlic Powder, Sugar, Spices, Tamarind, Natural Flavor and Sulfating Agents), Silicon Dioxide), Ghost Chile, Cayenne Pepper
Aroma:
3 out of 5. You'd better be careful attempting to catch a whiff of this stuff. Since Flaming Joe's Buffalo Dust is for the most part a fine powder, enough can end up in your nasal passages and cause irritation, sneezing or even coughing. That having been said, a cautious smell will reveal a light dried pepper scent with a smoky edge to it, and even a faint butter-like quality to it..
Appearance and Texture:
4 out of 5. This is a fine powder with a nice orange tint to it. There is nearly no caking when sprinkling some of of the bottle but like all powdered herb, spices and seasoning mixes it's best to keep a steady hand on it when dispensing.
Taste Straight Up:
4 out of 5. I backhanded a line of this dust and licked it off. Immediately there was a combination warm, comfortable feeling of cayennes with an instant sting of bhut jolokias with considerable amount (yet still within the bounds of my comfort realm) of salt. The flavor, was smooth, natural and smoky. I also sensed some borderline butteriness and sweetness out of this.
Taste On Food
4 out of 5. With a name like "Buffalo Dust", it's a given to give this product the ol' college try on fried chicken wings. I whipped up about a dozen crispy and juicy chicken appendages and gave them a healthy coating of Flaming Joe's spicy powder. I tore into these babies and was extremely content with the results. The fine dust blended terrifically with the moist, crispy skin of the chicken texture-wise, while the taste was dead on the money with the amount of fiery attack it had. It is by no means a replacement for normal, liquid buffalo sauce goodness, but for a dry seasoning it's mighty pleasing to the tongue.
Next was a sprinkling for popcorn. Other than butter or a butter-esque oily substitute, I am NOT a fan of anything wet on my popcorn. Therefore, I really don't care for dashes of hot sauce on popped corn unlike some of you out there do. I do love dry seasonings on this classic of all snacks. Flaming Joe's X-Hot Buffalo Dust did admirably, providing a warmth and saltiness that made the plain corn rise several notches above hum-drum. While not as scrumptious as Defcon's Smokey Dust or Anthony Spices Phoenix White Cheddar Jalapeno Powder, there was little to complain about here.
I also gave a few shakes on my personal portion of potatoes au gratin. It melded beautifully with the cheese sauce! Great sparkling heat and a super, smooth flavor that makes this a wondrous compliment to cheese.
Heat:
3 out of 5. If I had not mentioned this before, Buffalo Dust is able to get the full brunt of cayennes and then some (and no doubt a touch of the above mid-level heat is lovingly supplied by the ghost peppers). Ultimately, how much burn you get is dependent on how much you use. A light dusting will gave mild mouths a tolerable burn, and a hefty coating will please most chileheads. As I mentioned it before, the heat erupts right away and most of it ends up on the tongue.
Label:
2.5 out of 5. The familiar visage of "Flaming" Joe Leicht is on here so it's unmistakably one of his products, but I've never cared much for the font, bland look and layout.
Overall: 
Joe and his wife Robin once again prove that they can branch out from their excellent jerk sauces and chile jams with this fiery, dusty item.
A two-ounce shaker bottle runs for $7.00 plus shipping from the Flaming Joe's website.
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Comments
2011-04-24 21:37:29
Instead of the traditional deep frying, we chose to grill them.
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