Jersey Barnfire Strawberry Scorpion Hot Sauce Review

Jersey Barnfire Strawberry Scorpion

Note: Support video available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlKHg7t9VWA

We're back again with another dessert sauce, after quite some time of me observing that they're fairly rare, at least by my accounting, and we're back again with another strawberry sauce (I did the Sea Monster Danger Berry earlier in the year here on this very blog, as well as including it in a July 4 special FOH video posting). Strawberry, berries in general, seem to work really well with hot peppers, and I think it's partly because strawberries are almost never sufficiently sweet on their own in sauces and baked goodies. So, naturally, we see the addition of sugar, just to get to the appropriate strawberry impact, which very nicely pairs with peppers, in particular superhots. 

I suppose it's natural to compare this to the Danger Berry and there are a few differences. The flavor profile of both is mainly the same, sort of that strawberry punch you might get from a high quality syrup or possibly a nice salad dressing utilizing it, but here, we have Scorpions instead of Habanero powder, as was used in the Danger Berry. This works out much better, as a lot of the bitterness of the concentrated form is absent. Indeed, even much of the floral nature of the Scorpions is significantly muted. Heat is definitely a lot more prominent here, given the Scorpions, and the coloration is radically different. This one is a bit more milky and less vibrant, whereas the Danger Berry is highly reminiscent of something like Torani. 

It's hard to say which is sweeter, given how pronounced the bitterness in the Danger Berry becomes the more you use it, whereas this one, regardless of how heavy your pour hand, that never really comes into play, though it will definitely start to pack much more of a heat wallop. Indeed, this one is probably over the dividing line of what non-chileheads will find enjoyable. I'd put it at slightly over a 3, for me, but not quite all the way to a 4...I may experiment further to see how much more it will build, though, and will update as necessary. 

This sauce is by far the better-tasting of the two, even if the coloration is a bit off-putting, and it's one of those sauces that I tried to find more things to use it on. They mention salads and strawberries work well in those. It's a bit too cold for me to really consider salads right now, but if I was inclined or picked one of those up from Wendy's, I could definitely see the appeal. It's ok on chicken strips, but I'm not a fan enough of strawberries really enough for that. On grilled pork, it's fantastic and berry hot sauce, in general, I find an absolute treat on burgers. Where this really shines, though, of course, is desserts, and it's one of the few, for me, anyway, sauces that works exceedingly well on ice cream. 

Bottom line: Another excellent entry from Jersey Barnfire, a company that, aside from one slight misstep, continues to impress.

Breakdown:

            Heat level: 3
            Flavor: 10
            Flexibility: 6
            Enjoyment to dollar factor: 10

Overall: 7