Rating: ★★★★★

Trader Joe’s is a favorite grocery store of mine here in Chicago. They are many places but if you’ve never had the chance to check one out, most of their food is “generic” in that they put their name on a product from someone else. They search the world for really good food items and curate a very nice collection. They have a few great hot sauces and I wanted to started with an expected favorite.

Trader Joe’s Jalapeño Pepper Hot Sauce is very tasty. It isn’t super hot but has some good heat and a sharp acidic bite that I really like. This hot sauce is unique because I actually use it more as a marinade than I do a condiment.

Believe it or not, I’ll pour it over chicken, beef, or a porkchop in the morning for grilling, roasting, or pan frying at dinner. Many hot sauces will burn and char (usually because of sugar) but this hot sauce holds up really well. The flavor is very bold: the acidic bite is coupled with a nice saltiness and a hint of bitter. The heat is a good tingle and is supported with a very fine touch of smokiness—I might even suggest it is aged in a wood barrel prior to bottling. Also note, it only has three ingredients.

While I would say it is very versatile, I actually use it very specifically. I don’t add it to chili or soup, and it is too bold and salty for adding to eggs or tuna salad or something of that nature. It does make a great marinade and a fantastic buffalo sauce. Frank’s RedHot is a common go-to for making a buffalo wing sauce but if one wants to impress their buffalo wing friends, replace Frank’s RedHot with Trader Joe’s Jalapeño Pepper Sauce.

Flavor: 5, Salty, spicy, smokey, and acidic.

Versatility: 3, I use it more specifically as mentioned above. I’ll give it a 3 (1-5), on the scale.

Uniqueness: 5, It is really unlike any I’ve had elsewhere. If Trader Joe’s does “outsource” all their items just for rebranding, I don’t know who made this hot sauce in the beginning.

Recommended on:

• Chicken
• Pork
• Beef
• Heartier fish (tuna, mahi-mahi, etc.)
• Buffalo sauce
• Tacos

Ingredients:

Red ripened jalapeño peppers
Distilled vinegar
Salt