Review - McCoy's THIS Thick Irish Hot Sauce
Digg
Share
During the recent Fiery Foods Show, McCoy's Irish-American founders Bill McCoy and Dave McNeely confided in everyone that the penultimate plans for their hot sauce, monikered THIS, is to have a bottle of it atop every table in every Irish pub in America. But what exactly in the world is "THIS"? Well, it's an acronym of Thick Irish Hot Sauce. THIS is billed as being based on "a secret recipe handed down for generations from great, great, great, great granddaddy McCoy", who had "sailed the world searching for the best peppers" and after apparently being successful in finding them "returned to Ireland with THIS".
If you're unfamiliar the concept of an "Irish hot sauce", you're not alone; neither am I. So THIS may be the first thing I've eaten that's been called that term. Clever marketing ploy or not, I simply wanted to see how this all-natural elixir would fare with pub food and if this would belong in your kitchen to add to your own food creations.
Ingredients:
Vinegar, Tomato Paste, Tomatoes, Onions, Brown Sugar, Peppers, Carrots, Garlic, Cayenne Pepper, Horseradish, Spices, Salt.
I have to mention one point. The label urges one to "refrigerate after opening". How can this ba a Tabasco Sauce replacement table sauce if you've got to keep this stuff chilled? Well, technically it probably doesn't need refrigeration if it's vinegar-based, as vinegar slows decay by a considerable amount. I think it's fine to leave out on a restaurant or pub table all evening with no serious worries.
Aroma:
3 out of 5. An interesting amalgamation of smells. It's mainly onions and bell peppers, and they are first noticeable (a la a stuffed green pepper hamburger mix), with lots of tomato coming in not too far behind and eventually domination the tangy, fruity odor.
Appearance and Texture:
3.5 out of 5. McCoy's THIS may resemble regular tomato ketchup, but it's actually far thicker. This sauce may actually need another "T" in the name! You'll need several violent shakes to extract THIS from the bottle (and perhaps a butter knife). Perhaps a mayonnaise jar would be a better option if THIS were any denser!
Once Thick Irish Hot Sauce is on your plate or on your food, you'll see that its consistency is fairly pureed yet clumpy like ketchup.
Taste Straight Up:
4 out of 5. A bare lick reveals immediate sweetness and tanginess. Great tomato flavor with underlying tones of other vegetables such as onions. The heat is detectable a second later and quickly dissipates. Traces of horseradish and cayenne pepper are in there giving the sauce a hot body, but by no means are dominant, and aren't even very strong in the mix. There contains just enough horseradish and chiles to give THIS warmth and piquancy.
Going back to the comparison with ketchup: it's as if someone took that condiment as the base and added enough ingredients to make slowly make it into a blend that's rather different. It's not cocktail sauce, and it's not a Thai-style hot sauce like Sriracha, yet it has similarities to both (as well as ketchup) of those but in a sweater, milder package. I rather like it.
Taste on Food:
4 out of 5. I tried a hamburger and fries as a testing ground for THIS. The sandwich had shredded cheddar and dill pickles added, and the fries received a light dusting with generic seasoning salt. As you can see in the photo, only thick glops were able to be shaken out on the bottle.
THIS complemented the grub rather well, leaving enough of the food's original taste pop out while adding a new zesty element. Let me openly admit that I normally don't prefer a tomato-y sauce like a ketchup on hamburgers but THIS was really good. I'm more likely to dunk my french fries in ketchup or whatever scrumptious sauce is lying around whether it be such as barbecue, buffalo wing sauce, or even nacho cheese sauce. THIS is another sauce I could utilize like that.
Heat:
1 out of 5. There is just enough warmth and spice to perk this liquid. A good deal of the "spiciness" is also derived from the horseradish, garlic and vinegar as well as the chile pepper, each with a minor touch of their blusteriness. This would be mild enough for fans of any level of heat, even the novices.
Label:
5 out of 5. Very professional in appearance and slick. I love the red, fiery four leaf clover. It mentions "Hot" and "Extra Thick and Hearty" - what more do you need?
Overall: If you're looking for an all-purpose condiment with a dose of zing that will appeal to a large audience, this may fit the bill. Personally I would rather have McCoy's Thick Irish Hot Sauce than watery sauces like Tabasco any day.
THIS comes in a hefty 12 oz. bottle for $5.99, a slightly smaller 10 oz. "Original Fair and Festival" version for $4.99, or a Mild variation that comes in a 12 ouncer for $5.99, not including shipping for all. Buy THIS at their online store, or see if there's a physical location near you if you live in Illinois or California here.
Related Articles:
Spicy Food Reviews - Hot Sauce Reviews, Hot Snacks, Hot Wings, Seasonings, BBQ Sauces, Condiments, and More
Comments
Add Your Comment: