Puckerbutt Pineapple Ginger Hot Sauce Review

Puckerbutt Smokin' Ed's Pineapple Ginger

Note: Support video available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4zmDPCnGC8

I could probably put the bottom line up front with this one, I suppose, and just say that if you're not a fan of ginger, specifically fresh ginger, this one may be better off avoided. It is by far the more forward smell and flavor of this, followed behind a bit by the pineapple juice. The vinegar is more or less a balancing offset, to cut down some of the sweetness of the pineapple juice. The peppers, which here are Scotch Bonnet, are listed first in the ingredient list, despite this being a very loose and runny sauce (think pineapple juice) and provided a nice sort of back end heat charge, but don't come through in the flavor profile much. That label order is probably wrong, both given the consistency, as well as the heat being the very nice round one that Scotch Bonnets deliver, but not particularly high. 

Using Scotch Bonnets is not really meant to impart a strong heat surge, though, but rather the fantastic flavor of that pepper and here it melds nicely with the other players. This sauce was meant to accompany (or possibly have dished based on it) various dishes at some Thai and Vietnamese restaurants that are, I assume, in the vicinity of Fort Mill/Charlotte. This sort of brings up one of the challenges of this sauce, for me, in that it's best used in places where one would want fresh ginger, but also a touch of sweetness. I find this narrows the field respectively, as while I do like fresh ginger in a number of Asian dishes, I don't always also like sweetness. 

I did find this very enjoyable on strips, but the runniness created some related isssues. I can't say it sticks particularly well to food, so I had to resort to trying to float it on top enough for it to soak into the breading in order to really get a measure of it as a flavor element. Conversely, I do think it would be marvelous in drinks, anything really with either strong coconut or pineapple flavor, or even something like a kombucha. While I didn't specifically test those things, it strikes me that it would be a rather intriguing addition. Given that the heat is fairly moderate, I don't think most people would find that challenging to the point of bracing, but more enough of a punch to make it a pleasant deviation, especially if it was also a boozy drink.

Bottom line: While this is not a chilehead only sauce, it definitely is better reserved for fans of fresh ginger.

Breakdown:

            Heat level: 2
            Flavor: 7
            Flexibility: 4
            Enjoyment to dollar factor: 6

Overall: 5