Red Label
Before starting Recco, I can’t say that I had tried many “pepper sauces”. I’m not talking hot sauce, theres been plenty of that in my life, but this specific type of pepper sauce was new. What I found interesting is that the previous pepper sauce I reviewed was something I have come to appreciate more over time, so to have a second one come into the lineup was a great way to taste something that I now have a reference point for.
Let’s talk about the sauce for a second now. Medium heat, left me knowing that there was something there, but not a food ruining heat, definitely a flavor add heat. I wouldn’t say it’s mild, so if you are heat sensitive you may find this to be a bit spicier than your normal hot sauce. That being said, I actually found this hot sauce to be a phenomenal mixer. I had made some of my own honey mustard sauce for some chicken tender wraps (yes I can eat like a child…it’s good product testing) and I found myself dousing the wraps with the pepper sauce. This also left me feeling that the sauce was universal, letting me span it across things like gumbo, paella, tenders, tacos, and more. One of the main tasting notes is garlic, which I believe belongs in most things, it was a present flavor note, but not overpowering. Where I felt the sauce didn’t land as well as I liked was completely on its own. I felt like it performed best when matched with something substantial, a chip with some hot sauce is not the recommended vehicle here in my opinion.
I appreciated the blend of Habanero, Jalapeno, and Serrano peppers, and I felt like I still got that sweetness I love from the Habanero up front, that might also be getting an assist from the carrot instead of sugar you find in many hot sauces. This is the original recipe from Lucky Dog that went through countless iterations, and the first where Scott (founder) found himself being encouraged to sell what he was creating as a hobby. I liked the more mild vinegar approach, even if you think you are heat sensitive and rarely venture out of mild, I would suggest to explore a little bit with this one. Not because it isn’t spicy but the fact that you can mask, mix, or hide a bit of heat in some other dishes makes it a versatile fridge option.
Lucky Dog is Scott Zalkind’s California project, started as weekend hobby sauce in 2005 and turned into a company in 2012. At the end of 2012 the sauce took first in Sweet and number one overall at The Hot Pepper Awards. He says that without it there might not be a Lucky Dog. The formula changed on July 7, 2017, swapping added sugar for agave, which is how he sets it against a sugary Sriracha. Its record after that first win is a 2014 second in Asian-style at the Fiery Food Challenge and a 2023 first in garlic chilli sauce at the Clifton Chilli Club awards in the UK.
This pepper sauce squeaked in as a Take My Money, if you don’t have any pepper sauce in the house, you would be well suited to start with this one. If I had one small complaint, I find myself wishing this sauce was in a squeeze bottle instead of pouring out. I am coming around to the fact that if you don’t have chunks of stuff in your hot sauce a squeeze bottle is always best for proper bite to sauce ratio. If you are a hot ones fan, you may recognize Year of the Dog Thai Chile Pineapple sauce from the show, but I personally recommend going for the flavors you like over the allure of this was on a YouTube show. Depending where a sauce lands in the Hot One’s lineup may be a lot more about heat than flavor.