Ranking the Top ̶1̶0̶ ̷3̷— 4 Hot Sauces
What food was (idiot) 2014 Nick tweeting about? Probably just about anything as I am thoroughly convinced that a meal isn’t complete without a little spice. For me, hot sauce is a delicate art that needs to be perfectly selected for each meal. There’s a wide array of hot sauces for different types of foods. Some hot sauces seem to be very malleable and work well all across the board, while others are very specific to certain meals. I was going to write a blog about the top 10 hot sauces, but that was too easy to get my favorites on. Then I decided I wanted to really challenge myself by asking if there was only 3 hot sauces that I could have for the rest of my days, which 3 would I keep? Well for those who may not know, 3 is an odd number, so here are the 4 that I’d hold onto:
- Tapatio
My favorite Tio is Tapatio. Ole’ reliable had to find itself at the top of this list. The truest staple of the hot sauce community that has kept me in its spicy embrace since I first got some hair on my chest. For complete transparency, I was introduced to its milder younger brother ‘Cholula’ before developing a love for spice and upgrading to this more frequently. It is the king of hot sauces for me, having a perfect combination between flavor and spice. Doesn’t require too much liquid to get the right amount of flavor and spice (Frank if you’re reading this please stop drowning your food in it. I’m on the other side of the room and it still stinks over here). Just a true king that rightfully deserves to be one of the four that I’d keep on me.
2. Sriracha
Sriracha is an absolute necessity for Asian cuisine. This essential sauce can surely be brought to the table for breakfast foods too, but it truly thrives in Phos, Stir Fry, etc. I will go through phases where it’s really the only sauce that I am interested in using. Give me the OG Red-Rooster if I have to pick, but Trader Joe’s Green Dragon and the garlic paste also are worth delving into for any fans of sriracha.
3. Tabasco (Verde)
Tabasco is a very misunderstood hot sauce. It’s vinegary smell, runny consistency, and pungent spice makes for a very controversial concoction. It took a full summer of working my grandpa’s liquor store with that being the only sauce around that allowed it to grow on me. While I have a special place in my heart for that OG Tabasco, the green bottle is just that much better. It’s the jalapeño version of Tabasco and comes out with much better consistency and flavor. Arguably the most versatile of all the sauces that I have on the list.
Frank’s Red Hot (Buffalo):
If you’re a fan of buffalo wings, it’s hard to not like Frank’s Red Hot. The only issue I have with this is it tends to command a meal as before you know it, the meal just outright tastes like buffalo wings. As a fan of wings, it’s hard to complain about the sauce taking over, but it’s still why I don’t tend to use this one as frequently. Can be the saving grace of some foods that don’t taste as great. You’ll be eating some bland food, decide to just give up and decide you want some wings instead.
*Honorable mentions: Valentina (Black Label), Tabasco (Chipotle)
If your favorite hot sauce got snubbed or you have any recommendations for me go ahead and sound off in the comment section below this!
Songs played while writing:
Pond — Man It Feels Like Space Again [Album]
Sturgill Simpson — Metamodern Sounds in Country Music [Album]
Flight Facilities — Down To Earth [Album]
