_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Ingredients: Serrano Chiles, Garlic, Vinegar, Vegetable Broth (Carrot, Onion, Celery), Soy Protein, Kosher Salt, Ginger, Cilantro, Green Onion, Natural Flavors, and Spices
Uncle Brutha’s is based in Washington, D.C., and makes two sauces: Allsauce No. 9 and Allsauce No. 10. You can find these hot sauces all over D.C., from grocery stores to restaurants. I’m not sure how easy they are to find elsewhere, but if you can get your hands on them, they’re worth trying.
Allsauce No. 9 is the slightly milder and more ubiquitous of the two, and I eat it somewhat often.
The sauce smells very strongly of garlic. The garlic here is pungent and overpowering, but it’s smooth, which leads me to believe that it must be roasted; this would also explain the smoky undertones in the smell. Otherwise, the sauce has a very vegetal aroma. Even though serranos are the first ingredient, you can’t really smell them. Overall, it’s quite an unusual smell for a hot sauce and very distinctive.
The sauce has a medium consistency, and the texture is sort of like a pureed soup. It pours nicely. You can definitely pick out the coarsely-processed vegetables in the sauce: celery, cilantro, and green onion. You can even separate out little pieces of them.
The flavor is very bold, deep, and complex. This is a busy, in-your-face sauce. As the smell indicates, garlic is the first and most prominent thing you taste, and that garlic taste will linger for a long time. The label says that the sauce has “50% lower sodium than traditional hot sauces,” but at 60 mg per teaspoon, it’s actually about average. In any case, it tastes quite salty, but I’m sure that perception of saltiness is enhanced by the strong spice blend. I didn’t taste any ginger, but I imagine that it’s one of the things I would notice if it wasn’t there. And finally, you can taste the chilies, but they’re definitely relegated to the background.
Heat-wise, it’s quite mild. For a point of reference, I’d say it’s a little less hot than Tabasco Sauce. And the slight burn fades very quickly. I’d guess that the seeds and placenta are removed from the serranos before use; this would also explain why there appears to be no seeds in the sauce even though it’s not finely processed enough to pulverize them.
In the end, I think Allsauce No. 9 reflects a lot of D.C.’s “native” (soul) food, which is salty, garlicky, and over-seasoned. But as a person who lives here and, frankly, enjoys that food on the regular, I’m into it. Although, I do wish the chilies stood out more in this sauce.
Bottom line: Allsauce No. 9 is light on heat and heavy on flavor. And that flavor is distinctive, bold, and good. Ultimately though, it’s a garlic bomb, so be prepared.
CHILIPHILE 