Mild hot sauce: Yellowbird Habanero Condiment

Country of Origin
USA (Austin, TX)
Ingredients
Carrots, onions, habanero peppers, distilled vinegar, tangerines, limes, garlic, kosher salt, organic evaporated cane juice
Official Description

“Crafted using real ingredients with no added preservatives or artificial anything. We focus on bringing out the flavor of the spicy peppers we use, rather than the heat, and slow cook our sauce to perfection. Use it on tacos, burgers, sushi, pasta, steak, fish, eggs, pizza, salad… anything you can think of!”

Heat Rating

15,580+ Scoville Heat Units (due to the all-natural ingredients, including the habanero peppers, the exact heat rating of each bottle will vary; some may even reach as high as 54,530, according to the Yellowbird website!)

Price
$ 15.99 USD
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The pleasant and almost cute label of the Yellowbird Habanero Condiment features a little yellow bird (funnily enough!) breaking through the logo, presumably on its way to go pick up some hot sauce. One might be forgiven for thinking that this is a mild hot sauce, presumably aimed at those with a sensitivity to heat. You would be sorely mistaken! Once the, albeit flimsy and easily-losable cap comes off (those with a predisposition for losing small parts, take heed!) you can smell the combination of aromas that suggest that every single ingredient in this bottle is natural: you can practically smell the hands of the person that picked each pepper that went into making it. And you’d be right: George Milton, the founder and CEO of Yellowbird, produces the sauce entirely on his own, even down to pureeing all the vegetables. Now that is quality control!

I first discovered this sauce when I was at a friend’s house for dinner: it was chilli night. I remember smelling this wonderful scent of heat and spice emanating from the kitchen; my mouth started salivating at the thought of eating it. Once we sat down to dinner and I had my first taste of their chilli, I was bowled over by the flavour. Surely this couldn’t be just any chilli? They must have a secret recipe! When I asked them how they get the flavour to be spicy and yet tangy at the same time, they hopped into the kitchen and came out wielding a bottle of Yellowbird Habanero Sauce. The tanginess, they explained, comes from the tangerines and limes, meaning that at first you are hit with just a small amount of sweetness, then the heat from the habanero peppers, and finally you get the delicious hints of citrus to round it all off.

If you, like me, enjoy the kick of a hot sauce that packs a powerful punch, whilst still being flavourful enough to complement the food it’s paired with, then Yellowbird Habanero Sauce is perfect for you. Since I discovered it, I have tried pairing it with a lot of foods: some worked, and some didn’t. As I mentioned before, it goes extremely well with chilli, and I enjoy mixing it into pasta sauces, or even a tomato soup or a stew, just to give it that extra kick. Someone suggested I try mixing the sauce with mayonnaise and using it in sandwiches: wow – this has revolutionised my sandwich game. It’s a perfect blend of spice and cool (I would suggest experimenting with the ratio of sauce to mayo, to find the perfect mix that suits you) and I try and use it as much as possible. I did try using it on a pizza, but I found the citrus hints just didn’t go well with my pepperoni – perhaps I’ll have to try it on a different type of pizza!

You might be concerned about the inclusion of ‘carrot’ in the ingredients list: you shouldn’t be. I will admit, once I first tried the sauce as sauce just on its own, I was instantly met with the flavour of carrot, but then the spice kicked in to reassure me it was indeed hot sauce I was eating, and not some form of spicy carrot paste.

If you want a sauce that delivers on heat and delivers on flavour, look no further that Yellowbird Habanero Sauce!