Bear River Bottling Cajun Ghost Story Hot Sauce Review

Bear River Bottling Cajun Ghost Story

Jon over at Bear River is one of the few sauce makers I've met, albeit very briefly, directly. While I think he's one of the more inventive makers (we need a word specific to these creators, like vintner - I suppose we could use chef, which applies to many as it is) out there, I haven't been able to review much of his stable, as he has an affinity for onions that I both do not share and is literally intolerable to me (well, my system, but I suppose people's bodies are a part of them and all). When I heard about this, I was immediately interested and put it at the top of my list, got a bottle soon after, and then put it on my shelf, where it sat for far longer than I had in mind. Kind of the way these things work out with me sometimes, I've noticed...

Anyway, this one seems clearly aimed at being a Cajun style sauce and the ingredient list bears that out, but I think this is somewhat of a mistake in direction, as the sauce itself is a fairly medium-bodied affair, not loose like most of the Cajuns (themselves a derivative of the Louisiana-style), and is far, far less vinegar-forward. By itself, the sauce reminds me a bit of a marinara and I think it would be aces as an actual pizza sauce, presuming you like some heat with your food. I did greatly enjoy it on a fairly wide variety of things, including burgers, where the lack of vinegar and the holding power of the sauce helped it mesh, but in other places, including where I would normally use a Cajun or Louisiana-style, that facet worked against it. 

One of the happier things I've noted here is the addition of coarse or cracked black pepper, which I do love in a sauce. There is a pretty good amount of it here, which I'm happy about, though it does contribute a bit to a slightly gritty mouth feel. The coloration of this sauce is also fabulous and is one of my favorite hues, of any sauce. For me, I think I'd drop the Cajun out of the name and just leave this as "Ghost Story" and treat it more like a hotter everyday sauce and let people experiment and play around with it. It is good-tasting enough that it even if doesn't mesh with the food, say with tacos, where I also tried it, it's not inedible of anything, either. 

Given that this sauce has two of my most favorite peppers, the Cayenne and the Ghost, along with what I consider the best version of the Habanero, the red variety, and given the heavy black pepper, this was probably always going to be a sauce I liked quite a bit. Heat-wise, this is a pretty strong 2, so definitely this will be beyond most novices, but for those aspiring chileheads, this is one of those gems that comes along that tastes good enough to encourage eating more of it, while also being a good stepping stone for tolerance. 

Bottom line: As long as you like some heat in your food, this is a sauce that I'd recommend anyone get. It's not quite up to SOTY level for me, but isn't too far removed, either. 

Breakdown:

           Heat level: 2
           Flavor: 8
           Flexibility: 8
           Enjoyment to dollar factor: 10

Overall: 7