Review - Happy Dogs Hot Sauce
I love supporting local businesses - the person you help may literally be the neighbor of someone you know. So here's another St. Louis, Missouri-based chile pepper sauce that I'm pleased to feature. The name is Happy Dogs Hot Sauce, a red vinegar, habanero and cayenne pepper-based condiment with a label shows off company owner Patrick Gilmore's lovable-looking pooches named Oscar, Coney and Brigitte. But does this condiment make me as happy as the canines featured? Read on to see.
Ingredients: Vinegar, aged red habanero peppers, garlic, salt, cayenne peppers, xanthan gum.
Bottle in hand and eager to see what a fellow Missourian offered for a hot sauce, I removed the plastic shrink band. As soon as I did, I was hit with a pungent odor of vinegar. Mind you, I can take heavy amounts of either white vinegar or cider vinegar in my condiments, and I'm a big fan of Louisiana style pepper sauce, but this stuff was exceptionally strong! Why did I smell vinegar without even unscrewing the cap? Well, as soon as I removed the cap, I discovered that the flow restrictor on the end of the bottle was cracked and therefore allowed some of the sauce to leak out through the threads of the bottle cap and ultimately down the bottleneck a bit.
Accidents happen, but the aroma of Happy Dogs Hot Dogs was very unappealing. Not the best way to start a review.
Speaking of the aforementioned Louisiana-style staples, Happy Dogs's consistency is not unlike Trappey's, Tabasco, and Crystal Hot Sauces - it's thin and watery. But it contains visible shreds and specks of peppers, not to mention chile seeds. Perhaps this red, splashable liquid had something more to offer?
I was worried that this would be a vinegar-fest because of the smell. Upon a simple taste, the prospects looked brighter. It certainly had a lot of punchy tartness from the vinegar. It also possesed a nice flavor and heat from the dual onslaught of the habaneros and cayennes. I really liked it.
I have to admit, though, that because of the high vinegar content that Happy Dogs may not be as versatile as other comparable sauces. I think Mexican dishes may benefit from Happy Dogs, but would items such as morning eggs, popcorn, wings, and sandwiches be good with it on them? The sauce may be too overpowering.
I tried some cheesy chili rice and hamburger. It was indeed vinegar-y but gave the rice a good kick in the pants. Overall, it was a satisfying meal.
Heat-wise, Happy Dogs is a medium-hot sauce, and I gave it a 2.5 on a burn scale of 1 through 5, with 5 being the hottest. It will provide enough warmth for hardcore chileheads while being accessable to those with timid tongues (if they happen to use it sparingly).
It's not for everybody and it won't be included in my roster of "go to" sauces. Yet it's nice to have something like this around for the times when you want a sauce that's a little different and containing the sparkling tang of vinegar. It gets a solid 3 out of 4 from me.
The Happy Dogs website lists numerous brick and morter locations, most situated around Missouri and Illinois, at which you can pick up a bottle. You can also contact Patrick Gilmore on the same webpage to see about ordering this sauce for yourself.
Related Articles:
Spicy Food Reviews - Hot Sauce Reviews, Hot Snacks, Hot Wings, Seasonings, BBQ Sauces, Condiments, and More
Comments
2009-09-22 19:55:32
Add Your Comment: