Hellfire The Chilimaster’s Reserve Hot Sauce stands out from the whole lineup of Hellfire products in that it is rather mild. It’s also the sauce with the most variety of fruit and spices. With the heat level being rather low, it’s much more accessible to the average chile head. Its flavour is quite honestly spectacular. It has a bold, smoky, savoury, and fruity profile. It has quite a well-pronounced sweetness that I love because there’s an equal amount of complex flavour to meet that sweet taste. One of the many things that makes this a unique product is the variety of tropical fruits which is so well complemented by the numerous, fragrant spices.
I’ve written other reviews on a variety of other Hellfire products that we carry including Devil’s Gold, Fiery Fool, and Fear This! It can be useful to inform oneself about a product or lineup of products before making a purchase, so if you’re interested in learning about these sauces and how you can enjoy them, why not give my other blog posts a read!
This sauce has many ingredients. An outside observer may see this and say that “the fewer ingredients the better.” In some cases, that can be true. The purpose of this sauce however is to offer a complex, yet very enjoyable flavour profile with each ingredient playing a crucial role in creating it. The distilled vinegar not only preserves the sauce but also adds the classic tang that we are familiar with. The bourbon-infused chipotle peppers contribute with a pronounced smoky, oak, and caramel flavour. The bourbon in this sauce also contributes to the overall sweetness and complements the vanilla-y taste that is present. Mandarin oranges, mangoes, papaya, pineapple, and peaches are the fruits that make up the tropical taste of this product. This combination makes for a citrusy, tart, and sweet combination. The smoked habanero peppers bring most of the smokiness and heat in this sauce, adding a relatively mild kick when mellowed by the other ingredients. White and brown sugar add some extra sweetness, while the vanilla extract, which is quite noticeable in the sauce, provides that distinct, rich flavour we all love. There is also a hint of garlic and ginger which fits well in the fresh mix of fruits and overall smokiness of the peppers. The allspice, curry powder, cinnamon, cumin, and cloves make for an amazing combination of flavours. These spices add fragrancy, sweetness, pungency, savouriness, and a bit of earthiness.
In terms of heat I would give this one a 2 out of 10. The sweetness from fruit as well as the use of the bourbon-infused chipotle, help to mellow the heat of the habaneros, while still allowing the smoky flavour to shine through. I would recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of smoky or bourbon-based barbecue or hot sauces and want a slightly stronger kick than most other sauces of this type on the market.
Enjoy this one as a bold and smoky barbecue-style sauce, marinade, dip, or glaze! It’s particularly good in sandwiches, pulled pork, on grilled chicken, steak, seitan or tofu, and all kinds of fish including salmon and more! Use it to liven-up your mac n’ cheese, burgers, wings, pizza, wraps, and rice or noodle dishes. This sauce is particularly good when mixed with mayonnaise for the perfect sweet-smoky dip! I would also recommend you try this one on your eggs in the morning. It’s a winning combination!
Come by one of our store locations and give Hellfire The Chilimaster’s Private Reserve Hot Sauce a try! You won’t regret it!
As always, Keep it spicy!
Alexis