Review - Jake's Barbecue Sauces - Medium Hot and Inferno

Scott Roberts February 17, 2009 at 8:29 pm food

The entire line of Jake's Barbecue Sauces has racked up some impressive awards despite being in the spicy food biz for only six years -an International Taste and Quality Awards Superior taste award and several Fiery Food Challenge 1st and 2nd place wins. Upon tasting Jake's Medium and Inferno sauces I must confess that both condiments deserve every single prize and accolade ever given to them. They're that good.

Ingredients:
Medium Hot: Tomato Puree, Brown Sugar, Molasses, Apple Cider Vinegar, Jalapeno Puree (Jalapeno Pepper, Water, Citric Acid,), Ginger, Honey, Habanero Puree (Habanero Peppers, Water, Citric Acid), Modified Food Starch, Smoke Flavor, Worcestershire Sauce (Water, Distilled Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Hydrogenated Soy Protein, Caramel Color, Dehydrated Garlic and Onion, Tamarind Extract, Spices, Anchovy Paste, Flavorings), Salt, Onion, Dijon Mustard (Mustard Seed, Vinegar, Salt, Spices), Olive Oil, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Garlic, Crushed Red Pepper, Chili Powder, Spices, Celery, Natural Flavor.

Inferno: Tomato Puree, Brown Sugar, Jalapeno Puree (Jalapeno Pepper, Water, Citric Acid), Molasses, Habanero Puree (Habanero Peppers, Water, Citric Acid), Apple Cider Vinegar, Ginger, Honey, Modified Food Starch, Smoke Flavor, Worcestershire Sauce (Water, Distilled Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Hydrogenated Soy Protein, Caramel Color, Dehydrated Garlic and Onion, Tamarind Extract, Spices, Anchovy Paste, Flavorings), Salt, Onion, Dijon Mustard (Mustard Seed, Vinegar, Salt, Spices), Olive Oil, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Garlic, Crushed Red Pepper, Chili Powder, Spices, Celery, Natural Flavor.

Aroma:
4.5 out of 5. Both sauces exude dark, smoky, hickory-like tones. The presence of chiles is faintly noticeable in the Medium Hot while stronger in the Inferno sauce.

Appearance and Texture:
4 out of 5. This is a very thick, almost clumpy sauce. The consistency and brown color reminded me of chocolate pudding. Jake's is not a pourable sauce; you'll need a spoon or brush to apply this to meat.

If you look close enough, you can make out pieces of spices and other ingredients in both sauces. They're is not totally smooth; in the mouth, you will encounter tiny bits of either onions or garlic as you chew. Because of this Jake's will feel like a "real", homemade sauce and not a generic, over-processed, factory-produced condiment.

Taste Straight Up:
5 out of 5. Both sauces were very similar to KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce. Medium Hot's and Inferno's base tomato taste is complimented heavily by rich molasses and sweet brown sugar with hickory and Worcestershire flavors. I also detected minute amounts of onion and garlic.

And...HALLELUJAH! Someone FINALLY has created an all-purpose, peppery barbecue sauce where you can actually TASTE the hot peppers. Far too many manufacturers have released a "medium" version of their sauce where you can't even taste the heat, and a "hot" version where the hotness is barely noticeable.

Not Jake's. They seem to "get it" and not compromise by catering to those who prefer things mild. The "Medium Hot" and "Inferno" descriptions are fairly accurate.

Taste on Food:
5 out of 5. I dumped Jake's Medium Hot and Inferno Barbecue Sauce in separate pots with some chicken, and slowed roasted them in the oven for two hours. (I baked some chicken with mild BBQ sauce in a separate container for my sons.) I spooned more sauce on upon removal from the oven and served it with some au gratin potatoes and peas. Sure, it might not have been authentic outdoor grilling but it was still wonderfully close to barbecue heaven as I could get in the thick of winter. Jake's was absolutely delicious on the chicken - spicy, savory, and finger lickin' dynamite.

This would go perfect with anything you'd slather good old-fashioned barbecue sauce on...ribs, brisket, wings, pork steaks, beef steaks, burgers, dogs, you name it...If you're a fan of dark, smoky, hickory-flavored sauces you'll be right at home with the fantastic BBQ flavor of Jake's.

Heat:
As eluded to above, you'll get a satisfying burn out of both sauces. Even the Medium may be too much for wusses. On a scale of 1 to 5, the Medium would fall square in the middle with 2.5, while Inferno would rate at least 3.5. You'll get a small amount of fire immediately, but the habanero paste may startle you with a second, delayed heat, especially in Inferno.

Label:
5 out of 5. A handsome and modern look to its graphics. Cool typography and colors. Features images of it's two "core" ingredients, the tomato and the jalapeno.

Overall:
Buy this stuff. It's the real deal, and it may become of the 2 or 3 best barbecue sauces you've ever eaten (as it has with me). Yet another spicy food product that gets the "Scotty Highest Recommendation".

You can purchase a 16-oz. jar for $6.99 or a three-pack for $12.95 (an awesome deal) on http://www.jakesbbqsauce.com/. In addition to Medium Hot and Inferno, Jake's also produces a Mild version, plus marinades and dry rubs.